A while ago, I posted my old XBox and some games to go with it on Craigslist for $150 (and then $100) but it never sold and the ad hit the 30-day expiration date. Today, I decided to repost it for $50 as well as my old Treo 600 ($25) and Palm Centro ($75) phones. Within three hours, all of the items were either sold or spoken for with deals pending tomorrow.
It was a pretty amazing experience, and I was really surprised. Based on my previous post, I expected to get one or two Craigslist trolls (out of state, potential scam offers) but figured it would take a couple of days for my items to garner any notice, much less the rabid attention that they got. I mean, even my ancient Treo was snapped up while the ink on the ad was still virtually drying. I didn't expect that anyone would want it because it was so old, but apparently the first Sprint smartphone still has some mojo with the public.
One thing that I've noticed is that being a Craigslist newbie, I tended to be a lot more cautious about how I responded to the interested parties and I think that my reticence to be forthcoming with information may have made the initial stages of a transaction more difficult than they needed to be. I was worried about showing up somewhere and getting my merch jacked, and I'm sure that the person on the other end was worried about showing up with a wad of cash and getting someone's old junk or being taken in some other way. Distrust feeds distrust. One of today's transaction was brokered by somewhere around 40 emails because I was unwilling to divulge my phone number to facilitate making the transaction happen more quickly.
So, note to self: when meeting someone in a public place to sell an item that is not worth more than $100, be a little more open and trusting. It will help the person with the money feel more at ease and that will make the transaction more comfortable for everyone. If I'm not trying to scam anyone (which I'm not), don't act like I am. Kind of simple, but when you're inundated with "BEWARE OF SCAMS!" banners all over Craigslist it sort of puts you in a paranoid state of mind.
Overall, though, I've put some cash money in my pockets for things that I no longer use anymore, someone else is getting use out of the items for a greatly discounted price, and everyone's happy. Craigslist is a good thing, and I think I'm going to be getting rid of some more stuff there in the future. Next up, an old dresser that I have in my garage and isn't being used. Hooray for reselling! Maybe I should give that whole Amazon thing a try...
