Alright, my bedroom set and my mattress has officially been posted for sale on Craigslist.  Now, if only those interested Craigslist buyers who are “really interested” would actually make it through!  I have moved almost everything to the living room and pulled out my air mattress to sleep on.   Now, its time for Craigslist to do its job so that I can turn the furniture to $.   It always helps to keep a few things in mind when selling things on Craigslist. 

Five Tips for a Sane Selling Experience on Craigslist

• A picture is worth a thousand words.

Always post a picture of the item that you are selling.  If you don’t have your own picture then use a manufacturer’s picture.  It is also helpful to provide a link to the item so that buyers.  This will save you a lot of questions about the item from people who are slightly interested. 

• But, that doesn’t mean you can skimp on the details.

It is important to include as much information as possible about a product.  If you are listing a coat then you may want to let the buyer know more than just the size and color such as what material the coat is, presence or absence of any stains, whether or not you or any of your close family member is a smoker, whether you live with pets etc…  If you are selling furniture then it is very important to list the dimensions and this information is easily obtained by looking up the product online. 

• Price your items competitively and with leeway for further negotiation.

You can sell your item quickly and competitively if you search for the item before listing to see the range that is commanded by other sellers.  If for some reason there is no one in your area selling them item then you can command a higher price as most people wouldn’t want to drive out of the way.   Be aware that with most of the transactions there will be negotiation between the buyer and the seller.  This may occur over email or while the buyer is looking the product over. 

• Adopt a no holding/first come first served policy.

Craigslist buyers are notorious for not following through with their expressed interest.  If you hold something for someone then know that there is a strong chance they will come back and say, “Oh, I changed my mind.  I don’t want it anymore.  Oops! Sorry!”

• Adopt a cash only exact change policy. 

To make sure that you get your money it is better to make it cash only so that you get your money right then and there and you can be done with the transaction at the point of sale. 

Now, onto my crazy Craigslist Story

When I first arrived in Washington, DC I came with a lot of boxes and one office chair.  I later acquired a variety fo Ikea furniture from a Klippan sofa, to endtables,  a dining set, study table, shelf etc…  I brought a basic air mattress and a pump from Walmart with me to DC but that air mattress soon gave out.  I got my current air mattress off of Craigslist  just to last me until I bought a bed.  But, I never ended up buying a bed  until my second year because I found the air mattress unexpectedly comfortable.  And besides, when I think about all that I had to go through a lot to get the air mattress I intent to get my use out of it.  I found the listing for my current  air mattress and I responded.  A guy replied back to say it was still available.  So, off I went in search of the air mattress with my pump in hand.  I wanted to pump up the mattress to make sure it didn’t have any holes. 

So, I get there and its an unfamiliar part of DC.    I ring the doorbell and the seller opens the door and then the screen door and he lets me in.  When I get inside he closes the door and locks it.  I get a weird feeling at the closed and locked door.  It’s not a big deal, I tell myself.  It is summer and everyone likes to keep their house cool.  And I guess people lock their doors in DC a lot too.  The guy starts making conversation with me.  He graduated two or three years ago from college and he wants to know where I went to college and when I graduated.  I tell him where I went to school.  He then asks me if I want to something to drink.  I am starting to feel a little weird.  I tell him no and ask him where the air bed is. 

He takes me to the living room and I quickly unfold the air mattress, hook up the pump and wait for the mattress to inflate.  He wants to know what I am up to in DC.  I tell him about law school.  He wants to know where.  I tell him the name of the school.  I am starting to think coming by myself wasn’t such a hot idea after all.  I was starting to get a bad feeling about this.  Something kept telling me to leave and get out.  The dude is starting to look a little weird to me now.   He’s disgustingly thin.  He looks like he hasn’t seen the sun much.    He asks me something else nosey and I give him a short and rude answer.  He seemed to finally get the message I didn’t want to divulge all the details of my life over an air mattress.  The entire apartment is so quiet that I don’t think anyone else is here.  I deflate the air mattress fast, pay the guy and leave.

I almost run from the house towards the metro telling myself I really should have come with someone else or better yet just stood outside on the patio and ask to see the mattress.  There was no need to go inside.  He could be some crazy weirdo.  Or maybe I am overthinking this.   As I am speed walking away from the house I realize that I am missing something.  I open my bag to find that I forgot my pump back at the house!  Aaaaah!  I couldn’t believe it.  Without the pump there is no way I can get the mattress inflated.  I stop the speed walking and wonder what I should do.  I look back at the row house with terror.  I don’t think I can go back there, I think to myself.  I become indecisive. 

While I am standing in the sidewalk I see a girl walking on the other side of the street.  I wave and cross over to her and I tell her what happened and I ask her if she would come with me to the weirdo’s house.  She was an undergrad at one of the colleges in DC.  The girl was on her way to her job as a server and she had a few minutes to spare.  We walked up the steps and knocked on the door.  No answer.  We knocked on it again.  Again, no answer.   We knocked a third time and I called out that I forgot my air pump.  No answer.  I couldn’t believe it.  It wasn’t but five minutes ago that I left this dude and I haven’t gone that far so I know he didn’t leave.  I call him a couple of times and leave him messages asking for my air pump. 

 Hmm…I wonder if he is holding my air pump hostage because I was rude to him earlier.  It didn’t appear too outside the realm of possibility.   Also, he knows I am the one who is calling him because of my number.   Maybe he is being mean back to me.  I call one of my new classmates–a guy.  I ask him to call and if he gets a voicemail then to leave him a tough/manly/mean voicemail.  You know, one of those voicemails that would let the weirdo know that I am not alone and that I got people!  My friend complied with my request and left oh, a few voice mails on my behalf. S till no answer at the door.  Since there was no answer at the door my new friend–the random girl on the street–and I left for the metro.   I was feeling angry and confused about what really happened to my air pump and gave it up for the time being to a hijacking by the air mattress weirdo.  Later that day I get a text message stating, “got your multiple messages, and messages from your friend.  Fell asleep.  You can come pick up your air pump tomorrow.”  This time I went back with my classmate and I never put a feet inside the house.  It was a quick knock, grab the air mattress pump, bye!

So, was it just the case of me overreacting?  Was it female intuition?  Was the guy actually kind of shady?  Or, was he just nosey?  Was he trying to hit on me?  Or was it the case of an overactive imagination?

I have really turned this over in my mind after the incident.  While no one will know the actual answer I think  it is a little bit of  everything.   It was my first time in a large city like DC.  I was unfamiliar with the area and did feel uncomfortable being in an apartment alone with a strange guy with the door shut and locked for no reason that I could see.  At first, the young man I was dealing with looked normal, but soon something became unsettling as I saw him lock the door.  He did seem nice enough and interested in making conversation.   I think this entire exchange would have went a lot better if he didn’t close his door and lock it.  When he twisted that lock, in my mind, sirens went off.  Very loud sirens.  And I may have overreacted to the missing air pump by having a friend call and leave messages.   What say you? 

  Got any crazy Craigslist stories of your own? What are your tips for selling or buying on Craigslist?