I am wondering for those who have sold using this method, how did you handle the transaction? Did you give out your address and let them drop over?
It seems to vary with the neighborhood. We're comfortable having people come over. Buyers may be just as uncomfortable going to a private home ("Will they rip me off? Will they kidnap me?") as you are with them coming to your home. Or some would prefer to meet at a well-known mall rather than read a map or have to navigate a bunch of directions.
If it's a smaller item or doesn't need electrical power for a demo then it's a lot easier to set up a meet at a Wal-Mart parking lot or in a Starbucks.
You could tell buyers in your ad where you'd like to meet, but I don't put our home address in the ad. When a buyer's ready to come over then I give them the address over the phone or via e-mail.
Also any tips on how to get your things noticed and sold quickly?
Spouse checks Craigslist at least daily. When she's cruising through a couple hundred ads she looks for a few key things:
1. She searches ad keywords for our neighborhood. (Some tchotchkes are more compelling if they're six blocks away instead of in Waimanalo.) Make sure you've spelled your neighborhood name correctly in the subject line. "Kaimuki" is a lot more helpful than "West Honolulu" or "Town".
2. Load your ad up with good photos. (Oahu Craigslist allows four photos.) If the ad doesn't have a photo then it's probably not worth the effort. If the ad says "photos available by e-mail" then it's probably not worth the effort. If the photos aren't correctly oriented then the seller's probably not worth the effort.
3. Photos show better when the object is well lit, in focus, and not surrounded by other junk (like an exercycle buried in laundry & newspapers). Showing model numbers, controls, or other interesting features is an unexpected bonus.
4. I'm happily shocked when a Craigslist ad says something like "All operating manuals included" or when it lists the object's dimensions.
5. It's worth pricing the ad competitively against eBay (to save shipping) and retail websites.
6. Some buyers work better by e-mail, others by phone. It'll sell faster if you include both. You could try including days/times when you're available, but not everyone pays attention (or they presume that they'll be an exception to your rules). Others have no sense of timing-- if you don't want to answer late-night phone calls then it's best to shut off the ringer.
7. If you're selling a car then provide the VIN in the ad. You might also want to run a Carfax report because your buyer should be doing the same thing.
8. On Oahu Craigslist it's considered uncool to start a bidding war for hot items. Sell it to the first buyer to show up, or delete the listing and start over with a higher price.
9. Your local Craigslist may have a FAQ or more seller tips. For example, some are very busy on weekends so you'd want to put your listing up Friday morning/afternoon when everyone is making weekend plans.
