In the past, I have talked about how to make money selling items via ebay and Craigslist. To be honest, I have not used Craigslist for years because I was tired of receiving phishing messages and the Craigslist horror stories are just too frightening. Instead, I have been joining local facebook buy/sell/trade groups and have found those to be way more effective.
We are the process of renovating a historic home in Tampa. We gutted the bathroom and kitchen, so I will be selling those old appliances via a local neighborhood facebook group. I have already used this particular site and found reputable contractors as well as items I can use for my renovation project. All I had to do was type “ISO” meaning “in search of” and describe exactly what I’m looking for and boom…within a few minutes I received a list of recommendations.
Why use local buy/trade/sell sites versus big online sites like ebay or Craigslist?
- No costs involved to list or ship (ebay fees are very high).
- No phishing emails.
- Administrator posts rules and monitors site to make sure everyone is following.
- You are dealing with locals who must be approved by administrator to join.
- You have instant access to responders’ friend list. (I was able to check references for contractors and people shared photos of work and testimonials).
- If you’re uncomfortable going to homes, you can agree on a local public spot to meet.
- Prices are reasonable since no site fees are involved and people are willing to negotiate.
This route is more fun because I’m meeting people in my neighborhood. It’s also a great way to list unwanted items versus having a yard sale.