Friday, February 4, 2011

Using Picasa pictures for Craigslist

Using high-resolution pictures for your Craigslist posting will give it more pop and generate more interest.

1) Make sure you have a g-mail account. Activate and Log into your Picasa web albums.
2) Open Picasa on your computer and log into your Web Albums - at the top right of the screen.
3) Your pictures should be displayed in Picasa. Select/highlight the pictures you want to use. Right click one of the highlighted pictures and choose 'Upload to Picasa Web Albums'.
- A small screen should pop up. Since you're using it for Craigslist, you don't need the picture to be too big. Under the 'Size to upload' dropdown list, select 'Small: 640 pixels'.
- Visibility for this album: 'Anyone with the link'.
Click 'Upload'.

Your pictures should now be in your Picasa web albums.

Inserting the pics in your Craigslist post is a little tricky, but simple once you get a hang of it.

1) Open the picture in your Picasa web album. Right click it and select 'Copy Image Location'. The URL of the picture is now copied.
URL Example: https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/picture1.JPG

2) In your Craigslist 'Posting Description', you will need to enter a little bit of HTML.
- I normally put the pictures under the description

Example:




So the HTML part is




You just need to paste the URL in between the 2 quotation marks

** You cannot copy/paste the HTML code to your listing. You will have to type it out yourself.

** IF you find a picture on the internet and would like to use it in your Craigslist post, just copy the URL and insert it in between the quotations above, just like you would if it was your Picasa Web Album picture.

Final Example:


Posting Description: Nike Shoes: Air Pegasus 83 SI White - Men's USA Size 9
Price: $55
Specific Location: Vancouver - Oakridge Mall

- Never been worn - Includes box
- Perfect for summer
- Rare green & Grey color combination
- USA Size 9
- E-mail me for more pictures
- Initial correspondence will be made through e-mail not by phone. - Lowball offers will be ignored!







A live listing I have on Craigslist

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Selling stuff on Craigslist

Selling anything on Craigslist is quite simple. The more effort you put into your listing, the better chance you have of getting a quick sale.

1) Create an account on Craigslist. Login if you already have an account. ** Craigslist now requires users to verify their account which you must do by submitting a secret code they send to your phone.
2) You will be directed to your account home page. Here you will be able to track your items once they are listed. Find the 'post new ad in:' list on the top right of your account screen. Choose 'vancouver, BC' and click 'go'.
3) There will be a list of posting options on the next screen. Most likely you want to sell something so choose 'for sale'.
4) You will be given a long category list of what you want to sell. Select the most relevant category and then on the next screen choose 'city of vancouver'.
5) The next screen is where you will do the most work.

Posting Title:
- Write a short and condense description of your item.

Ex. Nike Air Pegasus: Mens' size 9.5 Green & White.

Price: $
- Research how much similar items are selling on Craigslist or eBay. Or enter a price you find reasonable. If the price is higher than other Craigslist listings, you probably will not get many hits.

Specific Location:
- General location where you want to meet up.

Ex. Vancouver - Oakridge Mall.

Never give them your address.

Posting Description:
- Describe the item as much as you can. Short concise note form is the easiest.
- Things to describe: cosmetic condition, age, working condition, whatever you find relevant.
- To generate greater interest in your listing, post a nice picture of the item. I never use the picture uploader on Craigslist. For a better way, find out here.
- Once you are done with your description and have clicked 'continue', you will be directed to a screen where you have to type in the 2 jumbled looking words to finalize your posting.
- You will be sent an e-mail of your listing. You can now track it on your account home page. You can always access your home page by clicking on your e-mail address on the top right of screen.
- When you have sold your item, make sure to delete it via your Craigslist account home page.
- Listings expire in 45 days.

Example of item I recently sold:

Posting Description: Nike Shoes: Air Pegasus 83 SI White - Men's USA Size 9
Price: $55
Specific Location: Vancouver - Oakridge Mall

- Never been worn - Includes box
- Perfect for summer
- Rare green & Grey color combination
- USA Size 9
- E-mail me for more pictures
- Initial correspondence will be made through e-mail not by phone. - Lowball offers will be ignored!
** Pictures at the end

Tips:
- For the price, if you have a non-negotiable price in mind, mention that. Or simply say - Ex. $100 FIRM.
- Negotiable item: $100 OBO. OBO = Or Best Offer.
- Mention how much the product is retail or the scarcity of it.
- If you prefer to respond to replies via e-mail or my phone, mention that. I never call people to negotiate, only when they have actually agreed to buy the item.
- I always meet people in a public place i.e. Oakridge Mall. I will never drive to someone's preferred location. Never. You are the seller and you should set the rules.
- People will always lowball your asking price. In that case, write something like "Lowball offers will be ignored" in the Posting Description.
- You should never give out private information.
- If you want to relist your item either because it has expired or you just want it bumped back up the search results, you will have to follow similar steps as when you originally posted the item.
- Be smart.