samsation7

I can't help but notice how cheap craigslist buyers are. They get free shipping, get a chance to enter my nicely lit and nicely decorated palace and yet have the temerity to ask for a 20% off of a $500 purchase when I clearly and coherently stated that the price is firm. I'm going to ebay all my stuff from now on. I just hate damn listing fees. I guess I'm a cheap***** too.

marqueemoon

I prefer to think of it as the smart man's/woman's ebay, but I know what you mean. Stingy people drive me crazy.

filtersweep

I just would use it for stuff I didn't want to ship--- like a TV set, microwave, all the crap we had in a moving sale.

socalrider

I find that both of them are useful but ebay still gets more $$ for my items.. The last item I had on craigslist were some ceiling fans, I listed for free, just pick them up.. The 1st 3 emails asked if there was any chance I could deliver them because they did not have a truck.. I simply replied NO, you could not believe the responses from my one word answer.. Fortunately someone local came and picked them up and they gave me a $20 starbucks card for my fans, good deal for everyone..

Yes people on craiglist can be cheap..

pedalada

I prefer to think of CL as the walmart of Ebays. But Ebay. . .sheesh, listing fees + paypal fees and you are talking some real money and its more painful the longer you have been playing the game. People have been waiting for legit e-bay competitor for a long time, maybe google should get on-board.

t595

The thing that I don't get about craigslist buyers is that nearly every one that responds first line is: will you lower your price? Perhaps it is just me but a negotiation goes something like this: I set a price, you counter, I respond etc. These guys don't seem to understand the concept. I have tried to educate a few into the art of negotiation, but you can't reason with them.

Cl is good for big stuff that you don't want to ship like furniture and garage sale stuff. it works, you just need to set the starting price high.

Okay, rant over, thanks for listening.

Ih8lucky13

I have never found anything remotely interesting on Detroits Craiglist.

gmason

Really?! I always specify "plus actual shipping cost". Is there a rule against that?

operator

No but if you're shipping your **** out on a craiglist ad, you're a bigger moron than most regular CL buyers.

waterrockets 

CL pricing generally falls somewhere between a garage sale and ebay. If you want more money for stuff, sell it on ebay. CL is a smaller audience, so demand is lower than on ebay, hence lower prices. Garage sales are an even smaller audience, so demand is a lot lower.

I've made some significant money buying stuff at garage sales or goodwill and flipping it the same day on CL (bike trailers) or ebay (Speak-n-Spells).

gmason

I can see that changing your misleading signature hasn't changed your garbage attitude a bit. Too bad.

moscafj

I had been shopping e-bay and CL for months looking for a new ride. Problem with e-bay is that it is very difficult to get a sense of the history of a product. The potential for a rip off is high.

With CL, you drive out to someone's house and take a look. My patience paid off. Last week I landed a beauty of a De Rosa, 2 years old, essentially zero miles on it. Haggled a little and snapped it up, at a great price, as soon as I saw it.

neusaab

Simple economic principles at work:

Craigslist = local market, less demand
eBay = worldwide market, greater demand

Supply (your item) is the same. Greater demand, greater value.

I craigslist stuff that is a pain to ship, unless the potential price difference is large enough to deal with the hassle of shipping. Occasionally I'll find a great deal on CL and reBay it for a handy profit.

gmason

Interesting analysis. I have sold one thing on CL. It was shipped halfway across the country. There was no negotiation involved - I got the asking price and actual shipping cost. The transaction was via PayPal (essentially secure - I had the money before I shipped, a few hours later). All aspects were at least as good as on any eBay transaction I have ever made.

spdrcr5

I bought a brand new garage new minus one panel for $40, local pick up. Bought a replacement panel for $90... couldn't beat this deal at all, it was a $750 door! I love getting stuff on CL, but I also buy/sell on eBay and get great deals there too. I've negotiated on both places and only had one issue in almost 10 yrs on eBay. To me it's always buyer beware and as the seller you hold all the power so only sell to those you want to deal with.

DocRay

CL makes sense for large items that cost too much to ship, but I certainly would not trust anyone from CL.
Ebay can be cheaper if you sell on special days (10 cent listing days), but the fees accumulate, and paypal is charging too much, plus their currency conversion is a ripoff.

If you really want to experience stingy a-holes, post a listing on BF for sale -I'll never do that again.

Treker

Rude or strange people reminds me of a story in the paper a few years ago: A guy is having a garage sale, start time - 07:00. The 'professionals' as he later called them were congregating outside at 06:15. So he opens early and the crowd rushes past him. Among his stuff is a set of 3 wheels missing its fourth. Clearly marked 'free', some woman comes up to hims and asks: 'What is she supposed to do with only 3 wheels?"!

gmason

I have, in the last week or so, sold several items on BF for the first time. No issues whatsoever.

Generalizations, as always, are worth the electrons they are written with.

WheresWaldo

Craiglist is partially owned by eBay (a 25% share).

FormerBMX'er

I picked up a complete '91 Schwinn Paramount (Japanamount as some say) for $220 through my local craig's. A '91 Paramount Frame/Fork and headset just sold on ebay for $231 shipped. I'd say I got the better deal; I even got to test ride.

JeffS

I've gone from being a craigslist fan (years ago) to almost hating it today.

First, you're NOT getting free shipping if you have to drive to pick it up - unless your gas and time are both free. I hate driving. I'd honestly rather pay someone to ship a bike across town than drive to go pick it up. A "local" bike could easily require an hour or more round-trip to buy.

Regarding price... I hate any form of selling that encourages negotiation. You mark something up so someone can talk you back down. It's a ridiculous game that I refuse to play - to the point that the last bike I put on craigslist said "I will not sell this bike for a penny less than $500". Yes, I probably lose some buyers, but I don't care. I'll get more money (even after ebay/paypal), less hassle, and sell something sooner on ebay than craigslist.

Mhendricks

I've sold all my flipped bikes on Craigslist. I've never had one complaint or anyone trying to offer me a lower price. Mainly because I state in my ad that I don't take lower prices than what I'm asking. Seems to weed out the riff-raff.

eippo1

It's a great place to pick up items when on the cheap b/c most people don't know the value of what they're selling. Usually this is the case when someone's selling an "antique" piece of crap for $200, but every once in a while you get an awesome deal. Such was the case with my Fuji where a dude sold it for less than half of what he bought it for. He bought it for racing and ended up not riding it for that and needed money etc.

gmason

Why does everyone (almost) think there is free shipping on CL?! Is there an assumption that it is only a local activity and items can be easily delivered? If so, you need to look at it a little closer.

UmneyDurak

Well they are fundamentally different, so I wouldn't say that craigslist is a "poor man's ebay'.
Ebay = Auction. Usually you get more for the items you sell.
Craigslist = Market, where there is a negotiation going on between the buyer and a seller to establish a price they are both agree on. Usually it favors the buyer.