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How To Sell Something on Craigslist and Make Money

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I’ve never sold or bought anything off Craigslist before. This is my first experience from registering on Craigslist and selling a guitar. Here’s how to sell something on Craigslist and make money.

1. Go to Craigslist

Start by googling craigslist and your city (Denver for me). Your first google result will be the right Craigslist page. You can also go to Craigslist.org and select your city, but I find google did it faster for me rather than navigating their website. When you first get to their website, keep in mind its set up for buyers. You’ll be given options to search categories like “for sale items”, “housing (apartments)” and “jobs” and others.

2. Post to Classifieds

  1. You’ll see a “Post to Classifieds” on the top left of the website.

    post-to-classifieds

    Craigslist Homescreen

  2. You’ll be asked “What Type Posting is this?”. This is to categorize your posting, should it be a “Job Wanted”, “Apartment Vacancy” or “For Sale by Owner”. Since I am selling a guitar, I choose “For Sale by Owner”. You can also choose to give things away for free in lieu to sell something on craigslist.
  3. You’ll then be asked what type of item you’re selling. Again this is to help Craigslist decide where to place your ad. I choose “musical instruments- by owner”.
  4. Now enter your contact info and product description. This will be different for different items you sell, but same general idea.craigslist-for-sale-by-owner-form
    1. Contact Information – You really only need your email. They ask for your phone number, but I didn’t provide it. I figured if anyone wanted to get ahold of me, they can email me. It’s the same as texting which pretty much everyone does anyway. Especially anyone using Craigslist.
      Craigslist does a neat email thing where whenever someone sends you an email through Craigslist, it goes through a Craigslist server and hides the sender’s actual email. You’ll see a long string of characters for their email. When you reply, it’ll go to the right person, but this way, you can communicate without people seeing your email address and them seeing yours. Craigslist calls this “CL Mail Relay”. I used this option. (See email screenshot below)
    2. Product Description – Personally I kept this short and simple. People don’t need a long description. My entire description, as you can see from the screenshot below, is pretty short. Just make sure you use the “Keywords” you think people will be searching for, in your product title and description.
      You’ll also want to add a product price. Just do a simple search for what your item currently sells for new and compare its condition and what others are selling similar items for. I listed $100 for my guitar. Remember people use Craigslist to find bargains.
How To Sell Something on Craigslist and Make Money

How To Sell Something on Craigslist and Make Money

3. Responding to Potential Buyers

I had 6 people respond by email that they were interested. These 6 people responded within the first week it was posted. It seems after a week, your ad will get buried by newer post.

  • One person just sent me an email telling me I was dumb for selling my guitar. I deleted their email.
  • Three people just had simple questions about the guitar and that was it.
  • Two people wanted to meet to see it in person. (email below)

 

craigslist-email-jennifer

Potential Customer Email

4. Meeting with a Potential Buyer

Everything I’ve read online, always meet someone in a public place. You don’t want to be creepy and don’t want to meet creepy people.

After emailing back and forth with a potential buyer, we had to reschedule once because of her work schedule. It was a girl because her she signed her email with her name, Jennifer. She was buying the guitar for her mother. That seemed neat. I suggested meeting in the lobby of my apartment building downtown. It’s a nice lobby and public place so she would feel comfortable.

She arrived with her mother and daughter, either because she felt more comfortable with someone else or because the guitar was for her mother. Her mother inspected the guitar, had a few questions which I answered honestly. Then after 10 min of chatting, she asked: “what was the lowest I’d sell it for”. Which was an interesting haggling tactic to see if she could get it cheaper? This could potentially work, but I just said the advertised price “$100”. She then provided me a $100 bill.

I could have been skeptical of the large bill, but it looked legit and I had no reason think it wasn’t. That was it. I went upstairs with my $100 bill and they left with the guitar. The entire process was akin to selling a fruit roll-up to a classmate in the school cafeteria. It was easy.

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Final $100 Bill

 

What Happens if You Invest that $100

Since Wallet Squirrel is all about earning extra money and investing it, let’s see what would happen over 20 years if you invested that $100 in dividend stocks. Let’s assume 7% Market Average with a 3% dividend.

  • 1 Year
  • $110.14
  • 5 Year
  • $159.25
  • 10 Year
  • $244.54
  • 20 Year
  • $537.35

Hopefully this helped to explain how to sell something on Craigslist and make money. Will I do it again? Hell yea, it went so smooth and hassle free that I want to sell more items. I have a whole box of Pokémon Cards, anyone want them?

Side Jobs That Millennials Can Do Weekly

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The following is a guest blog post:

Given the rising costs of living it’s becoming increasingly difficult for Millennials to lead a comfortable life without having to undertake a ‘side job’ to supplement their income. Many industries still only offer low salaries, and with the burden of living costs and often university or college debt, taking on a side job is becoming more of a necessity than a choice for younger people. If you’re looking for a way to supplement your full time job but are unsure of where to begin, there’s a huge variety of side jobs to suit, depending entirely on your background, experience and personal preferences. In this article we’ll look into the most rewarding and profitable ‘side jobs’ for Millennials that can be accomplished at least once a week, making them a reliable but sustainable way to make extra money outside of a full-time job.

Purchasing and selling domain names

Although not an option that most might consider, purchasing and selling domain names as a means of making some extra money is very profitable way to supplement your income, as well as surprisingly popular. The way of doing it is simple; identify a good domain name, then register it and sell it. However, this isn’t a viable option for just anyone – in order for it to be profitable then you must have some prior knowledge of what makes a good website, so this side job would best suited to those with experience in website building, tech or SEO. If this sounds like you, then it can prove to be hugely profitable and easily managed around any existing commitments. There are so many articles and websites out there give more in depth advice on how to get started, but the key to doing this successfully is to narrow your focus, and specialise in a particular area (for instance finance) where you’ll be able to use your own knowledge of the field or industry.

Become a Tour Guide

If you live in an area that’s popular with tourists then this is an opportunity you can exploit. You’ll need a good knowledge of the local area and it’s history (as well as undoubtedly patience) but if you have a passion for history or the town or city you live in then this can be a truly rewarding side job. You’ll need excellent communication skills, the ability to present information in an interesting and engaging way and good knowledge of facts, figures and events. It is worth mentioning though this this kind of job works best for individuals with particularly good social skills, and confidence to address a large crowd. Experience with the general public would be useful, or a background in hospitality. If you currently work part time and this is something you want to consider as a serious side job, then the International Tour Management Institute offer guidance, courses and certifications.

Dog walking

Although somewhat of a cliche, dog walking is actually seriously well paid work – providing you like dogs. If you’re looking to supplement your income, live near green space and work either part time or flexible hours then this really something to consider. The good thing about this side job is that you it doesn’t require you to have any previous experience, and can be easily scheduled into your week. The hours can be flexible, and you can take on as little or as many clients as you need to. For those who simply love dogs, if you work from home and live in the UK then you can even opt to look after someone’s dog with thanks to sites such as Borrow My Doggy. Hiring a dog walker is becoming increasingly common with Millennials, particularly in cities or for those who commute, as many dog owners aren’t able to fit in walking their dog during a long working day. Not only will you get to spend time with dogs, but this allows you to spend time outside, which might prove to be a welcome change from sitting in front of a screen. Remember though that you will need to walk rain or shine, so if you’re someone who hates going out when it’s cold or wet then you might want to think twice – that or invest in a good waterproof jacket. Start by putting up notices in your local area (a good place is notice boards in apartment blocks, coffee shops and schools) or registering on app Wag!, which will help you get in touch with pet owners in your area.

Selling second hand items

Not a particularly original idea, but many people use sites such as Ebay or Gumtree as a side job to bring in extra income and supplement their full time job. To make this profitable, you must have the ability – and preferably the desire – to hunt out a good ‘hidden gem’. Start by identifying what you already own that has the potential to be sold, then look for sellable items in second hand stores that you think will sell for a better and worthwhile price. Things that tend to sell well are vintage clothing and accessories, homewares and furniture. Know what to look for that you feel has the potential to be worth more. Quite often it may require some effort aside from just the purchasing and selling; for instance, repainting or re-polishing a second hand item of furniture that may not be in the best condition. Set aside some time each week that you dedicate a portion of time to looking for new ‘stock’ or items to sell. This is a good side job as it can be easily done with no experience and outside of an existing job, you just need to ensure that you have the passion and motivation to scour thrift and secondhand stores.

Online Trading

Online trading as a means of making an income has been very much alive since the 1990’s and if done right, can be a very rewarding and profitable side job. Best suited to those with a background (or even interest) in finance or investment, it involves using a trading platform (usually owned by a brokerage firm) to place buy or sell orders for financial securities or currencies. Before you begin, look for a reputable trading platform that offers a free trial or ‘learn function’, such as CMC Markets or Learn To Trade. You will need to take into consideration that you’ll need an initial sum of money to make your first investment, or deposit. Do your research as to which online broker offers you the best starting deposit and least commission. As there is risk involved, for someone who is needing to undertake a side job just to make ends meet then this may not be advisable. Ideally those looking to supplement their income with online trading would have previous experience of the stock market and a cushion of savings, as you can stand to lose money. Start small, and never bet more than you can afford. Done well, online trading can be an extremely profitable side job.

Tutor

Those who are naturally academic with the addition of a degree or other relevant qualifications might want to consider tutoring. Hours work well to fit around an existing career, as tutoring is usually done on a weekly basis in evenings or on weekends. Many parents are willing to spend up to $100 a session to have their children tutored accordingly until they’re exam ready, but it’s important that before considering this side job you establish whether you have suitable qualifications, as these will be your selling point to prospective parents. It’s common for parents to refer good tutors to other parents, so if you find you’re well suited to this you can steadily build your reputation and rates, making it an ideal long term side job.

 

So as you’ve seen, there are a number of both rewarding and profitable side jobs that are guaranteed to bring in that extra bit of income each week – all that’s needed is a bit of imagination and deciding which will work best for you.

How I Just Saved Money On A Parking Ticket

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Last week as I returned to my car, I noticed a small piece of paper sticking out of my car door in a familiar yellow envelope common to Denver’s Parking Division. Not sure why they no longer put them on windshields, but my reaction was the same. F**K. However, I figured out a way to save a little on my ticket!

Background

My day started out so well. I took a little time off work in the morning for a 8:30 am annual dental cleaning. I left the dentist office happy because there was NO CO-PAY. Apparently after talking to a few people, insurances usually cover this, but it was still a good feeling leaving knowing I had nothing to pay. Now I walked back to my car, where I park my car on the road every time I’ve been to this dentist. I’ve parked at this location multiple times before so I was used to nuances of the neighborhood.

However, this particular time as I returned to my car, I found a lovely parking ticket. I discovered that the 2 hour parking sign I always stop at, also noted that the last Wednesday of the month, April through November there was no parking. Just my luck, it was that day. What are the odds? I will note, that this is my 3rd parking ticket ever. So I’m usually pretty good. The cost of this mistake? I had to pay $50.

My Idea

Ok, this isn’t exactly rocket science, but in my rebellious nature I didn’t want to pay $50 for a parking ticket. While I usually can find a special promo code or coupons for most items. I have yet discovered the Denver Parking Division to hold such promotions, so I couldn’t save on their end. I had to save on mine.

I had 3 options. I could pay in person with cash. This would entail going to some sad, and depressing place and deal with someone who hates their job (yes, I base my Parking Division assumptions on movies). I could pay online with PayPal, which would be convenient or I could pay online with a credit card. HA! I used my 2% cash back credit card.

I paid $50, but got $1 (2% cash back) back. So in the end, I paid $49. Yes, it’s a small victory but it’s mine. The little guy can chalk this one up to a win!

How-to-save-money-on-a-parking-ticket

 

Have you figured out any additional ways to save money on parking tickets?

How I earn $25 a month with the Best Cashback Credit Card

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Let me first state credit cards aren’t evil, credit card companies are. Your credit card isn’t going to crawl out one night and go on a Las Vegas spending spree with your ex-girlfriend laughing at you until you get your next statement. No, it’s a tool in your ninja financial tool belt and I’m going to explain how it makes $25 for me each month with the best cashback credit card, and how it can help you too.

Oh you heard me, this is me explaining how to have your credit card make YOU money. 99% of the of time, credit card companies make money off you because they think you’re stupid, well if you’re reading this, you’re not stupid. You want to learn how say ENOUGH and try something different.

My $6,000 Credit Card Debt Past:

Let’s just say I was a moron. I like most people, got their first credit card in college, well Wells Fargo in fact. They told me it was a good investment, they told me it would build my credit. They told me I would earn “points” each time I spent money and I could use those “points” to buy other things. I was going to buy things anyways, so why not earn “points” when I do. Sounds awesome right? I had this bank since high school, I invested my first summer job paycheck with this bank. They couldn’t steer me wrong.

Now I won’t bash Wells Fargo. I think everyone should do their own research and make their own call, but let me tell you what those “points” got me the last 9 years I had/used that credit card.

Keep in mind, this is me using my credit card cautiously, I heard the rumors about people with credit card debt, but everyone had debt. Why should I be different? In fact, I racked up $6,000 in debt for multiple years paying only the minimum (that’s only the interest boys and girls). It’s OK though, had SO many magical “points”. I could buy so much more stuff!

So here’s the thing they didn’t tell me with my “points” credit card.

  • There was a $20 annual membership fee
  • You can only use “points” in their own online store
  • Everything in their limited online store cost more than Amazon
  • Oh, and your points expire

WHAT THE FUCK!!! Did I mention I was a moron? In the last 4 of the 9 years, I kept checking the online market place and the best thing I could buy was a $40 putter. I (like you probably) thought, if I keep using my card, I can save enough points to buy the $50 putter. Wrong, when I checked back, my oldest points had expired. Plus did I mention the $20 annual fee? FUCK!

In the end, after all the debt, I cumulatively used the points (that hadn’t expired yet) on $75 worth of gift cards to Amazon. So in 9 years, I paid $180 ($20 annual fee x9) for $75 worth of Amazon gift cards. Again, I will reiterate, I was a moron.

When I Paid off my Credit Card Debt:

Exactly 1 year ago, I finally had a job that allowed me to pay off my credit card debt. (Hint: I paid off more than the minimum payment each month) Wahoo! I even celebrated by walking into Wells Fargo and giving them back their credit card. A purely ceremonial gesture. Apparently that’s not something most people do, most people just cut them with scissors and throw it away. I recommend this. Wells Fargo actually told me to keep it open and use it for small purchases to continue to “build my credit”. Seriously, the advice Wells Fargo had for me, was to keep this awful credit card open and keep spending money on it. Really? All bow down the mighty credit score.

I decided my credit score was good enough and haven’t used that card since. It’s been 1 year.

Wallet Squirrel - Excitement

I Did Research And Found The Best Cashback Credit Card For Me:

Now with a story like this, once I paid off my credit card debt, you think I would be done with credit cards forever. Right? Well, do you recall me saying credit cards aren’t evil, credit card companies are? I just needed to learn how to use my credit card responsibly and find the right card for me. Credit Cards are a dime a dozen and so they separate themselves by giving you “rewards” for using them. These can be broken into three categories:

Point Rewards: The more money you spend on your credit card, the more “points” you get to buy stuff. These points are only redeemable through their own custom online store and often at a markup or definitely not a discount. Simply, I think this is stupid, my experience has been awful. If you’ve had a positive experience with a “point” system, I’d love to hear about it.

Mileage Rewards: The more money you spend, the more “miles” you earn. So you can essentially earn a free airline trip. This is pretty cool, but you have to watch out for “blackout dates” where there are days you can’t use your points and usually you can only select from a few airlines, but hey free miles.

Cashback Rewards: The more money you spend, the more cash you get back. Spoiler alert, this is what I prefer. Screw points and miles, when I get cash back, I use actual “cash” to buy anything I want on Amazon or buy my own plane ticket. No airline restrictions or “blackout dates”. Cash is King. Here is how I went about finding the best cashback credit card.

Let me say something about Cashback Credit Cards

Pay close attention to the amount you get back for different purchases. Some of the best cashback credit cards will give you 6% for groceries and 1% cash back for everything else. You may rightly think, damn 6% that’s awesome. Do your calculations! Here is what my finances look like with three different cashback credit cards. I used Mint.com to figure out my average spending.

Best Cashback Credit Card - Wallet Squirrel 01

Best Cashback Credit Card - Wallet Squirrel 02

Best Cashback Credit Card - Wallet Squirrel 03

With those numbers, I found the Citi Card Double Cashback to be the best cashback credit card for me. NerdWallet is a good resource for finding different credit card options.

How I make $25 a month with Citi Double Cash Back Credit Card

First and foremost, I never buy anything I can’t pay off at the end of the month. I have my account automatically pay off the entire balance each month, just in case I forget, but using my Mint app it keeps me aware of my remaining balance which I pay daily. I make most of my money by buying camping gear, contacts, new shoes and all those items are only considered 1% cashback from every other credit card, but 2% back with my Citi Cash Back Credit Card which is easily the best cashback credit card for me. Yes, if you don’t buy things, your savings far outway the 2% cashback, but these are for purchases I’m going to buy anyway and that I have budgeted for. It all adds up and $15.40 is just the minimum.

As you can see in my Income Reports, my credit card is my often my number one income producing passive income. This is on average around $25 a month. Most people pay interest on their credit cards, but if you’re smart, you can make your credit card company pay you. Here are the last couple months of additional income from what I consider the best cashback credit card.

Please know I am not paid to sponsor Citi Double Cash Back card, I just found it to be the best cashback credit card for my lifestyle.

In all, since I started with my new credit card in September. I have earned $176.05 in the last 7 months! I have earned money back from purchases I make every day. I don’t have to think about miles or blackout dates or if something is 6% or 3% today. Every purchase I make, I get 2% back. That is pretty unfreaking believable! It’s definitely better than when I used to pay $180 over the last 9 years just to have my old Wells Fargo credit card.

So now I use my credit card for EVERY purchase because I know I will get money back. I will continue to post my progress within my income reports and share exactly how this continues to pay up.

Question: Do you do use credit cards in a similiar way?

How to make money buying for other people

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Here is a quick story of how I made $21.80 by offering to pick up the bill for other people. This might work for you too.

Last Thanksgiving before leaving Denver and heading home to visit my parents in Iowa. My father asked me to pick up a few things that he couldn’t find back in Iowa. With Denver being a major metropolitan area, he figured it would be here, as well as some other errands since I would be out.

Here is where the story gets interesting, at Target while picking up these specialty things. Target had their Black Friday deal of buying $20 worth of merchandise, you get a $5 gift card for your next purchase. I didn’t know about this or think about it till checking out when the cashier handed me four $5 gift cards. Not sure why she didn’t put them all on one card, but that’s beside the point. It was pretty cool. Later I added another $10 at IKEA and spent a total of $90. Keep in mind, the entire time, I used my 2% cash back credit card so my credit card company paid me $1.80 just for using my card.

Now when I got home, I handed my dad the receipts for $90 and he promptly paid $90. So I was returned my original $90 and had an additional $21.80 from Target’s promotion and my cashback card.

My Dilemma:
Give Money Back – Do I give my father back $21.80 since that was earned through his errands?
Keep the Money – I paid $90 for the items he asked for and he paid me $90 back. That should be the end of story, right?

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Photo Credit: Pixabay

What happened – I offered the gift cards to my father since they were received when I was acting on his behalf picking up his errands. He informed me to keep them to help pay for the gas running around town. While the $20 was more than what gas was, he’s just that kind of generous guy. As for the 2% cash back from the credit card. I have no reservations about keeping that. It was my choice to pay with a credit card rather than cash.

Lesson Learned:
After that, I learned the benefits of picking up the check. Now when eating out with friends and the waiter won’t split the check, I now always offer to pick it up and people can pay me via Cash, Pay Pal or Venmo. Usually, it’s easier for the waiter and my friends thank me for taking care of it. I have yet had anyone not pay me back and I love the cash back. A meal with 12 people that cost $250 generates $5 from my 2% cash back credit card. That’s $5 I didn’t have before.

Pretty cool right?

Best Survey Sites That Pay Cash

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 The only reason anyone should take a survey is to get paid or to help out a college friend who is working on their class thesis. I’m going to focus on the former. Here is my list of the best survey sites that pay cash. As always, I recommend any cash you make, invest it.

Keep in mind, survey sites work on the premise that companies approach survey site companies to answer a particular set of questions. These questions are usually focused on certain demographics. That’s why each of the below sites ask what race, age, income level, etc. before you begin. The survey sites collect your answers and the companies pay for those responses which in turn get distributed to you. That’s how you get paid! Although survey sites don’t ever pay you enough for your responses, on average $5 – $6 per hour. So obviously I’m not a big fan, but here are 4 of the best.

swagbucks-logo

  1. Swagbucks – One of the most well-known marketing and survey sites. Swagbucks has created such a following that they even expand beyond surveys and even have task related activities to help you earn an extra buck. Such as go to a local store and confirm that Cheerios is where the grocery store says it’s at. You’d be surprised how the placement of grocery store items affects your buying potential. Next time you’re at the store, notice how all the brand names are at eye level. If you’re going to start off with any survey site, I’d recommend Swagbucks first. They are one of the biggest companies, so they must be doing something right.

 InboxDollars - Logo

  1. Inbox Dollars – After being around since 2000, Inbox Dollars knows how to make it simple. Get emailed a survey, fill out and get paid. Seems nice right? Well it is. Like most survey sites, Inbox Dollars pays first come, first serve. So as soon as you get the email asking you to fill out the survey, jump on it. Although this is another survey site I like, they run out of surveys fast.

 Toluna Logo

  1. Toluna – Here is a great app. Toluna makes it easy to sign up and get up and running through their nicely made apps. Toluna is just like the two above sites but just regularly receive high praise for the design of their website making it easy for survey takers.

 Google Opinion Rewards

  1. Google Opinion Rewards – I wasn’t originally going to add Google Opinion Rewards to this list since all the money you earn can only be traded in for Google Play points. Which sucks. I am all about investing the extra cash you earn and these guys make you buy from their own marketplace. Whatever. The nice thing that makes Google Opinion Rewards important enough to be added to this list is well, they are Google. They know how to design amazing stuff and with a company slogan of “Do no evil”. You have a company that everyone trust for their favorite search engine now creating their own survey platform.

Survey Tips

  • Create a separate email account – when registering to these survey sites. They will email you constantly with offers and part of their agreements usually include selling your email address to their parties
  • Be Honest – It makes no sense to lie. Plus sometimes their survey algorithms recognize if your contradicting yourself hitting “A” over and over to get through the survey fast.
  • Stay within the survey platform – Sometimes surveys will ask to register on a company’s website or leave their platform to accomplish or sign up for something. I personally don’t recommend this. I think anytime you need to register for something else, it’s sketchy and I just leave the survey.
  • Keep updated with new survey opportunities on different platforms. New companies pop up all the time. For example, Bella Wanana just did an Opinion Outpost Review.
  • Keep track of your points – Sometimes these expire or need to fill out over 500 survey’s to earn $5. Not worth it.