gPants On Craigslist

Just adding my 2 cents even though you got a lot a great advise already.

I just posted a bunk bed for sale on CL. The first response was someone willing to pay extra by money order which I could cash before shipping the bed and then he would pay shipping, but it all had to be done fast because he was leaving for the Bahamas. I had red flags swimming in front of my eyes with this one and I wrote that it was a cash only, local pick-up item. He never responded.

I was very leery about allowing someone to coe to the house, but with it being a bed that needed to be taken apart to transport, we had no other choice.

So, bottom line, sell local for cash only. If it is a small enough item, meet at a public place.

CASH, IN PERSON (meet at a mutually easy location)

Stay local, don't bother with the hassle of shipping, etc. I've sold TONS on CL, and never have had anyone offer more for an item (red flag), and never had anyone want to use a paypal account.

Just stay local and don't deal with potential scams, etc.!

The other thing to consider is to offer things for free if you aren't really trying to make money off the sale. Much higher likelihood of someone actually showing up to get them! I gave away a gdiaper starter kit on CL because it was a gift and we already had arranged diaper service. I thought it would be tacky to try to sell them, since they were a gift.

Personally, I would decline shipping and sell locally with cash only.

Regarding which buyer, I using start with first response or whomever is the most committed/serious (as to not waste my time/reduce no shows). If you did not commit to the first person, then take the higher "bidder". If you already committed, let the higher "bidder" know pending pickup and you will contact them if the first buyer backs out.

Mary, I'm in agreement with most posted here...if you want the item gone, Craigslist is the fastest but if you want the "best" price then bid it on ebay. I too would recommend cash but think Paypal is also a reliable source...case in point...I just purchased a trampoline from someone on Craigslist. My experience with Craigslist folks is not only do they stick with first come first served they also want their stuff gone yesterday...I had no way of getting the trampoline in 24-48 hours so I offered the lady a paypal deposit (even up to the full amount) to allow me the chance to purchase the trampoline (I've had so many swiped from me b/c I couldn't mobolize everything in a few hours)...she checked my rating on ebay (I have over 1900 transactions and 100% rating) and she took my word for it as a military wife that we would be there when we said we would with the cash. I find that is a rare person but I guess I had the right combination??

Anyway, yes there are unscrupulous people out there even through ebay and paypal...if you ship ANYTHING to anyone, always make sure you have delivery confirmation AND insurance up to the amount...that covers YOU AND THE BUYER. As long as you can prove to paypal you have the delivery confirmation & insurance they cannot hold you responsible...

Bottom line on all this is you determine your method and stick with it. Oh, and YES, people all over the states will email you about stuff on Craigslist...I was searching for American Girl stuff for my daughter last X-mas and a friend in FL told me she is ALWAYS finding great deals (like 5 dolls for $200 + clothes) in her area so I targeted certain markets wondering if I could get them to ship...what I found was most people on Craigslist are there because they DON'T want to deal with the hassels of either a garage sale OR shipping...if they did they would have done that to begin with. Most want the freedom of just getting rid of the item as fast as possible for cash only.

Yes, it is normal. When you go to Craigslist, you can search for the item/s you want. Then it gives results - from ANY craigslist listing that matches. People shopping your local craigslist is not automatically a scam.

Second, money orders can easily be counterfeited. I would not accept a money order if I were you. Paypal is very secure. Just make sure you specify "funded" amount only (meaning money in the account or linked to their bank account - with credit card, they can do a "chargeback"), then ship through paypal - more security when you ship to their listed address. Plus, delivery confirmation is very inexpensive through paypal shipping.

If you sell to someone not local, then yes, they should pay the shipping costs. Another poster said use a flat rate box; that is usually MUCH more expensive than weighing the diapers and then putting them in a proper mailer. gPants are pretty light, and might not cost more than $4 or $5 to ship.

gDiapers (and many cloth diapers) are expensive items, and resell at more than 50% of retail, if they're in good shape. So if you priced yours less than 50%, I'm sure you got LOTS of responses! The person that offered more might be a scam, though.

Use paypal to accept "funded" payments, ship through paypal with delivery confirmation (and possibly even Signature Confirmation), have them pay shipping and don't ship until you get all of that. Most importantly, paypal will NOT protect you if you use any address other than the one listed on their paypal account. if they ask you to ship elsewhere, move on. Or just deal locally.

But it IS very normal for people in other parts of the US to offer to buy your CL items, especially for something like diapers.

BTW, why does a woman of three older daughters have gPants for sale?

Craiglist is pretty much like eBay, only you usually get more local people looking for items in their own area. Definitely DO NOT ship the item first. If you have a scale, box up the gpants and then weigh them (you can use a bathroom scale if you have one) and then go to www.usps.com (the U.S. postal service website) and you can determine what the cost of shipping will be for the item. Add the shipping amount on to the asking price (or price you will take for the item, whatever was agreed to with the buyer).

You can use paypal to send an invoice (just create an invoice for the ENTIRE amount) to the person who is buying the item. They can give you their paypal account information. They will pay you (either via a direct payment from their bank account or through a credit card). Wait until the payment is actually IN your paypal account (or checking account depending on how you set up your account with paypal) and THEN ship the item. It is not unreasonable to add a shipping charge if you are having to go to the trouble of shipping the item across the country!

If you have any further questions about how paypal works, you can send me a personal message and I'd be happy to walk you through it.

Good luck to you!

I know you have received alot of replies already, but wanted to give you my two cents. On craigslist, I always feel you should sell it to the first person who contacts you, unless you state first come first serve. If you want to have people bid to get the price higher, then I would go through ebay. I have had success doing both. I have accepted paypal through craigslist, but I do it on a case by case basis. It's not hard to do, you just have to set up an account and make sure you add shipping to the total price. We did that for a motorcycle suit that my husband was selling and the transaction worked out fine. I would never accept money orders or checks through craigslist or ebay. I'm sure you received this advice already, but thought I would add to it.

Whoa Mary...Do Not ship anything yet. I just learned a very important fact about selling on Craig's list. We were selling a dining table and a sofa. We immediately had a bunch of hits and there seemed to be a a pattern develop with people wanting us to remove our ad if they pay extra for the item, offered a money order, so they wanted our info, and said they'd send someone to pick it up. If you read Craig's list seller info, which thankfully my husband did, they warn everyone strongly about these scams. They are very popular scams and work as a pickup or ship to them prospect. They offer extra money and of course the money order is fraud. It is all fraud. Only sell locally, only accept CASH, and sell to the first person who comes and views the merchandise and offers a price acceptable to you, ad gives you cash. Good luck and be cautious!

HI-
I craigslist all the time and here is what I say.
Cash only - you pick up or willing to ship if you use paypal and pay for the shipping cost.
You can figure out shipping cost at www.usps.com. I usually will tack on a little more for driving cost and to make sure to cover all the postage. You can add the cost of postage to your ad. I have never used the paypal ship, but it isn't free. You have to add the shipping price into the invoice.
Do not take checks or money orders....cash only or paypal only. Once the money is in your paypal account, then you can ship.
One thing I will say is that if you post a price on craigslist, stick to the price unless you are willing to take less. It isn't ebay, so bidding really isn't fair.
Remember, you will get a ton of inquiries and only a few actual people that show up. That is one thing I hate about craigslist.
I would say that if this is your first experience, try to just sell them locally to the first person who shows up and brings you the exact cash.
Good luck.
A.

Hello,
I didn't get a chance to read all your responses so if this is a repeat, I'm sorry.
First of, I always do first come first serve, but that's up to you. The first person doesn't know they were the first person.
Secondly, and the main reason for my response is watch out for scammers on Craigslist. I was selling a desk on there and some guy emailed me and said he would give me extra money to take if off to guarantee he got it, he would (and did) send me a cashiers check for the item, etc. Then it turned out his secretary wrote the check for the wrong amount so I would need to money gram it back to him. Long story short, I will only sell local, for cash and meet some place other then my home. If you plan to ship to sell at least google the persons email address/name to make sure it's legit.
Best of luck,
C.

I have had a LOT of experiece, both on ebay and Craigslist. The rule of thumb for Craig's list is this: They must show up IN PERSON WITH CASH. Period. No shipping. No funky payment arrangements. There are dozens and dozens of ways they can rip you off unless it's a cash sale in person. I always meet them at a public place and have them pay cash. It's the only sure way to protect yourself all around.

Yes, people tend to respond to adds in hopes that you will ship. If i post an add and dont want to ship, I will put "pick up only" in the add. As far as who pays for shipping, usually you will have to get the item/s weighed at the post office (or if you know) and then find out the cost and let them know. Most use paypal but some will send you the cash/check and once you get it then you ship it.
You can sell it/them to who ever you want. I usually go with the first person that can tell me a day and time they are able to come buy it (cash only too) but some people will go with the person that offers the most, put a time limit on the add and just pick one that has the best story, and so forth (some of this I have delt with but it is mostly the free item/s which some put names in a hat too).

Bottom line is that it is your stuff and you can sell it however you want to. :)

I've only sold things locally on Craigslist, but you can definitely sell things you need to ship with a PayPal account. You would just add the shipping costs while charging them and send it directly to them (it sends them an invoice to their email). Just make sure they pay BEFORE you ship the item(s).

The great thing about PayPal is that it's a SAFE and SECURE way to exchange money for goods. The money comes directly from their bank account (or card) and goes directly into your account. No one has access to the accounts, PayPal does it all. There's no chance of a bounced check, because the funds are taken out directly from their account. Also, it protects the buyer. If you don't send the item, they can ask for an investigation to get their money back (which takes about a month - I had to do this once with an eBay seller). So, as long as you get your money and they get their goods, everything is fine. :-D

As for WHO to sell it to, that's really up to you. I usually go first come, first served; BUT sometimes you have to go off of convenience (or largest $$). If one person will pick them up tomorrow and another person wants you to ship them, well, I would go with who would pick them up first. As for someone willing to pay more, that's on you. Personally, I would let the first person know that someone is willing to pay more and let them know that they were first, but someone is willing to pay more. If they want to pay more they can, otherwise it goes to the other person. I've had to do that with furniture and larger items. People constantly try to offer LESS than you've asked, so it's a nice change for someone to offer more so they can have them. It really is up to you as to who you sell to (for whatever reason). :-)

I think it is ok to tell people that you only deal locally. Meet the buyer in a public place. They will never know if they were the first ones or the last ones to contact you unless you tell them (but for me I would always know, and it would bug me). Stick with cash only, then there is no worry about check cashing issues.

www.paypal.com allows individuals to pay each other online, without giving out sensitive banking info.

How paypal works is that you set up an acct. online. Then, you give the person the email address that you use for paypal. They type that in, type in their own, type in the amount, and paypal wires money from their bank to your bank. Easy peasy.

IF you decide to ship, you give them the total sale+shipping. They paypal the agreed sum to your acct. You ship it to them. If the item is not recieved (best to use a shipping method that can be tracked, for your protection)...like you were trying to "scam" someone, or someone scamming you...you report it to paypal. Just like if you pay for something via credit card and never receive it, the seller is required to refund your money. Regardless, you don't ship until the money is in your bank acct.

I actually prefer to use paypal, rather than cash or checks. It gets "there" faster and there's a record of it. We actually paid for our puppy through paypal, and have sent our SIL money for xmas/rent/groceries through it It's free to use through your bank acct...so it's cheaper and easier than western union.

Craigslist TENDS to be local. Ebay, is obviously nationwide, but Craigslist CAN be.

I know this is closed but just in case you are still reading responses I thought I would post. Just b/c you are using PayPal doesn't mean you won't get screwed. My husband's boss sold a computer on Ebay/Craigslist and had to ship it across the country.... he waited til the $$ was in the PP account before shipping it. Well, the other party then told PP that they never got the item and PP took the $$ out of the account before he could get it. I don't know how he shipped it, if there was a tracking #, or sig. req'd so he could prove the people did get it.... or if he just gave up pursuing the matter b/c it was too much of a hassle. But anyway, the moral is I would be very leery of long-distance transactions. Good luck.

my friend had a Germanm Shepherd puppy for sale in a paper. Someone contacted her & wanted to buy it, said her shipping agent would pick it up, she sent my friend a $685.00 money order (a fake one ) wanted her to cash it immediatlely & western union the remaing 395.00 to her shipping agent who would come pick up the puppy. I told her it was a scam & never accept anything but CASH, so when she recieved the money order she called the money order center & that money order number had been cashed in 2007 in the amount of $3000.00. They are so many scammers in the world its unreal!! My friend told her the puppy was no longer available for sale & the woman begged her to cash the money order anyway, keep a hundred for her troubles & western union the rest to her. Of course she didnt. She returned it to the address the lady gave as her shipping agent & my husband looked up the address & it was a Spanish Church in Georgia!
You've gotten GREAT advise & all I can say is only accept CASH nothing else. That stops the scammers in their tracks :)
They lady called begging her to cash it

I've been selling and buying off of CL for several years now. When I sell items, I do not sell them to anyone out of the country (to much of a hassle). However, I have shipped many items before. I do make them pay via PayPal and I make sure their payment goes through before I ship it out. I let the buyer know this up front. I also weigh the item and use USPS or UPS, whichever the buyer wants to pay for. They have to pay for the shipping up front too. I do have to say that shipping an item is a hassle to do sometimes. So most of the time now, I just let anyone local have first pick over the item.

I used to go by whoever responded first had first pick, however due to many no-shows, etc... I now go by first come first served. Whomever gets there first, is the one to get the item. If I'm alone, I meet the person in a place that is close to the house but public (so I don't have to do a bunch of running around). However, if my husband is home or someone else is with me, then I allow them to come to the house. It's all a matter of what you feel comfortable with.

Good luck!

Whenever I have posted anything on Craig's List and had non-local people respond it has turned out to be fake/a scam... The way I see it, be safe first and foremost. Deal only with local people and cash! As for who to deal with-- I do first come, first served.
Good Luck!

DO NOT DO IT! This is a scam that people are running. I had someone when I was selling a couch tell me that they were handicap and would send someone over to pick it up, didn't want to see it first or anything, would bring me a check, etc. It is all a really big scam.

I have shipped items sold on craigslist before, mostly because I don't mind, especially if the buyer is paying my asking price. I always require that the buyer pays for shipping. To figure out the shipping cost you can go two ways: if your item fits in a USPS flat rate box just go with that. Supereasy! If not I estimate the weight with my kitchen scale and get a rate quote from USPS.com. I keep my estimates on the low side, so I have occasionally subsidized the shipping cost with a dollar or two.
I always ship USPS priority, so I get a tracking # and delivery confirmation online...and I always and only accept payment by paypal.
It's fine if you don't want to deal with the hassle of shipping, in that case just go to the next offer or take the best offer. I personally find it common courtesy to let every inquirer know that the item is sold and delete your post as soon as you sell it. I will usually take one offer and let the runner ups know that it is sold pending pick up. If a sale falls through, I will follow up with them before reposting.
Good luck!

I would rule out all out of country transactions. Craigslist and ebay are big places for people out of the country to screw people over... even with PayPal. Do not send until the money is in your hand (cashed check, withdrawn PayPal money, etc). It is up to you whether you go with the first in country customer of the highest bidder.

First of all, I am a big craiglist user, and they only requests that I got from across the country were for the infant formula coupons. If it cost you more than a stamp, don't send it. This is for local communities. Also it is on a first come first serve basis and for the price you have listed. If they want to pay you with paypal and such then you should be putting the items on ebay and let the bidding from there. I would email the cross country ones back and let them know you do not ship, and they I would email the first local person to arrange a pick up time, and then email the others, thank them for inquiring but the item is pending pick up.

When it starts coming from all over the country and wanting to use paypal accounts, be leary. Many scams happen this way and craigslists has some of this posted in the scam area.
I hope this helps.

Sell them to the person who said they wanted them first, not the one who wants to pay the most. If you want to do it that way you should put them on ebay instead and let them bid. It is strange to me that someone would search craigslist not in their area but maybe they aren't finding anything in their local craigslist or on ebay?? It is common practice (for ebay at least) to wait for the check or money order, wait for it to clear, then ship the item. True, they don't know if you will actually send the item they pay for, but that is why it is usually done with ebay, because they get rated for that and they would get bad feedback which would affect their future dealings on ebay. There is no such system on craigslist since it is just like regular old classifieds so it's a risk for the buyer. I still think it is strange but if they want to pay for shipping go ahead and charge it but don't send the item til the check clears. Or if you are uncomfortable with the whole shipping thing just say you don't ship and that you do local pickup (or meeting somewhere public) only and cash only. I only accept cash for craigslist items and I offer local pickup (only when my husband is home too). Many sellers that I have bought things from like to meet at the parking lot of a local store or something instead of their house.

Don't ship anything. You have enough local people who will purchase it. We are talking about small cost items. The sell should not be difficult. I have had much success on craigslist. I have purchased items and sold items. Never meet anyone alone; and don't allow them inside the house. Hope this helps you.

I always thought Ebay was Nationwide/Worldwide and Craigslist was for local. I would play it safe and deal with local only. I sell AVON and get people trying to make fake orders at least once a week. (Avoid all money order/cashier check, someone will pickup and ship for me.)

Hi M.,
I use Craigslist all the time. I do get people wanting me to mail them the items. You can either put in your ad...Local buyers only, will not ship, or you can ship them, but wait until you get them money and if it is a check, wait until it clears the bank and then send. I find it more hassle than what is is worth to mail the item. I usually reply to the people wanting it shipped that I don't ship and thank you for your interest.
hope that helps,
S.

That sounds as a scam to me. Put local pick up, cash only next time and deal with locals only. DO NOT TAKE CHECKS! You will find your own bank account empty very soon. Good luck!

I would be skeptical about shipping and item. If you have a paypal account only ship to the confirmed address. They should pay for shipping and handling. No checks or Money orders they can bounce and you have no resources.

The third person who inquired offered more money and while that's tempting, it's probably NOT their account.

What size g diapers? I might be interested.

I recommend cash and in person.

The only way I would ship is if they paid by paypal, including shipping, before I sent the items. No checks or money orders! It is also your choice who you sell to-- it doesn't have to be the first responder.

Wow! I have used Craigslist alot (and always say cash only if picking up). Even though I list it for Snohomish County I do get responses from other areas. I've all so used Ebay alot. The buyer pays the shipping unless you said you would. Please try and have buyer use Paypal. They will back you up for whatever reason. I never ship until payment is received. If my buyer doesn't use Paypal then I will only accept a money order. As far as more money or first come first served is your call. Good luck!

havent had much luck on this craigs list or ebay there are alot of scam artist out there, my husband and i have been looking at buying a rv a lady has tried to scam us several times. be carefull people are not always as honest as we are. it's sad actually. best of luck.. PS if it sounds to good to be true it proberly is.

I know you already have a ton of responses, but wanted to post my two cents too. I may be in the minority on this one, but I don't think you have to sell to the first Craigslist responder. It's your item. Sell it to who you want, and who you think seems reliable. I've sold lots of things on Craigslist and you are under no obligation to "go down the list" of responders unless you choose to do so. I've had lots of first responders turn into no-shows. If someone offers you more money, take it. Why not? unless of course, you had already replied to one of the other responders and set up something with them--then I don't think it would be right to back out. Good luck! By the way, I wouldn't do the shipping thing unless everything was paid up front, including the buyer covering insurance so they can't claim you didn't ship it. Be just as careful with in-person pick-ups though. You never know...

I haven't read through all of your replies, so someone may have already suggested this, but...
Absolutely, you should feel free to get the most money you can for your item. If Person A wants to buy it, but Person B offers you more money, why not tell Person A, "You were the first to respond, but I have another buyer who has offered me X dollars. I wanted to let you know before I sell it to them, since you did reply first." That gives Person A the opportunity to match the offer or walk away, their choice.
Definitely get the money before shipping to a stranger! And it's not at all unreasonable to only accept money orders.
Best wishes to you!

Why did you sell them,? Do you hav eany more?

M.,

Thanks for asking this question! I, too learned a ton!

MaryS

It great that you seem to be such an honest person, I like that. I've never sold anything on internet and curious how it is done. I feel the same way you do about the first one that wants to buy it at the price you asked for, that the honest way to do it. Also I guess Criag's list would say
" highest bidder", its in your hands. Good luck...
Central Louisiana