If you are looking to sell something on Craigslist, but you aren’t sure how to price your item, this article will give a few tips to help. These are a few things that I do before I post something for sale on Craigs.
Do Some Research First
For example, lets say I have a Bose Cinemate II speaker system I want to sell on Craigslist.
First, I do a search on Google for the brand of the item with the exact model number. I do this search to see if a lot of options show up for the product.
If I get a lot of Google ads and relevant returns in the organic search results from sites like Amazon, then I know the item is probably common and should be popular enough to show recent completed sales on eBay.
I keep the Google window open, however, because I will go back and use info from those results in my description. I open eBay in a new tab.
Then I search eBay for the brand and model. It should bring up some auctions and Buy It Now options for the system. Don’t use those prices.
Scroll down and click the “Completed Listings” box on the left hand side of the screen.
If that returns a lot of results such as accessories or brand new systems, scroll up and click the “Used” box on the left side. That will bring up used items that have sold.
Scroll down through the posts and find an exact (or very similar) post to the item you are selling. And look for ads that show the dollar amount in green, not red. The green rates are items that have actually sold on eBay.
Try to Find the Exact Same Item You are Selling
It looks like the same exact system that I am selling has recently sold on eBay for $306. Now I can use that info to find out how much to list my system for sale on CL.
If you have read my website about how to sell on Craigslist or have ever used CL to sell something, you will know that CL is flooded with people looking for a deal for the least amount of money they can get it. People will make crazy and sometimes insulting, lowball offers for your stuff.
Be prepared for lowballers, especially if you are selling something that is fairly popular (like an iPad or other expensive electronics). You might get someone willing to “take it off your hands” for very cheap.
In this case, if the Bose system has recently sold for $306, I would put it on Craigslist for $350. That is only $44 higher than its realistic value as a used item.
Posting it at $350 leaves room for negotiation, and the price isn’t listed too high where buyers will assume you are crazy and not respond to the ad.
You will probably get the lowball offers in the $100 – $200 range, but if you stick with your CL ad and don’t rush to sell to a lowballer just because they responded to the ad, you could get a nice offer of $275 – $300. That would be a great offer because it would be a cash sale and you won’t have to pay any website selling fees.
What if You Aren’t Selling a Common Item?
So, that process works if you are selling an item that is common and popular.
Bose products, Apple products, Nikon DSLR cameras and many other products like that will pretty much always be in eBay’s search results so you can find a fair price to put on Craigslist. But what do you do if your item is old and not as popular?
Lets says you have an older item that can’t be found brand new in the retail stores anymore. For this example, lets say I am selling a used pair of Klipsch Legend KLF-10 speakers.
So, using my steps above, I would search for the brand and model number on Google first. Since Google doesn’t return any ads selling the speakers and www.retrevo.com is at the top of the search results, I can assume these speakers are a little too old and no one is really looking to buy them. Notice the difference in this Google search vs. the Bose Google search above?
Then, if I check on eBay, I can see that there are none of them for sale and none in the completed listings.
So, my advice in these types of cases is that you should think about how much you would pay for the older products you are selling. If you really just want to get rid of something to make some money because it is old, price it dirt cheap and someone will be willing to buy it. However, if you feel like you would still pay $60 for your item you bought 10 – 20 years ago, price it on CL for $75 and see if you get any offers.
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I hope this info helps. And using eBay’s completed listings is a great way to find out how much something is worth before posting on almost every online selling website, not just on Craigslist.
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Nick is a seasoned professional with over a decade of experience in successfully selling products online across various platforms. With his extensive knowledge and expertise, he has honed his skills and has become an expert in the field of online sales.