Doing Business with Strangers

Navigating Craigslist Safely and Successfully

Allison Yii is happy with her “cool” new-to-her Craigslist purchase. Photo by Scott Holstein

It’s no secret that craigslist.org has been drawing tens of millions in classified advertising revenue away from newspapers every year. The site is simple to use, easy to navigate and cluttered with information from its users — and very little from anywhere else — allowing dwellers of cities large and small to connect as though they are next-door neighbors. But Craigslist is not always as easy as it sounds.

The idea of talking to strangers can make buying and selling an intimidating proposition. Really, the site’s greatest strength is its greatest weakness: Facilitating connections between people includes both the good and the bad connections. The secret to Craigslist success is actually just common sense — be confident, but not foolish.

Allison Yii, from Santa Rosa Beach, has both bought and sold using the website. In both of her dealings she recalled being unafraid, but sensible. 

Her first sale was a Craftsman riding lawn mower she’d won at a church auction. After years of use, Yii decided it was time to sell when the mower gave in to age and stopped working properly. The mower did not run anymore and the blades were falling off, but Yii thought that someone might have a use for it.

“I put it on Craigslist for $40, thinking, ‘Somebody might want it for parts or something, or be able to fix it,’” she explained.

She posted a couple sentences honestly explaining the condition of the mower and why she was selling it, along with some pictures. As a precaution, she used only the Craigslist-provided seller email for contact information, leaving her own personal contact information out of the listing completely. Within just a couple days, the lawn mower sold for its full asking price to a man who thought it would make a great project for him and his son to take on together. 

“I posted some pictures and told the truth about it,” she stated simply. That tangible honesty is the key to a good Craigslist listing; if viewers can clearly see what they would be buying, and understand why you no longer want it, they will be far more likely to buy.

When it was time to replace her refrigerator, Yii thought of Craigslist. She had been looking around retail stores occasionally and thought it wouldn’t hurt to check Craigslist. Fortuitously enough, the precise sort of fridge she wanted — a white LG refrigerator with a freezer on the bottom, with a door instead of a drawer — was listed on the site. The post looked good, the pictures were clear and the $400-$450 price was right. Yii picked up the refrigerator with her mother and a friend with a pickup truck.

“They were the nicest people. Just really genuine,” Yii recalls. That came through in their post, and two years later Yii is still very happy with her refrigerator. Her search was largely successful due to her selective treatment of listings.

“If it doesn’t have a picture, I’m not even going to call,” she said. Pictures should be clear, well lit and taken from a variety of angles to attract most buyers. Additionally, sellers (and buyers, too) must remember to leave personal information out of the post. Yii said that often, toward the beginning of transactions, she avoids signing her name as an extra precaution. 

Now, with one sale and one purchase under her belt, Yii is considering making use of Craigslist once more — this time to sell a broken down 18-foot fiberglass canoe. The site offers a better audience than traditional classifieds, she points out, making it a great resource for anyone interested in buying or selling anything outside the retail sphere.

“I just think it’s a great online tool … I think people are going to that much more than newspapers for classifieds these days,” she said.

Of course, not every Craigslist story ends perfectly. Yii recalled an occasion when her husband tried to sell a set of General Contractor’s Class books, asking $750 — half of the price he’d paid for them. Within a day the couple received an email from an interested buyer. 

“He said he was interested but I’d have to give him my bank account number for them to deposit their check for payment. Of course, I didn’t do it,” said Yii. The couple never sold the books, but no harm was done in trying. While there is no guaranteed success, some Craigslist strategies will make sure you use the site as safely and successfully as possible.

Craigslist Tips

DO

» Include as much information as possible about the item you are selling, as well as clear pictures

» Request additional information or pictures of the item you are buying if you want more

» Use email as much as possible for contact, especially at first

DON’T

» Post any personal information, especially contact information. Posting an address, especially when selling an item, has led to robberies in the past.

» Buy anything that makes you even remotely skeptical

» Sell items out of your house; instead, meet in a public place. If the item is too big to transport, make sure you are not alone when buyers stop by. Same goes for buyers: Meet sellers in a public place if possible. And when you must visit a seller’s home, do not go alone.