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How to categorize lamps and art pottery on Craigs List?

linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)

15 years ago

IÂm trying to sell a few things on CraigÂs list. There is no good category for them which is maybe why I have not had any responses. (though theyÂve only been posted a week so maybe IÂm jumping the gun) These are all quality pieces; if I think itÂs worth less than $50 I just donate it.

I listed them under "household goods" because they are not Furniture though maybe I should be listing them under Furniture. When I look at other listings in household goods itÂs mostly appliances with some waste-of-time kitchen utensils tossed in (honestly, whoÂs going to drive for an egg separator???) and just plain junk for $5, $10 or less. I could see that no one would be looking for a good piece in with that stuff. ThereÂs Arts and Crafts but that has stuff like hobby stuff, paint pens and dried florals.

What I have are lamps (some antique), statues and decorative accessories like large, one of a kind artist-made modern display vases and bowls. What would you recommend for a category? Should I just be patient and try a new category each week? I donÂt urgently need the space but have to remember to keep after it. Or does everyone use a search term, so category doesnÂt matter?

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Comments (4)

patty_cakes
15 years ago
Can't you advertise under more than one category at a time? How about 'general'? I agree, 'furniture' would not be a place people would be looking for decorative items. I've been looking for a chandlier and keep looking under household, which is where lighting seems to show up here in Austin. Maybe different areas do things differently. ;o)
moonkat99
15 years ago
I always use a search term, but will often go to a category if I find too many unrelated postings coming up - lots of search terms will bring up the auto postings, for instance.

For the lamps, I would use furniture. The art pieces are a bit harder, but I would try furniture for those as well, if you aren't getting responses elsewhere.

One thing I notice some people do is have something specific to their listings (a phone number, a name - some catch phrase) & will suggest that you use that as a search term to find their other listings. I think this is very effective if you have a particularly nice selection of stuff, because it makes it easy for folks to find everything.

Also, you could have a photo account dedicated to your CL stuff, & provide a link to the photos in each posting. People are more likely to come & look at one item if they see that you have some others they might be interested in as well.

HTH :)
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Thanks very much. I thought I had answeredÂnot sure what happened to my post!? To me the lamp is unusual, but I donÂt get out much, LOL! It helps to have someone else look and tell me. It could be as common as dirt and I might not know it. This is why I need to ask and get feedback from people more knowledgeable than I am about what is, and is not, out there/popular/trendy/likely to sell. I did a search on CraigÂs list and google and nothing turned up, but with something like this, finding the right search terms makes all the difference. I have posted it for $125 and will just see what happens. I can afford to keep it around until the right person sees it, and inch down the price until it makes a hit with someone.
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moonkat99
15 years ago
And cross posting is frowned on with CL. Some over zealous person might flag the posts if you try listing in multiple categories.
Valerie Noronha
15 years ago
I would use "furniture" for the lamps and "collectibles" for the art pottery. Try to be as descriptive as you can in the header--sometimes there are so many posts, that often people will just look at the headers and only open it up if it sounds intruiging. Myself I almost exclusively use the search engine since I usually know pretty much what I am looking for. Also, when you add your posting makes a difference. I've tried different timings, but I think Friday afternoon is a good time ince I figure most people might only be able to pick stuff up on the weekend. If you are selling a good quality item, make sure to take good pictures as well as a closeup of any manufacturer info.

Have you considered trying to sell your one-of-a-kind type items on eBay? It may be worthwhile to go on eBay and do some searching to see what is the going rate for the type of art you wish to sell.

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