Thursday, June 18, 2009

How to sell on Craigslist 4 Idiots...

As some may have guessed, I have been doing some shopping on Craigslist and have noticed some things that I really need to comment on. So here goes. First of all. I really like the concept of CL and enjoy shopping for bargains. Plus CL is not nearly as boring as Ebay....I mean...I can't wait 5-7 days for your auction to end...and then another week for you to finally ship it. Sheesh. That being said...if your going to sell you stuff on CL here are some tips to guide you.

1. Description. Your item has a model number or name. If your selling a Car...go ahead and tell us what kind of car it is right there in the headline. I know it sounds crazy...but that might be the only part of your listing that we read. Does your car have a year? or some Mileage...that might help us decide if your particular deal is worth tracking you down for. Oh yeah...and if it has been wrecked. Don't leave out that little detail either.

2. Pictures. DO put a picture of your item. It's Free! A picture is worth a thousand words...unless you are prepared to type a thousand words...a picture will likely tell us all that we need to know about your particular piece of junk. Some of you can't describe your way out of a wet paper bag with 2K words...so go ahead and figure out how to get your pictures off your camera and onto the computer. Its a good skill to have. I might not even waste my time looking at any listing that doesn't have a picture...its really not that hard to post one using your digital camera. If you need one...there is one for sale in the electronics section (hello ...there is photography section) just because it uses electricity does not make an electronic item! Put your Crap in the section it belongs in...see #4.

3. Relevance. Obscure facts about your item does not help anyone. Example. Dryer 24" wide. Aren't all dryers pretty much the same width? Is the width the most important detail that you need to know when buying a dryer? I mean I can think of at least 5 more important things. A. Electric or Gas? B. High Efficiency or Standard? C. Model and Make (see #1) D. Color? E. Does it work? F. Has it been piled under a bunch of your other crap in your garage for the last 2 years? etc...

4. Categories. It's a simple but often misunderstood concept that works something like this - bike ads go in "bikes", auto parts in "auto parts", televisions and cell phones in "electronics". Even "I want to buy..." has a category called "wanted". Put your stuff in the category that that stuff fits into. Otherwise...nobody is going to find it. WTB means Wanted to Buy...WTF means something all together different. Why are you bothering to post that you are wanting to buy a window AC unit...when there are 6 other ads for window AC units in this section from today's posts. CALL ONE OF THESE OTHER PEOPLE! Hello! The Posting of the stuff is all the seller is going to do. Were not going to call you too...and then deliver it to you.

5. Price. Go ahead and climb out there on that limb and fill out the $___ for your ad. $1 does not count...who are these people that keep thinking that $1 could possibly the correct thing that they need to fill in that blank? You don't need to put your price in the headline. The field right next to the headline is the Price. We won't miss it. Really. Secondly. OBO DOES NOT mean "Or Better Offer" I'm not sure what universe these people are living in, but here on earth it throws off the entire Mart of Economic Commerce to be under some impression that if your asking $75 for your old worn out Weed Wacker, that someone is going to come along and give you $90 for it. OBO means "Or Best Offer" Period. If your going to be offended that I offer you less for your item your have a couple of choices; don't put OBO on your ad; don't forget that I can buy a brand new weed wacker at the store for $69; don't list your stuff on CL.

6. Phone Number. Hello...This is about ME looking at a list of your stuff and wanting to get in touch with YOU to offer you some money to take it off your hands. Do you think I might need to have a way to get in touch with you? Put your phone Number on your listings. Otherwise...I'm going to email you every single question I can think of while I'm waiting for you to answer my first email question asking something like, "is your dryer Gas or Electric?" I know you think your phone number is super private...right up there with your Soc. Sec. # . Well, it's not. Go Google your self and find out. If you can't screen a phone call. Don't have a phone.

7. Check your e Mail. If your the kind of person that only checks their email at night...or on weekends. Ebay is more your speed. CL is a race to get the good stuff. If your going to list your item on CL...AND your not going to list your phone number. You need to check your email at least every 15 minutes for the first 2 hours after you list your item...and hourly thereafter. If you would list your telephone you can dispense with all the email checking. Hello...its about ME finding YOU. You have Junk I have money.

8. SHOUTING. POSTING WITH ALL CAPITAL LETTERS DOES NOT HELP YOUR STUFF GET SOLD. IT JUST MAKES US THINK THAT WE ARE GOING TO GET YELLED AT IF WE CALL YOU. STOP YELLING! Start Selling.

9. SYMBOLS: **** ######## !!!!!!!! are not part of the alphabet even though they show up on your keyboard. Use them sparingly. I don't care how great a a DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you have...I'm going to offer you less, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ get used to it.

10. Delete. After your item is sold...DELETE YOUR POSTING. This will keep me from hassling you to death by calling your super secret unlisted private home phone number. Typing "- Sold" on your posting header simply shows us that you can't read directions and you don't understand the basic principals of CL. It makes me want to call you two or three more times just to ask you about your item...so you have to go back and change your listing to -SOLD!!!!!!!! Delete it idiot. You are probably the people that leave your garage sale signs up all over the neighborhood too. I really don't like people like you.

11. CL Etiquette. Here is one basic tenant to CL. This is like the golden rule. This is huge, pay close attention. He who shows up first with Cash...gets the stuff. NOT he who calls first, NOT the person that you promised it to from work. If your going to sell it on CL. Sell it on CL. Anything less makes us go crazy and maybe want to call you up in the middle of the night and double check if your Washer and Dryer is still sold.

12. Safety. Were not all stalkers or killers or rapists. Only some of us are. Its up to you to figure out which ones are....and which ones are not. Think about a few things when you post something. For example... "Oh...my husband is gone all week on business when I posted that chainsaw for sale." Oops. "I'm posting my super great deal on CL at 11:30 at night..." expect a phone calls. Remember its a race to get your stuff...."Oh no...I just put on my self tanner and have to be naked for the next 3 hours..." this is maybe not a good time to post your super great deals on CL.

13. Spelling. (this is borrowed from a Best of CL post...since I can't spell either...I thought I would use someone else's opinion) Check Your Spelling. Just for the record, a tacometer is not a gauge, it's a Mexican dish. A Beatle is not a German car, it's a famous pop singer. Cars do not have redial tires, tilt weels or all-whell-drive. Corola and Iuszu are not Japanese cars. Chevy never built a Maliby and your iPod is not 3 moths old. A Blazier is a burger, not a truck. You don't live on the Soutshide. the Wetside or Flaming Island. Santa does not ride a sliegh. Expoxy is not a glue and this is definitely not Craigslits. If proper English eludes you, take my advice. There is a wonderful invention called a spell checker. It makes you appear much smarter than you really are. Use it and you mite akchuuly sel somthink.

14. Grammar. (again...not my strong suit...so here is an excerpt from Best of CL) Some people post ads like they talk. Unfortunately. Here's an example: "I have a used Tiger Shack, it still look new, but need to rebuild before it work. It would not started, it has same problem with engine... local pickup is perfect, ship is find but it in your own cost". Oh yea, I'll definitely call you Ding Dong! Descriptions like these are real turnoffs: "must sail" (what, are you in the Navy?), "just lower the price" (OK, I will if you say so), "truck is running but not register" (so you can't ring it up then?), "I don't no the miles" (I don't no two), "For times I place the add" (know times I call), "it drive good" (Mongo like sheriff Black Bart). A spell checker cannot correct grammar errors. Only paying attention in English class or a literate friend can. If you "know spoke god gramma", ask someone who does to write your ads. Remember, prepositions are our friends. 2 ALL U IM BF: Text messaging is not a primary language dude!

Monday, June 01, 2009

Skyler & Chad's Wedding Group Album.

Here is a link to our photo sharing site for Skyler & Chad's Wedding: Link: http://www.pictoma.com/events/535 Password: Watson Please use this link and password to share and upload your photos from Skyler & Chad's Wedding. Thanks! Hillenblog!