subject: How To Sell On Craigslist [print this page] Understanding how to use Craigslist is imperative to your success.Once you know what to do, selling on Craigslist will be a breeze. However, it is not as simple as saying what your item is and leaving it at that, it is a science and an art. What I mean is, there are set rules which you must adhere to on Craigslist, operating within these rules while exercising some creativity will yield the best results.
#1 RULE CONDUCT YOURSELF APPROPRIATELY:
1. DO NOT USE ALL CAPS or MOCJRTS (SYMBOLS) on your ads
2. Do not post your ad in multiple categories simultaneously or multiple times within the same category
3. Do not post links to other websites
4. Post in one category every 48 hours.
You may think that using ALL CAPS or @!#$% (SYMBOLS) will lead to better exposure for your ad. However this goes against the code of conduct and is against Craigslist TOS for ad posting. All this will accomplish for you is getting your ad flagged, and deleted. This can result in potential lost sales.
Do NOT post links to other websites. This is another rule of conduct that you must follow. Otherwise, this could result in your ad getting flagged and deleted. It could also result in arousing suspicion that you are trying to scam, hack, or phish those who click on your website.
Craigslist is FREE, so there is no need to have a link to your website to sell your product. Potential customers may be overly cautious surfing an unknown website also. This can be especially true for one that has linked from Craigslist.
#2 RULE GENERATE ENGAGEMENT:
1. POST at least one photo for your ad
2. CREATE an account. Do not sell without one!
3. DELETE ads after you have sold them
POST AT LEAST ONE PHOTO!!! Craigslist offers the option to include up to four (4) photos with your ad. I highly recommend that you include at least one photo, but optimally enough photos to show the potential customer exactly what you have to offer and sell. THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!!A famous saying goes, A picture is worth a thousand words especially runs true in the online arena. Remember your customer cannot use any other senses to engage with your product. They cannot touch and feel, smell, hear or taste what you have online. A posting without a picture is a recipe for no traffic or traction!
Many customers on Craigslist will not even consider an ad if it does not have pictures included in the post.
TIP: The customer can see if an ad has a picture attached as it will display an icon on the page stating image. There is also an image only filter on the search results, so if you do not have a picture you could dramatically impact and hurt your chances to sell the product.
In todays age, there is little to no excuse to not send via email an image from a digital camera, or cell phone photo. Ensure that the item is clear, shows only one item (if applicable), and looks clean (meaning devoid of clutter).
CREATE AN ACCOUNT!!! Even if you plan on selling on Craigslist only once, create an account! It is simple, FREE and will save you time and effort when editing, deleting and posting ads. Remember time is money and having an account will give you a complete list of all of the ads you have posted previously on your account (a time saver!). You can copy and paste new items and edit to specialize instead of starting from scratch each time.
