craigslist experiences?


raiderjake
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19 Apr 09 12:47:03 am
i have been looking at a lot of liquidators in the few days that ive been on salehoo. im very impressed w/ some of these sellers, but find that almost every market has been covered on ebay, w/ to much product and to many competitors. as well as being sick of ebay fees and scared of paypal stealing my hard earned money! people here have suggested craigslist, which sounds great, no fees and closer to retail prices. but since i have no experience on craigslist, im curious as to how much volume one would expect to move there. could i move a pallet or two of stereos and other electronics a week? if any one has experience or knowledge about moving volume through craigslist i would appreciate it thanx.


fudjj
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19 Apr 09 01:19:41 am
I don't use the list so I can comment, but if you are talking about moving pallets of liquidated stock every week, you should consider volume selling or wholesaling as some will call it.

If you are buying one or two pallets, break the load down into smaller carton lots, run on either ebay or a site like liquidation.com.

Small sellers who don't have the budget to buy pallets at a time are always happy to pay more for smaller lots than what they would if they could afford bulk.

You'r profit will most likely be smaller, but there can be less advertising expense, less mucking around with shipping and such, and your turn over will be increased by the sheer volume you are moving at a time.

Once you are moving large volume, you can buy in larger amounts, increasing your margin, and increasing your turnover.

And if you are volume selling a popular item, you will get knocked over in the rush of smaller sellers wanting in on the action!


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raiderjake
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19 Apr 09 01:46:46 am
thanx fudjj. liquidation.com is a really good idea, i learned about that site when i first started into ebay. i quickly forgot about b/c the prices were way to high to profit from, but i guess thats good if i decide to sell there. could you give me some info on liquidation.com? selling fees, payment methods, etc. thanx


fudjj
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19 Apr 09 02:07:03 am
Not really up to speed with their fee structure, but I have a couple of clients that buy our cosmetics to break down and sell there, and are buying at 1000 units a week, so they aren't struggling to move the stock.

Never overlook ebay for volume selling either, plenty of smaller sellers there with an eye out for stock to break down and resale.

Even if you do 50/50, half sold in bulk, half listed on sites such as ebay, ioffer, craigslist, bonanzle and so on.

That would give you a good feel for the best way to maxmise your profits.

Just check out liquidationcom's site, all that info will be there.


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ch-resellers
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19 Apr 09 02:33:42 am
I have sold quite a few things using Craig's List. You just have to be prepared for all the scams that will also come your way. Make sure you read the warnings on Craig's list about the scams. Other than that, I used it more for big things locally.

Mike


raiderjake
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19 Apr 09 03:25:37 am
thanx mike, im gonna try about about half ebay, half craigslist. bigger stuff mainly craigslist, save on shipping cost


sillcool1
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21 Apr 09 02:27:39 pm
Craigslist Is a good way to make money. However as everyone has said you will have to watch out for the scams as they r a plenty. If used properly craigslist and sites like kijiji can be huge for your business, But as everything else you must be willing to put in the time. I don't know about selling on liquidation.com but I heard that buying is no profit margin and be weary of buyers premiums added to the end of auctions, and if you live outside the U.s. duties will probably end any type of profit you would have otherwise had.


fairdeals713
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23 Apr 09 02:25:07 pm
I use craisglist to bring traffic to my Bonanzle booth. They have a tool to export your bonanzle listings takes 2 minutes .


sundance541
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23 Apr 09 07:39:30 pm
Unlike E-Bay, Craigs list does not check the validity of buyers or sellers, therefore the scam artists proliferate. It seems to work best for larger items and more local traffic. A new one that I have just learned about is Corkin.com. Check it out.


dreamcatcher
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23 Apr 09 08:28:23 pm
craigs list is only good for local buyers , if you mention shipping your listing will be pulled. your item must be picked up in person.


raiderjake
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23 Apr 09 09:02:31 pm
it should work well for the ps3's i repair, but your right probably only bigger items


grboutique
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23 Apr 09 11:50:13 pm
craigs list is only good for local buyers , if you mention shipping your listing will be pulled. your item must be picked up in person.


Yes, if you mention shipping your item or even accepting credit cards, your AD will be removed, however, if you do not mention this and the interested individual is interested in purchasing an item from your AD but wants to pay you credit card, you can do so without craigslist community knowing about it. Be creative when posting on craigslist. I sold alot of items already on craigslist from electronics, jewelries, tools, softwares, household goods, etc. And I accept credit cards online or in person. Just set up an account with Merchantinc.com and when the buyer want to pay you credit card, you can send him/her an invoice directly and have him/her picked up the item or ship it. Also, don't forget if your selling electronics to offer your customers squaretrade warranty. Another way to get paid by commission. Remember, as long as you don't mention accepting credit cards or shipping the item, you will be fine. I have sold two cartier watch from a guy in Florida which cost $5000 five months ago and everything went smoothly. That same person sold those two watches for $6000 (an instant $1K profit for him). You have to love a real merchant account because this gives you the control over the transaction.


grboutique
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23 Apr 09 11:52:26 pm
it should work well for the ps3's i repair, but your right probably only bigger items


Craigslist works for almost anything. I mainly sell electronics and I have local buyers picked up those items that are way to big to ship like LCD TV's and Home Theater Systems. Just be creative and you'll find yourself selling for a profit =)


grboutique
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24 Apr 09 12:01:46 am
Unlike E-Bay, Craigs list does not check the validity of buyers or sellers, therefore the scam artists proliferate. It seems to work best for larger items and more local traffic. A new one that I have just learned about is Corkin.com. Check it out.


This is true about validity of a buyer. What I do is have them call me personally so I know who I am talking to. I notice that when I receive messages from potential scammers, when you tell them to call you, most instantly, they will never reply back which you can separate the legitimate business and the scammers.

I mainly used my merchant account to send invoice directly to my customer if they want to pay with a credit card. They have this AVS code where you can verify if the buyer is legitimate or not. This is another way of knowing if the person you are dealing with is legit.


 

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