Amber Ostrich Estate Sales

As the owner of an estate sale company, it may come as no surprise to you that I am well-versed in selling on Craigslist. I’ve been selling online for years and I am definitely no stranger to Craigslist. I know lots of people are intimidated by it, but it’s not hard if you know some of the tricks.

Sell an antique bed on Craigslist

Selling on Craigslist is a great way to get rid of all your extra things around the house; sell off inherited furniture; and make a little extra cash. Lots of people prefer to buy from Craigslist rather than shop retail or even thrift stores. Craigslist cuts out the middle man and puts the second-hand buyer and seller directly together.

There are a few of my suggestions, and a few things to watch out for. Then you’ll be all set. So, here you go:

How to Sell an Antique Bed on Craigslist

Let’s say for example you have an antique 3/4 bed for sale

First of all, before you post, you need to make sure your asking price is right. Times and styles change. Antique furniture is sometimes not as desired as it once was. In today’s market, we often see that vintage furniture from the 1960s sells well, but standard antique furniture or darker wooden furniture will only bring so much.
Just because something is old does not mean it it valuable. Remember, while this may be the bed your great grandmother slept in when she was a young girl,
chances are there were thousands made just like it and they were a common item everybody had in their homes.

To see if you’re in the right price range, do a little research first. Check to see what others are asking for similar items.

Chances are some sellers will go for pie in the sky prices. Ignore those posts and look for the average selling price. Others have done their homework or realized after some time with no inquiries on their posting that they needed to be more realistic about their pricing.

One easy way to compare prices is by using the SEARCH box in the left margin on main CL page. You will see it just above the calendar

How to research pricing on Craigslist

Enter, for example:
Antique bed
Make sure the category below your search words is the FOR SALE option.
Listings will come up and you can go in and look to see average asking price for items similar to yours.

Differentiate Yours from the Rest

To make sure your listing stands out, look for unique characteristics of your item to the similar items you found.

If, for example, all the other beds are plain wood but yours has some unique carving or tole painting etc., not only will you be able to ask a bit more for your bed but it should be a key line of text in your description.

For example:
Antique bed with carved lions head and original tole painting detail as shown in photos.

The Heading

A good heading will be the key to finding your buyer. Make sure that you use eye catching words in the heading bar.

For example:
Antique 3/4 bed perfect guest room Furn. Great Condt.

The Description in the Body of the Listing

Your description matters a great deal. Be clear and concise. The less wordy the better. Most buyers want the nitty gritty and to see the photos. Be sure to include measurements, with key words such as length, height and width.

Watch Out For and Avoid Spammers

If you want to completely avoid the spammers, include the following in your description.

“NO emails please. Due to high amount of spam on CL right now we are only taking calls and or text messages. Call MARY 512 555 1212. Or text. There is an option when creating you post, which allows you to opt out of accepting e mail replies to your posting.

Do not waste time with emails, buyers are out there and ready to come with cash in hand for your item if it is priced right. I have personally sold an old dryer in record time. I set my watch and had my first call on the posting in under 7 minutes. The buyer came with cash, and a truck, and the old dryer was removed and out of my client’s garage in under 30 minutes. If I had used email this process would have taken much longer. I was already onto my next project for the day.

As an aside and a bit of a qualifier, I also like to add the following text.

“Please note, You must have a truck and or someone to help you move it. Call 512 555 1211.

If your item is at the right price you will probably receive more than one call, and since, like many things, sales can almost happen in ‘real time’ I like to first qualify, and choose who I am going to give the address to and allow come to look at my item. In this example if the potential buyer needs to borrow a truck, and are not sure they can, and some other buyer already has a truck and is ready to come, that is the person I give the address to.

How Take to Good Craigslist Photos

Photos are best taken during daylight hours, so you don’t have to use flash.

Be sure to photograph any flaws. There is no sense in wasting your time or that of a potential buyer by not stating something that is obvious and truthful in the condition of the item. Include all eight photos. Uploading your photos on CL is free, so why not take advantage?

Be sure to include photos from different angles. Pretend you are the buyer.
What details would you want to see before making a trip to view an item?

Extra Tips and Keywords

If it is true, be sure to include the words, “From clean non-smoking home.” If your home is pet/cat free, be sure to say so. That will be a huge plus to many with certain allergies etc.

Use searchable key words. At the bottom of the description add a line of searchable key words.

For example:

If you are selling an antique bed your key words might be something like:
“Bedroom, bed, room, suite, bed, frame, headboard, head, board, day, bed, child’s furniture, rustic, shabby, vintage.” Include alternate spelling options even if they are not the proper spelling.

Once you’ve done all these things, you are ready to find a buyer, and make some cash.

Happy Craigslisting!

Being in the estate sale business, it should be no surprise that some of my television watching includes a few of the reality shows about buying from estate sales or flea markets.

Two of my current favorite shows are Flea Market Flip and Junk Gypsies.

I’m not into the shows that highlight people fighting over items or competing for random stuff. There’s plenty to be had out there folks. I’m more interested in watching shows that portray people who are doing something positive with their newly found treasures.

Junk Gypsies is a fun show about two sisters (the gypsies) who go around finding cool old junk and re-purposing it into funky and eclectic home decor. They turn metal from old foundries into shelving and tables; and do things like fashioning old globes or musical instruments into lamps. It’s not just about finding vintage, but about taking random cool items and making them ever cooler. Be inspired as the Junk Gypsies transform old interesting flea market artifacts into newly purposed gems.

It’s so much better than shopping at Ikea!

You can check out clips of their show on the HGTV website and see what you think.

Junk Gypsies is filmed in Texas and has some created a few episodes in Austin, which makes for an interesting watch.

Another favorite show is, Flea Market Flip. This show pairs two teams of two friends in a competition, where they each have to find something, transform it and then re-sell it for a profit at a flea market themselves.

This show is fun because it shows off the teams’ creative sides and also proves that with a little imagination, anything can be made beautiful or purposeful. Each team gets a $500 budget to buy 3 items and restore them and or make them into something new.

I’ve seen episodes where socks and neckties were made into a chair seats; mason jars made into lighting and much more. The teams can get super creative. Whoever sells their project for the highest profit at the flea market, wins $5,000. I really love this show! You can check out clips on the HGTV website here.

Those are two of my guilty pleasures. What are your favorite shows about new-to-you treasure hunting?