Selling my furniture online (no, this is not an advertisement)

[middleground]

So, I am looking to get rid of some furniture here at the house in preparation for moving to a new state. I’ll be posting info and pictures on craigslist, and I guess I’ll have to have people come to the house to check out the items and pick them up.

I live in a small city, in a so/so neighborhood. The thought of having complete strangers come into my home doesn’t sound all that appealing.

I’d like to hear if anyone has tips for safely but effectively selling things like furniture out of your house.

I think the safest thing to do would be to forget the whole thing, but that really isn’t an option.

Thanks everyone,

-middleground

 

[leadcounsel]

I buy and sell on CL frequently. Almost 100% satisfaction with zero significant issues, and no real issues that I can even remember. I've conducted probably 50 transactions over the last 5 years - guns, furniture, household goods, etc. Here's some advice.

Always be legally armed. If you have a concealed carry permit, ALWAYS carry.

1. If you can, take the items to a public place like a parking lot at Walgreens and meet there, etc. I realize this isn't practical always for bigger things, but for smaller stuff that's what I do.

2. If meeting with someone in your home, LIMIT their time and exposure in your home. Don't give them a tour. Bring the item to the garage ideally, or to the front room directly by the door. Or, even better, move the items onto the porch pending immediate pickup. Wait outside or near the door for the person. Watch them pull in to the drive. If they act neverous, plotting, etc. call it off.

3. Cash only (or barter/trade). No checks, IOUs, promises, etc.

4. NEVER turn your back on strangers. Trust your instincts. Don't let yourself get outnumbered by 3 guys there to pick up a couch, etc. Keep your back to a safe place and be ready. Don't get yourself in a vulnerable position moving furniture with your back to a stranger in your home!

5. Hide all your valuables. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary if you are moving to cover things with sheets, etc.

6. Beware of any scam to get further into your house, or if there are several beware of scams where they distract and separate. If they want to use the bathroom, etc. tell them your plumming is out and they cannot.

7. Finally, be ready for a lowball offer for your stuff when they get there. Set your limit in advance over the phone, etc. and tell them to bring cash. Sometimes people try to wittle you down on the spot.

8. Oh, post GOOD Pictures. Don't waste your time or the buyers with stuff they don't want or didn't picture correctly.

I have never had any suspicous transactions and have 100% satisfactions with my dealings with CL listers.

Good luck.

 

[FourNineFoxtrot]

leadcounsel gave some good advice.

I've bought and sold some stuff on craigslist, never had any problems, although that certainly doesn't mean it can't or won't happen.

About a year ago, I sold an upright, wheeled A/C unit via craigslist. The other party's actions are a near-textbook example of what NOT to do in a craiglists encounter.

The fellow who bought my air conditioner sent his wife to pick it up, to start with. Which is not to say that she was not capable, or that he was more capable, but I can tell you I would not, were I married, send my wife, alone, to meet a strange man who knows she will have cash money on her. We met in the afternoon at a Home Depot parking lot that had a Wendy's in the same lot (this is the one smart thing they did, a daylight meet in a public place). He described her car, but did not ask for a description of me or my vehicle. So I knew what and whom to look for, and she did not. She bought the unit without testing it, and paid me in cash while the thing was still on my truck bed. She then had to count on my willingness to move the thing to the trunk of her car (I didn't mind, it just wasn't a smart move on her part).

They did almost everything wrong. It's fortunate for them that I wasn't a thief, a rapist, or just a jerk with a broken a/c unit to unload on some fool. It's all the worse that the woman was in her early-mid twenties, and very pretty. Given that, the risk was even worse. Probably 99 times out of 100, nothing untoward would happen. It's that 1 time that gets you.

 

[middleground]

Thank you leadcounsel and fourninefoxtrot for the info.

Very good tips!

So far I have only bought items on craigslist, and the experiances have went very well.

The reason this feels different is that I am potentially bringing people I don't know into my home. Usually we put a lot of effort into keeping them out!

Thanks again,

-middleground

 

[lebowski]

The above posted good info. I recently posted something for sale on craigslist, and had thought through the same thing and reached most of the same conclusions.

Another thing I do, in the event they are casing the place, is I throw it out there that I work odd hours and that I'm often at home. For example when they call to set up a time to meet, I say something like "I'm pretty flexible, my office is close to home and I work from home several days a week." Not sure if this is useful or not but I never like giving strangers the impression that I live alone and am at work all week. I also make sure they see some evidence that I have a (large) dog.

 

[snorky18]

leadcounsel pretty much covered it.

I prefer to talk to people on the phone when possible before they come over so I have some idea (gut feeling) of who I'm dealing with.

I always try to keep people out of my house. Have whatever you are selling in your garage (unless you have a lot of $$ stuff in there), porch, etc. We use our finished walk out basement for this sometimes as there's nothing down there of any value for them to notice.

BTW, it's a bit off topic, but there are two words I would suggest putting in your ad. CASH ONLY.

I've probably had 25 craigslist transactions (buying and selling) that all went flawlessly. The most interesting one was a guy who came to buy an old CRT monitor for $10. The guy came over to our house, and he was polite, but Russian (I think based on his accent), spoke very little English, and pulled out a wad of $100s when it came time to pay. My wife was scrambling to find $90 in change in our house/car/etc. Safety tip of the day: Don't pull out a roll of hundreds at some guys house you don't know.

 

[BULLSI]

Tell them to bring the exact amount as you will not have change to break any bills.

 

[Al Thompson]

Another happy CL customer here.

I think the folks have covered the major points, but I have a couple of suggestions.

1. Don't have valuable stuff out on display. I.E., no gun mags on the table (metal or paper), no obvious high dollar stuff out at all. Use some imagination - I found out that my neighbor was a shooter when I spotted his reloading gear when he moved in. Camo clothing would let someone know your a hunter.

2. Even if you don't have a CWP, AFAIK (guess it depends on your state) you can do as you wish on your own property. I am never unarmed with strangers on the property.

3. Check your email often - when I buy stuff on CL, first to respond is usually the one who gets my business.

4. Give clear directions on how to get somewhere. Bad directions infuriate me. If you have complicated directions, a good customer service tip is to meet your buyer at a designated easy to find spot and have them follow you home.

5. If becomes a serious security issue, see if a local storage center will rent you a unit for a month. Move the stuff there and sell it from the storage center.

6. Park your ride next door or across the street. That way they have no idea if having a vehicle present is a sign of occupancy or not or which exact vehicle is actually yours.

7. Think about what you want to do (empty the medicine cabinets?) if someone wants to use the bathroom.

HTH!

 

[DFW1911]

Good advice so far, and timely: I'm going to be selling some stuff soon as well.

This is in the news today

Craigslist Seller Robbed in Parking Lot

PLANO, Texas - Plano police have arrested two men who allegedly have been preying on people who use Craigslist. One seller thought he was being cautious by setting up a meeting in a grocery store parking lot, but he was still held up at gunpoint.

Police said a local Craigslist seller tried to sell a gaming console Monday morning to someone he met online.

He agreed to meet his buyer at 9 a.m. in the Albertson's parking lot at the intersection of Shiloh Road and Park Boulevard in Plano.

But police said when he got out of his car, two men approached him. One man pointed a gun at his head and the other tried to pry open the door to his car.

The suspects eventually stole the gaming console and fled. Police were able to catch up with them later because one of them men dropped his cell phone .

Christopher Holt and Devindra Narinesingh were arrested and charged with aggravated robbery .

Investigators are trying to determine if they are connected to several other robberies across North Texas.


From
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/Craigslist_Seller_Robbed_in_P

 

[phlr09]

Google their email addresses, too

I am a frequent user of Craigslist, too. One thing I always do, is do a search on the email addresses of the other party, once I know what the real email is. More often than not you'll be able to gather a good bit of background info on the person.

For the same reason, I have a special email address which I use for CL transactions only, and nothing else.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

. . . Pointed A Gun . . .

But police said when he got out of his car, two men approached him. One man pointed a gun at his head and the other tried to pry open the door to his car.

You know, even though I completely get that the bad guys only wanted to rob the guy, only wanted "his stuff," and never actually planned to physically harm him (the gun is really just a prop that says, "I'm really serious and I really mean it"), that's still a good way to wind up dead.

You point your "prop" at the intended mark, the victim makes the mistake of thinking you're actually threatening to shoot him, and the "victim" responds with overwhelming and deadly force. The surviving assailant then professes that his friend "never meant to hurt anyone, we just wanted to scare him some, that's all." Well, mission accomplished. You scared him, fulfilling the requirement of "feared for his life," and . . . oh, darn.

My "point," such as it is, is that I wonder how many of these armed robberies are perpetrated by people who are serious about shooting the victim, versus how many are just "using the gun as a prop" to scare people into compliance.

As the "victim," you can't really afford to bet on the latter.​

I've had similar misgivings with some of the Craig's List deals my eldest daughter's done. She's just about as "Condition White" as you can be. Getting her to agree to meet sellers and buyers on neutral ground came down to "just humor me on this, okay?" I really have no desire to have her buyers & sellers casing our house, given that we have more than a couple of "high value" items in the garage, quite in addition to more-than-our-share-of electronics and more than a couple of firearms.

Add to the list of "valued" targets things like snow blowers. Last winter, with the record-setting snowfall, all the local area stores ran out of snow blowers, and there was a rash of thefts. A decent snow blower will run over $600. Most of the folks around here look out for one another, will lend a hand or machinery, would never rip off their neighbors.

People doing CL deals, however, aren't the neighbors -- ain't from 'round here -- and none of the neighborly assumptions apply. Daughter is a little slow to get that.

So far, it's all been good.

 

[middleground]

Thanks for all the great info, I had a feeling THR would be a wealth of info on yet another topic!

 

[mustang_steve]

I've sold stuff on craigslist before. First thing....have a "cash in hand only, local pickup only" policy. If anyone tries to do anything else, stop business with them immediately. Don't even worry about notifying them, just abort communications.

Also abort communications on any contact that cannot talk in specifics. I sold a guitar once, and got a reply back about "I would like to purchase your item"....it was one of those blasted 419 scams again. not worth the typing to respond.

Next...keep the stuff in your living room only if your an apartment dweller...just be sure to remove the nice stuff in there first.

Lowballers happen. Just make it clear if the price is firm beforehand. If they need justification on the price, then they probably shouldn't be buying it. On the flipside, you should also make sure it's really worth what you're asking...this way you can be certain if someone is lowballing you, or if there really is a issue with the price.

 

[Birdmang]

I do a ton of CL deals. Always have been good too.

3 simple rules

1. Not at either parties home.

2. Cash is king.

3. Bring a friend.

 

[DHJenkins]

I've sold furniture and other stuff through CL, and have never had to let anyone into my house.

Anything for sale goes out into the garage, and I use drop cloths & tarps to cover my tools or other items of value that may be out there at the time.

I only take cash, and I'm carrying when I sell.

I don't deliver or meet up with people, either. I like the home court advantage, and I don't want to waste gas or time on someone who's going to try to negotiate the sale price once I get there because they don't quite have all the money.