How To Make Money Selling Items On Craigslist

There is no denying that the advent of the internet age has forever changed our lives from how we socialize with each other to how we work. We now have the ability to earn a living from the comforts of our homes which is now more than ever, extremely important because of the ever increasing cost of living. Making money online now offers a lifeline to millions of people around the globe who are in between jobs or who just need to earn additional income to meet their needs.

One of the more ingenious ways out there to make money online is by selling items on Craigslist. Craigslist has been around for a while now and is one of America’s largest online classified ads platforms. The website has provided millions of Americans with the opportunity to conveniently buy and sell products or services for over two decades.

However, what truly sets the site apart from other online marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay is that it charges nothing to post ads and users are able to buy or sell items for free. The site only charges a fee on job postings and classified ads done by dealers like furniture or car dealers.

And while there are many ways one can make money from the site. Here are 4 surefire ways to earn a living on Craigslist hustle free. In this article, we will mainly focus on tips you can easily apply immediately, and that does not require any significant investment to start.

1. Get Free Stuff and Sell It

Perhaps the easiest way to make money with craigslist is by getting free stuff that people want to get rid of and finding the items a new home, for a price of course. All you need to do to find free stuff on the site is by opening it up on your computer or phone and heading to ‘for the sale’ section where you will find a ‘free stuff’ tab. Once you click on the tab you can start browsing classified ads posted in your area.

You would be surprised at what you will find people giving away for absolutely no catch what’s so ever. Items in this category are often in good condition and still have some value. These items include anything from used furniture, bulky home appliances such as washing machines or refrigerators, books, and even on occasion gym equipment just to mention but a few of what is on offer. Usually, the current owners of the items just want to get rid of them because they either have bought new replacements or they no longer use them and don’t want the items laying around occupying valuable space.

All you have to do is to get in touch with ad’s poster and organize with them when you can go over to their place and collect the free stuff. You should also keep in mind that since the owner is giving it to you for no charge they expect you to move it on your own so you often need a truck to move big items.

Once you have retrieved the free items, you first have to thoroughly inspect them to ensure they have no defects. But more often than not, you won’t find any issues and if you do, they are often minor problems that you can easily fix or are issues that don’t need any repair at all. You also have to at times, clean or polish the items to make them more attractive to prospective buyers since no one wants dirty stuff especially if they are paying good money for it.

After you are done with this, you will then have to take high-quality pictures of the item for your ad since most people do not bother with ads that don’t have pictures or those that have badly taken ones. These ads are often associated with scammers.

Once you have completed all these steps, you can now post your ad and wait for inquiries from interested buyers. It is also important to include as much pertinent information as you can about the item while making it sound as attractive as possible without over embellishing it. Another important tip is to always properly place your ad in the appropriate category to maximize the chances of it getting viewed.

2. Flipping Stuff

Another easy way to make money online is by flipping items on Craigslist. You can flip things on the site in two ways;

The first is by buying an item cheap and selling it at a profit in its original condition.

The second is by buying things that are not necessarily in the best condition, repairing them, and selling them at a higher price.

Obviously, the first way is preferable since you practically have to do no work and you still make a profit. This is possible either because the owner just wants to dispose of the item or doesn’t realize the true value of an item such as an antique desk.

A great way of getting undervalued stuff on the site is by looking for terrible ads which are either horribly written or have bad pictures. This often indicates that the seller doesn’t really care about what they are selling, and hence, you might get a very good bargain.

The other way of flipping items on Craigslist might require more work but is equally financially rewarding. All you need to do is find a damaged item that can be easily, and most importantly, cheaply repaired and sold at a premium once restored. This process can be as simple as sanding down and re-staining an old wardrobe or buying a broken down motorcycle and restoring it.

There is without a doubt a lot of money in flipping items in this way since you would have probably bought the item at a discount because of its condition. The key principle of flipping is buying something cheap and selling it at a considerably higher price, this is why it is important to try and buy things as cheap as possible.

So this is why you should always bring your haggling pants when trying to buy something you want to flip because most people on the site are willing to lower their initial asking prices.

3. Sell Your Skills or Services

Craigslist doesn’t just offer you a place you can sell items but also an online platform to sell your skills. There are millions of people who have small tasks that need to be completed but they either don’t have the time to do them or don’t have the skills required to complete them. You can also find lots of part-time jobs that pay pretty well considering the amount of work you need to do. This can include menial jobs such as gardening or doing minor repairs.

While selling your skills or services on the site, you should always look for jobs that require the least amount of time and effort while the pay is considerably high. This will help maximize your earning potential. You should also try as much as possible to do a great job to ensure the client is satisfied because it might lead to more jobs down the line or even a tip to show gratuity for a job well done.

4. Sell Your Old Stuff

Everyone has something laying around their house that they no longer use anymore or that they simply don’t need. So why don’t you make money from the items instead of letting them pick up dust while they clog up your house? Old home appliances and electronics are one of the easiest items to move on Craigslist fetching you a tidy sum in the process for something you probably consider as junk.

You should also sell your old laptop and cell phone once you upgrade since there are a lot of people on a budget who can’t afford the latest iterations of the devices, and are looking for an older model instead.