The Upholster.com Forum

General Upholstery Questions and Comments => General Discussion => Topic started by: Mike8560 on May 26, 2011, 09:04:56 pm

Title: Craigslist works
Post by: Mike8560 on May 26, 2011, 09:04:56 pm
 I decided to sell my  enclosed trailor so I removed the  roofmont airconditioner and listed it on craoslist  I went to lunch. Got. 2 calls and sold it and was paid  withing 3 hours of listing. I didn't e en have to buy a roof vent to replace after removing the AC.  That the fastest yet I've got a coule inqueries on the AC also.
:) 
Title: Re: Craigslist works
Post by: Mojo on May 27, 2011, 02:33:24 am
I hope I get the same response. I am putting my enclosed trailer up for sale in about a month or so. Just waiting till I finish the addition to the garage that I am currently building which will be used for storage. I can then empty out the trailer and sell it.

Chris
Title: Re: Craigslist works
Post by: hidebound on May 27, 2011, 04:42:32 am
I sold my travel trailer earlier this year. I had it listed on E- bay for 14 days and didnt sell. I listed on Craigslist on tuesday and sold it by Saturday.
Title: Re: Craigslist works
Post by: jojo on May 27, 2011, 04:56:20 am
ebay sucks! After the listing fees they take something crazy like 15 or 20% of the selling cost. I'm a craigslist groupie. I've spent absolutely zero dollars advertising my business...all I have is an ad on craigslist, and I have plenty of work!
Title: Re: Craigslist works
Post by: sofadoc on May 27, 2011, 05:14:42 am
Think of all the revenue that local newspapers, and "Swap-n-Shop" periodicals have lost, due to Craigslist. I remember 20 years ago, I had to go down to my local newspaper office, and present my hand-written ad, along with $20 for a 2-liner that would run 7 days. I never sold anything through a newspaper ad. I've bought and sold several items on Craigslist. It's been my observation, that if you don't sell right away, you should pull the ad, re-tool it, and put it back on. People tend to shy away from ads that have been hanging around too long. I sold a Pfaff the first day. I got 5 calls that first day. I forgot to pull the ad for a few days, but I never got another call.  So I would recommend that you keep refreshing your ad.
Can someone tell me, where does Craigslist get their revenue from?
Title: Re: Craigslist works
Post by: kodydog on May 27, 2011, 06:19:47 am
Last year I sold a 20 year old Honda Accord on Craigslist in 3 days.
Last month we were planing a short vacation to east coast Fl. My wife put several restored chairs on Craigslist. Sold two and picked up some upholstery jobs. Planing to do it again soon.
Title: Re: Craigslist works
Post by: Joys Shop on May 27, 2011, 06:41:39 am
I'm sure Craig's List is not the only thing that is full of scams, but you have to be careful
I know 2 people who got bad checks from sales on craig's list

The old familiar scam
sent checks for more than the item was selling for
gave them some crazy story as to why the check was for too much
Asked that the difference be sent to them
One person couldn't believe that it was a scam, because the check was a "money order"
He thought there was no way that they could fake that
He was going to send him the difference until I convinced him to wait until it cleared

Both put the checks in the bank and waited
Surprise, surprise
neither cleared   :o


Meanwhile the "buyers" continually emailed and called about their money


Title: Re: Craigslist works
Post by: Mike8560 on May 27, 2011, 05:45:29 pm
You need to be carefully selling online far away.
I bought a bike from Ohio on eBay my brother bought a goldwing out of state and later on sold it to a buyer in texas. Just got to make sure you get paid before it goese and don't fall for that bank acount scam.
Mojo not planning to haul the bikes anymore ?
Title: Re: Craigslist works
Post by: Mojo on May 27, 2011, 06:54:58 pm
The bikes are up for sale Mike. I no longer have the passion to ride anymore. I have had 3 friends killed on HWY 19 in the last 3 years. Two died in the last 3 months and were run over from behind while they were sitting at red lights. Another was hit in a intersection when a drunk blew a red light. It is just to dangerous to ride down here with all the blue hairs and drunks on the road and it is to stressful instead of relaxing to ride anymore.

I am hoping the bikes and trailers both sell on Craigslist. I sold my old 63 Pontiac on Craigslist and told the buyer " Bring Cash " I do not accept checks, not even certified ones.

Chris
Title: Re: Craigslist works
Post by: Mike8560 on May 27, 2011, 09:23:14 pm
My buyer came to look with cash ;)
I hear you on not remaking I had a few idiots turn out  not even seeing me. My bigest thing was after riding  in new Hampshire the roads here in fl were boring and straight  and Roget riding in the daytime it was just too hot  I sold mine
over a year ago now   Mor  time to go boating once I get one again 
Title: Re: Craigslist works
Post by: Steve at Silverstone Fabrics on May 29, 2011, 08:00:02 am
Hey Gang, Tools...........Craigslist is a tool, a marketing tool and the same can be said for eBay.

As an eBay power seller, we have sold fabric/leather to all 50 states and 19 foreign countries..........so eBay is the right tool for our need.

If I was going to buy or sell equipment for my warehouse........I always click on Craigslist first.

Over my 10 years on eBay, one of the more creative upholstery ideas, of how to use eBay,  came from an upholsterer here in NC. She would buy antique sofas and chairs (from yard sales, estate sales and from the curb on trash day) and on each one of her listings, she would "build" her case of value by taking 8-10 detailed pictures of the piece, then she gave the buyer an idea of the "value" of the completed reupholstered piece and then she would give the buyer several different fabric selections (each fabric was appropriate to the period of the piece).

She purchased several pieces of mohair from me and here is what I pieced together of one of her chair sales on eBay:

---antique chair purchased from an estate sale: $45.00
---mohair to cover the chair with (purchased from me on eBay): $240 (6yards @ $40/yd)
---total refurb of the chair (strip it to the frame and refinish, reset springs, repad & reupholster): $200.00
---total in the chair:$485.00
---her appraised value of the chair: $1,400.00
---her eBay price:$1,100.00..........yes, she did sell it for this amount to a lady in Ohio

Pros of selling furniture on eBay:
---large potential group of buyers
---money is put in  your PayPal account before the piece ships
---If you find the "right" piece and have the right marketing skills.....you can make a hunk of $ from a small investment

Cons of eBay:
---Not everyone has money to speculate on antique furniture
---Not everyone wants to understand and learn eBay
---Not everyone has the marketing skills or drive to exploit the antique furniture market
---Paying eBay fees is a concern....it must be worth your while

THE BIGGEST CON OF SELLING FURNITURE ON eBAY:
---Finding a shipping company to deliver the piece without "killing the deal" with a high price or destroying the piece

FYI: In the chair example, the buyer in Ohio paid an extra $150 for freight from NC to her home

Here is my point, eBay or Caigslist they are both tools....use the one that is best for the job to be done. Steve
Title: Re: Craigslist works
Post by: bobbin on May 29, 2011, 12:02:43 pm
No one has yet mentioned how frequently EBay has been hacked. 

I know there are a ton of very reputable sellers on EBay, but it makes me uneasy.  Never shopped it and sure as hell wouldn't advertise stuff on it. 
Title: Re: Craigslist works
Post by: Steve at Silverstone Fabrics on May 29, 2011, 01:16:42 pm
Bobbin, eBay is a "tool" and every "tool" has dangers......if you don't feel comfortable, then it is not a tool for you. Steve
Title: Re: Craigslist works
Post by: bobbin on May 29, 2011, 01:53:02 pm
Thanks for clearing that up for me, Steve!

;)
Title: Re: Craigslist works
Post by: sofadoc on May 29, 2011, 02:48:23 pm
Quote from: bobbin on May 29, 2011, 12:02:43 pm
I know there are a ton of very reputable sellers on EBay, but it makes me uneasy.  Never shopped it and sure as hell wouldn't advertise stuff on it. 

I've bought quite a bit off E-Bay. While it's true that I've got a few welt feet that didn't live up to their expectations, they were still worth the small amount that I paid for them.
I've never really been burned, and I've made a few really good buys.
My nextdoor neighbor is in her 80's, She sells antique knick-knacks on E-Bay.
She said that she makes more working out of her garage now, than she ever did in her "Hayday".
Give E-Bay a try on something small. There are some good deals.
But, there are some items for sale on E-Bay that make me say "You gotta be kidding!"
Title: Re: Craigslist works
Post by: Mojo on May 31, 2011, 03:32:15 am
The welt feet I just bought were very high quality and half the price of what the dealer wanted. I am thinking the feet were the same ones. :)

The one thing I do not like about Craigslist is that the people come to your home. I always make sure I have my 9mm on me and I also make sure they see my 3 German Shepherds. Some people will use Craigslist to case your home. We have had two people in my area that were robbed from prospective Craigslist buyers.

I take no chances with any stranger who comes to my house to look at something I am going to buy.

Over the years I have bought 175 items on E-Bay. Only a couple times did I feel I got ripped off on an item.
Most transactions have been great.

Chris