What is Craigslist?

Donna, around here (nearest to me is Omaha, NE) entertainment centers just aren't moving. I'm thinking it's because of the move to flat screen TVs. The backpack could very well be seasonal, though I would think where you are it's not that much of a problem weatherwise now.
Gas prices around here are when I noticed a big surge in listings and a slow down in things selling.

Sallen, Craigslist is an online place to sell and buy things. It's free. I put a link to their main page below. Find your state and see if there's a city close to you that has one. Once you find that look for the listings under FOR SALE. You'll get hooked real soon if you are like the rest of us.

Here is a link that might be useful: Craigslist

Oh justgotabeme~~~thanks for posting the Craigslist link...
I have never used this but did find 4 towns near us in Kansas......YEAH.....maybe this is a place for the dining room set, etc....ya think??? But I could get hooked on this as much as I am to Ebay~~~that could be dangerous...already found a ottoman on there that I would like to have~~~

But is there a fee to pay?....how do I list the items? If I could sell it "locally", I wouldn't have to worry about how to ship them....this sounds great!!!!

You have hung in there with me and oh do I appreciate it~~

My first listing didn't sell (2 antique chairs), so I donated them to the Humane Society rummage sale. My second item (extension ladder) took 2 or 3 weeks before a nibble and bite. My third item (inversion table) went instantly and had several inquiries on it. Just depends on if it's something someone wants or not.

I agree about the entertainment center. We have a nice Broyhill solid wood cherry "armoire" with side/corner units that will probably not be wanted after our next move, BUT, since it probably wouldn't go for much (if any) on Craigslist or garage sale, I think I'll re-purpose it for a bedroom sweater storage. It's a shame.....all those lovely entertainment centers that are pieces of furniture being moved aside because of behemoth television sets.

Could yours be used for another purpose?
Good luck.

I have bought and sold items on Craigslist. One of the first items I sold was a brass and glass coffee table. The first time I listed it, I had no interest. Then, a few months later I tried again and was successful and got my asking price. You need to be aware of some on the scams on Craigslist. I had one party email me and said they were interested in buying my "item for sale", but wanted to do the transaction thru the mail and some other crazy stuff. How stupid do they think some people are? I knew first of all when they didn't even refer to the specific item I was selling, which were some bookcases, that they were not to be trusted. All I did was email them back and say I was only interested in selling to someone local who I could deal with in person. I never heard another word back.

I have also bought several pieces of furniture on Craigslist. I think what I like about Craigslist over Ebay for certain items in not having to worry about the shipping and being able to see the item before you buy it.

My sister just bought a 5 year old stainless steel Wolf gas range on craigslist for $500. The woman selling it had over 100 offers on the range.
She also purchased a pine farm table and 6 chairs to match for $400. I reupholstered the stained chair pads for her in a few hours. The table was not in mint condition, but in very good condition, and my sister has 2 children. So, she wasn't expecting anything used that was in perfect condition.
I purchased a BEAUTIFUL wrought iron bed for $100 last year. I was the first responder and paid the asking price. The seller told me she had over 200 responses to the bed. Quite frankly, the bed was worth far more than I paid for it.
I love craigslist! But, there is a ton of junk on there, as with anything, buyer beware.

MUST chime in on this post! I'm in the SF bay area which is the 'heart' of Craigslist- CL. I am such a diehard fan, I even went to the opening of its documentary movie!

I've bought too many things to list here. Like the custom designer sectional in my LR (rich woman spent $10K, grew tired of it after a couple of years, along I come and pick it up for $900!), SS refrig (practically brand new for 1/3 the price) LOTS of lovely plants... a doghouse, tapestry, collector glass, etc.

I also sell stuff all the time, like the pool fence. That man drove 2 hours and spent the day to take it apart and in the end he got a bargain and I got rid of it AND best of all it didn't end up in the dump. Oh and we sold our old kitchen cabinets - same thing, we got help taking them down, they got a great deal on cabinets and the Earth is a happier place.

All that said, cearab is right - buyer beware of course. Seller too. The only bad CL story I have is keeping concert tickets for someone who stood me up at the venue and I was stuck with them. sigh... no 'holds' for me anymore! live & learn, right?

I just had great luck selling the Ikea dressers and bookcases from my daughter's former bedroom. I set the price a little higher than I wanted but got the posted price.

When posting ads I think it helps to always include a picture. I posted first without a picture and the next day added it and had 5 bites within the hour and sold the set to one of them.

I don't even look at the ads without photos.

I don't get why people post without photos but say they will e-mail them to you. Seems like they are losing a lot of their potential market.

The first response is almost always from a scammer. I never respond; I just delete that message.

I have also bought and sold on CL. We even advertised our house on CL and did get some viewings!

Ditto on the pictures - I don't even look at ads without pictures. CL limits you to four photos, and they're pretty small, but if you use a hosting service like Photobucket you can post as many as you want and they can be much larger. Use the "HTML code" text the same way you would here. (Do note, though, that many very large pictures can make for very slow downloads for those on dialup. Approximately 600x400 is good, 800x600 is the biggest you should really go.) And don't forget the measurements, too! I am always shocked at how many people don't put measurements on their ad. IMO rule #1 is make things as easy on your potential buyers as humanly possible.

Do not put your telephone number or address in the ad, although it's fine to say "near the public pool in Anytown" to give people an idea of where you are. I also suggest using the anonymous forwarding CL offers instead of disclosing your email address.

I have had to relist items a few times before. Once it gets past about the second page it's pretty much "off the radar" and it's time to relist to keep it in front of people's eyes. I just copy my ad to a text file so I can relist easily. If you decide to reduce the price after a few unsuccessful listings, put "price reduced" in the subject line.

I am seeing a lot of relists on entertainment centers, so you may just be out of luck on that one... depending on your tax situation you might actually be better off donating it to charity (one that will come pick it up! LOL) and taking the tax deduction. The Goodwill where I live suggests a donation value of 25% of retail, unless it's really beat up in which 10% is more appropriate. Get a receipt!

phoggie, there is NO fee and NO commission. (That's why the site is pretty bare-bones basic.) You post an ad by clicking the "post to classifieds" link up in the top left-hand corner and following the instructions.

I sold some new items on CL (car seats and a wooden sandbox). . .and took barely a loss. Those items sold within 24 hours and buyers paid the asking price.

I also almost sold my harp from a CL ad . . .the buyer wanted it, but another buyer (not from CL) then offered more than the asking price. :)

I have found some good deals, but around here at least (Chicagoland) you have to be QUICK-- you have to be able to pick up usually the same day it is posted. So, many good deals slip because I simply cannot do that being a mom of 3 young children. This weekend, the latest item that slipped was a gorgeous antique secretary with a side curio (oak) that went for $50.

Items that have NOT sold (my own) have been baby items. I sell them below what others do, but I think so many people get these things for free anyway. I'll probably just donate them all instead of continuing to try to sell.

Thanks for the heads up on entertainment centers. This one started as our living room entertainment center from 1990 to 1999. Then it was in the garage where we attempted to sell it via a newspaper classified twice. Finally decided to store stuff in it, in the garage. Then about 2 years ago, DD#2 put it to work in her bedroom. Now she's done with it and I want it out of the way. If no one buys by next week, I'll see if AmVets (who comes to pick up) will take it. I was just trying to get SOME $$ out of it, if I could.

We can hold the backpacks for awhile. Those don't take up the space!

DonnaR/CA

I think keywords are very important, as many people search that way. Vintage, retro, MCM, Hollywood regency, etc. Donna, why not give us the link, and see if there's anything that can be tweaked.

I did a search under "entertainment center" and found mine on page 2 already...at the bottom, I believe.

I just parted company with a free twin-sized mattress that I gave away in the free section of Craigslist. I had two bites on that yesterday. Upon exchanging emails with both, one said they'd come after work today, and the other said she'd call me. Well, she did ... at 9:20 last night, and wanted to come over at 10. No thanks, I really didn't want people at my house that late at night. Told her, call me tomorrow, first one to call and get here gets it. She said she had to work today, would I please hold it for her? I repeated myself - call me and the first one to get here tomorrow gets it, I'm not holding it for anyone.

Anyway, the other party just called and came up - a nice military family. (We're military, as well, so it's nice to help out another military family.)

But still no bites on the Entertainment Center (linked below) or the backpacks (not too worried about those, but that darned furniture is taking up space).

Thanks, I'd appreciate any advice on this one - but considering how many are for sale (and most more expensive than mine), I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that it's still there and no bites -

DonnaR/CA

Here is a link that might be useful: Entertainment Center Wall Units

We are big fans of Craigslist around our house as most of our furniture was bought through there. Recent deals include a perfect condition high-end $50 brown nailhead loveseat (just down the street from us too!) and a nice, modern style game table with 4 chairs on casters for $75.

I think others have touched on the main points so I will just add a few of my own comments. Providing keywords is, well, key. :) Donna, on your listing I would add the keywords "bookshelf," "bookshelves," or "shelves/shelving" somewhere in your description as your "Entertainment Center" could serve as just a nice set to house books or belongings as well. If these words don't easilly fit into a description, just list them on the bottom of the ad in a row. Anyone searching for those words will have your ad pop up!

Another tip is to always specify any relevant information like dimensions and the price you'd like (and if it is for the set or for each piece, etc). This will avoid the inevitable emails asking for that information.

I also make a note on all my postings that indicates I will remove the ad when the item has sold - so if the ad is up, the item is still available. Again, this avoids redundant emails or phone calls.

Relisting the item if it has sat for a day or two and sunk to the bottom of the list is also a good strategy.

Good luck!