Craigslist is indubitably America’s and possibly the world’s largest online classifieds website. It allows you to post a no-frills ad free that can help find a home or sell myriad old stuff. Craigslist services are used by millions of Americans located in thousands of cities. Additionally, we website also operates in foreign languages and is available in many countries worldwide.
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What This Means
These details translate into one simple fact – Craigslist offers you immense opportunities to make money. Of course, you need some ingenuity and if possible, a little extra money. Should you possess some skills, there are several more opportunities to make money.
However here is word of caution before you conjure visions of wealth by making money on Craigslist. The website by itself offers no opportunities to make money through work. Instead, you will have to identify vistas where you can use skills to get some more money. Craigslist may not make you rich instantly. Yet, with some perseverance, you could make a decent sum every month.
Here we explore ways and means to make money with Craigslist
Deliver for Craigslist
Craigslist does not deliver any orders. Instead, the buyer interacts directly with the seller. Once a sale is finalized, either of the two parties takes on the responsibility of delivering the goods. Here’s your opportunity to make money. You can offer collection and delivery services for the buyer and seller. Since heavy stuff like furniture, electronics, and home appliances require extra care in transit, you can arrange for a proper packer and mover.
Inspect the goods and take great pictures for reference of the two parties. Supervise the stuff being packed and dispatched to the destination. You get paid for the services either by the buyer or seller, according to their agreement. Further, you are also assured of a small commission from both parties for the effort. With some luck, the packing and moving firm will also pay you a fee. Use your own van or truck or rent one for deliveries within your geographical area.
Look for Rare Stuff
A lot of people are unaware about the market value of stuff they are selling. This could be anything from an old handicraft or some defunct electronics item. They could have simply found the thing lying around the house or have no utility for it. A lot of people sell things they believe are junk or to meet some urgent need for money. Here is where your ingenuity comes into play.
Look for stuff that is rare and cannot be found easily in the market. Check the asking price and find if the seller is giving it cheap. Search for similar objects on the Internet and find the rate they would fetch. This can be anything from a discarded statuette to an old gramophone player or a now-defunct model of cell phone. Once you know the market value, bargain with the seller and get it delivered. You can always sell it for a higher price to a curio dealer in your place or resell it after upping the price through Craigslist.
Resell Abroad
Craigslist caters to millions of people abroad too. Often, things that are outdated in the USA can be a novelty in some other country. For example, a computer, mobile phone or radio set discarded in America will have takers in some other country. However, whatever you buy on Craigslist has to be in excellent working condition for resale in a foreign land. Else, it is junk and does not touch it.
You can resell such stuff on various regional websites that cater to underdeveloped countries of the world. Understandably, the price you can get will not be very high, since buyers in such countries generally are not affluent. Yet, you can make a small profit and make money with Craigslist.
Launch Own Product or Service
Any home-based entrepreneur can make money with Craigslist. Should you be having some exclusive product like a jam or sauce or know how to make excellent portraits, sketches, carvings or furniture, advertise your product or services on Craigslist. It saves you a lot of bother of setting up your own website or spending heavily on advertisements.
A lot of people look for home-made foodstuffs such as jam, sauces, spice mixtures, beauty, and skin care products and chocolate. And they also look for handymen and craftsmen. Huge demand for persons skilled in specific trades such as photography and translations also exists. Advertise your service free on Craigslist.
Buy, Restore and Sell Furniture
Another excellent way to make money with Craigslist is through furniture trade. You will require some initial investment and space for this business. Returns will, however, justify both. Buy furniture from people moving home or selling it for newer ones. Should you possess the necessary skills, restore the furniture or find professionals who can perform the task.
America has a dozen excellent websites where you can sell furniture. Understandably, such website will charge some commission for their service. Yet, if the cost of buying old furniture, refurbishing and commissions add up to get you a decent profit, the business is worthwhile. Alternatively, you can also make money with Craigslist by selling it through their website.
Tips & Tweaks to Sell on Craigslist
Consider a situation where you have bought something off the market or Craigslist, and you wish to resell it. The trick lies in how you present the stuff to buyers. This is something that most sellers on Craigslist ignore. Using these simple tip and tweaks, you can make money with Craigslist.
- Take Excellent Pictures – Seeing means to believe. Post excellent pictures of whatever stuff you are selling on Craigslist. Pictures attract attention that often translates as a sale.
- Great Description – Write a concise yet accurate description of the stuff you are selling to accompany those excellent pictures. You can provide details when requested by a prospective buyer.
- Find Market Value – This is the key to make money with Craigslist. Never venture into buying anything before you know the price it will fetch when you resell. Also, calculate expenses you incur to ship or refurbish the stuff and find if the resale value is profitable and worth the effort.
- Tie-Ups – If you are selling home-made products and expect repeat orders, a tie-up with a logistics provider or shipper, depending upon the volume and size of the shipment. Certain shipments can be sent, for example, by US Postal Service while others may require a professional packer and mover. Tie-ups help save a lot of money when reselling through Craigslist.
- Explore Foreign Markets – You can find a lot of stuff that has no takers in the US but will find a ready market abroad. Acquaint yourself with goods that will sell at profitable rates in foreign markets. You can make money with Craigslist by buying from this website and selling on others that are region-centric.
In Conclusion
Craigslist is a pioneer of sorts in online classifieds. Though several newer websites with global reach have come up over the years, Craigslist continues to rank on top. This is because Craigslist is trusted and preferred by most Americans. As we can see, it is fairly easy to make money with Craigslist. However, as described, you may require some skills and have to invest money, effort and of course, time. With a proper combination of these, you can strike it big on Craigslist too.
Author Bio: Pritam Nagrale, founder of MoneyConnexion. This one is one of his most favorite blogs including SureJob & many others. He loves it because he can share all his experiences of making money online with you. You will love it because you will start making money with some of the most valuable & actionable content on this niche.
