How to: Multiply $100 from buying/reselling from Craigslist

[oddball]

Why do a auction? Seems to almost never pay to do that. Just look up what that product has sold for on ebay recently and set up a Buy It Now at that price. Are the fees that much less for auctions that it outweighs the risk you take of not making all you should from an item?

Auctions are nice sometimes. Sometimes you get more than you expect. It's always a gamble though.

As for the competition, tomorrow I am suppose to buy an iPad 32gb for $200. Should be able to sell it for $300-$350. I was hoping to buy it tonight but they want to do it tomorrow. I have class all day so can't do it till after, hopefully they will hold it (said that they would). I held something for a customer last week despite having someone else offer so hopefully karma will be on my side.

 

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[smmirza]

Was able to get a guy down to $100 for a Droid X on CL. Went to meet up with him and offered him $80 on the spot. I thought the smell of greenbacks would intoxicate him to take the deal but he didn't come down from $100. I said screw it. In retrospect, should had gone up a little. Got too greedy

 

[oddball]

Was able to get a guy down to $100 for a Droid X on CL. Went to meet up with him and offered him $80 on the spot. I thought the smell of greenbacks would intoxicate him to take the deal but he didn't come down from $100. I said screw it. In retrospect, should had gone up a little. Got too greedy

Should have fought a little more on the $80. That's about what I usually paid for my Droid X's. $100 isn't bad, you will still make money though.

 

[oddball]

Had an amazing day today. I was at $267 (shipping only cost $10 on the ps3, not $15). Bought an iPhone 4 for $250 and sold it for $330. That put my total up to $347. Then I bought that iPad for $200, I have to put that up now and should get $300 no problem, if not more.

 

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[Anon3587x]

I'm not doing this challenge, but my goal doing the buying/selling thing was to make an average of 100$ a day 20 days of the month.

I also ventured to garage sales, you can get great deals and perhaps end up on antique road show

A recent purchase on mine was a brand new hard drive with a terabyte of memory for 5 bucks. (still in the wrapper)
Retails for 149.95$+. I sold it for over $100.

 

[DeletedUser394]

'oddball'. You're doing really well, congrats!

 

[biggeemac]

Bought a 4g '91 honda civic this morning for $400. I should easily double that as this is a popular model with young enthusiasts. Also found a brand new honda generator that a guy is gonna sell me for 1200. It will sell on ebay for 1800 minimum.

P.S. yes I know im breaking the $100 rule.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Rise of the Shadow Economy: Second Largest Economy in the World - Forbes

 

[Pinnacle]

Rise of the Shadow Economy: Second Largest Economy in the World - Forbes

Soon as I clicked the link, MJ, got to the splash page and saw this:
[h=2]Forbes Thought Of The Day[/h]“ It is better to live rich than to die rich. â€
— Samuel Johnson

That was AWESOME!

 

[Gary M]

Hello all, I just joined the fastlane forum and this was the first thread that I found and read it start to finish.
I'm in for this challenge. I've only sold my old baseball cards years ago on cl and am very interested in selling on eBay and amazon so I am treating this as my education into the world of retail. I recently got laid off so I
have the time...looking forward to it!

 

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[oddball]

Sold the iPad for 325 today, now I'm at 472. Not too bad, going to buy an Xbox later today for 135, going to put it up for 250 but I'll take 200.

 

[rexxkai]

would it start getting harder to do these deals since you might have to compete with the christmas shoppers soon? or does it not really matter?

 

[oddball]

Could be, but selling should be easier. That is my I have a busy weekend of buying as much stuff as I can before people get in the xmas buying mood.

 

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[rexxkai]

Could be, but selling should be easier. That is my I have a busy weekend of buying as much stuff as I can before people get in the xmas buying mood.

looks like i need to get started if i really want to do this

 

[oddball]

Never too late to start. I am actually looking to pick up a bike right now. There are some really good deals, only want one to hold over winter so I just plan to lowball them and see if they take it. It's all about timing.

 

[rc08234]

I posted a test ad for an Apple iPod touch 64GB (4th Generation) - Black - Current Version, for 280, and didn't get a single email about it. Not sure whats going on considering they are 350 new, not even a lowball offer or anything! Any tips??

 

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[oddball]

Check your spam maybe? That isn't badly priced either. How long have you had it up? I have a 4th gen 32gb up for $235, I have gotten a few offers but nothing great yet.

 

[rc08234]

Just checked, nope nothing in the spam folder either. It's been up for about a week. I don't even have the ipod, but I wanted to test the waters before I started lowballing people and got stuck with one. Glad I did.

 

[theBiz]

this is a great place to start, i never really got into iphone or ipads the profit is too small but there less risk for your learning curve.


You want to buy something for $300 and sell it for $400?

1) Call as many people that have the item up for $400 and see if it sold, and then say hey buddy if you dont mind me asking what did you end up selling that for? Write it down. Do not be too optimistic. Research is important here.


2) If you are consistently buying the same thing (iphones or whatever) put out ads for iphones even when you dont have them and are looking to buy them, then you have a list of people to call or email everytime you find one.


There is real money to be made here, do not limit yourself to craigslist, the sellers get many potential buyers viewing their ads which is a bad thing for you. Sometimes the local paper or classified magazine has the best deals or things that sit, when you call someone up who has been sitting on something for too long they normally will just accept an offer.

Through craigslist i once bought a truck for $16,000 this was a distressed seller... had union contracts in place and you must come out of pocket for payroll (he needed cash)

Well i drove it back home (2 hours each way) 4 hours total

1 hour detailing and taking pics.

5 Hours total... put it online 4 days later sold it for $26,000 cash.

Not bad $10,000/5 hours .... $2,000 an hour.

At the end of the day what did i really do, i didn't work hard at all i just drove something back and put it on the internet.

Have i bought similar items and not sold them for 3 months and made $2,000 profit? Yes.
The bigger you go in numbers the bigger chance you have to make a score.

Was it luck that 1 person called for that truck in the 4 days and bought it right on the spot. Was it luck that not 1 single person ever called about that same truck? Maybe, but this is how things go.


If only i could find these deals all the time......


The first day i joined here years ago MJ said think b2b in any business you do. I can not stress enough with larger number items this is true.


You want to sell a hot rod? You have a smaller demographic to sell to and they will buy when they feel like it.

Sell a truck to business owners who MAKES MONEY with the truck they are buying from you, one day someone will call and say i just signed a contract i need a truck. They are better buyers, they do not complain as much, and they are not tire kickers.

And for some reason honda civics hahhaa... but good luck buying one at a good deal before someone else buys it.

ISSUES:

1) shady title stuff to deal with
2) transporting a non registered or insured vehicle
3) If it gets stolen your out $16,000
4) Where to store it
5) How will people test drive without plates, if they crash into someone or kill them your in trouble

Not so easy anymore huh?

Every business opportunity has problems you must solve and most people would have stopped at #1 on that check list. It all depends how hard your willing to work to figure out and execute solving them.


SOLUTION

1) shady title stuff to deal with

i know how it works now and i just leave the risk open

2) transporting a non registered or insured vehicle

made friends with a body shop owner who has dealer plates, payed him $100 to use them

3) If it gets stolen your out $16,000

Put a car infront of it so it could net get out of the driveway

4) Where to store it

I live in a residential area and people dont want to see a commercial vehicle in my driveway so i called up a friend whos doing bad financially and payed him $100 to store it at his home.

5) How will people test drive without plates, if they crash into someone or kill them your in trouble

i let them drive it and i meditate

 

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[Pete799p]

The reason I have been auctioning is the market in my area is pretty saturated so I can usually buy cheaper then the online rate. I also like the simplicity of auctioning I just print my label and ship. The area I work is large with lots of traffic and tire kickers. I have gotten good returns on auctions before but a lower return is sometimes the risk u take. I usually put it up on both clist and online and whatever sells first wins.

I have noticed that it has gotten much more competitive with Xmas and the number of other hustlers. I am moving out of apple and electronics until after Xmas. Too many hustlers grabbing the good deals right away and the extra volume of buyers has allowed prices that would not have sold to get sold. I will be looking forward to the day after Xmas as usual

 

[oddball]

this is a great place to start, i never really got into iphone or ipads the profit is too small but there less risk for your learning curve.


You want to buy something for $300 and sell it for $400?

1) Call as many people that have the item up for $400 and see if it sold, and then say hey buddy if you dont mind me asking what did you end up selling that for? Write it down. Do not be too optimistic. Research is important here.


2) If you are consistently buying the same thing (iphones or whatever) put out ads for iphones even when you dont have them and are looking to buy them, then you have a list of people to call or email everytime you find one.


There is real money to be made here, do not limit yourself to craigslist, the sellers get many potential buyers viewing their ads which is a bad thing for you. Sometimes the local paper or classified magazine has the best deals or things that sit, when you call someone up who has been sitting on something for too long they normally will just accept an offer.

Through craigslist i once bought a truck for $16,000 this was a distressed seller... had union contracts in place and you must come out of pocket for payroll (he needed cash)

Well i drove it back home (2 hours each way) 4 hours total

1 hour detailing and taking pics.

5 Hours total... put it online 4 days later sold it for $26,000 cash.

Not bad $10,000/5 hours .... $2,000 an hour.

At the end of the day what did i really do, i didn't work hard at all i just drove something back and put it on the internet.

Have i bought similar items and not sold them for 3 months and made $2,000 profit? Yes.
The bigger you go in numbers the bigger chance you have to make a score.

Was it luck that 1 person called for that truck in the 4 days and bought it right on the spot. Was it luck that not 1 single person ever called about that same truck? Maybe, but this is how things go.


If only i could find these deals all the time......


The first day i joined here years ago MJ said think b2b in any business you do. I can not stress enough with larger number items this is true.


You want to sell a hot rod? You have a smaller demographic to sell to and they will buy when they feel like it.

Sell a truck to business owners who MAKES MONEY with the truck they are buying from you, one day someone will call and say i just signed a contract i need a truck. They are better buyers, they do not complain as much, and they are not tire kickers.

And for some reason honda civics hahhaa... but good luck buying one at a good deal before someone else buys it.

ISSUES:

1) shady title stuff to deal with
2) transporting a non registered or insured vehicle
3) If it gets stolen your out $16,000
4) Where to store it
5) How will people test drive without plates, if they crash into someone or kill them your in trouble

Not so easy anymore huh?

Every business opportunity has problems you must solve and most people would have stopped at #1 on that check list. It all depends how hard your willing to work to figure out and execute solving them.


SOLUTION

1) shady title stuff to deal with

i know how it works now and i just leave the risk open

2) transporting a non registered or insured vehicle

made friends with a body shop owner who has dealer plates, payed him $100 to use them

3) If it gets stolen your out $16,000

Put a car infront of it so it could net get out of the driveway

4) Where to store it

I live in a residential area and people dont want to see a commercial vehicle in my driveway so i called up a friend whos doing bad financially and payed him $100 to store it at his home.

5) How will people test drive without plates, if they crash into someone or kill them your in trouble

i let them drive it and i meditate

Some very good points. I work with what I can right now. I live at home with my parents since I am 20 and don't have the space to have extra cars to buy and sell. I am in the process of finding a house to buy though so things will change when that happens. I am looking to pick up a bike or 2 while its buying season. Found a couple of good deals on some, going to call tomorrow.

 

[theBiz]

Some very good points. I work with what I can right now. I live at home with my parents since I am 20 and don't have the space to have extra cars to buy and sell. I am in the process of finding a house to buy though so things will change when that happens. I am looking to pick up a bike or 2 while its buying season. Found a couple of good deals on some, going to call tomorrow.

2 things

1. You can't just wait for things to line up you need to be proactive, just get t done, you can find somewhere to leave them just give someone a small percentage.

2. There is no tomorrow in this game, you should have called before you wrote the post, if you see a good deal you call right there don't wait ever too much money to be lost.

This all sounds easy in theory but it's difficult the buying and selling but it's hard work and you need to put the hours in researching and calling.

 

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[oddball]

2 things

1. You can't just wait for things to line up you need to be proactive, just get t done, you can find somewhere to leave them just give someone a small percentage.

2. There is no tomorrow in this game, you should have called before you wrote the post, if you see a good deal you call right there don't wait ever too much money to be lost.

This all sounds easy in theory but it's difficult the buying and selling but it's hard work and you need to put the hours in researching and calling.

I just have to call him to meet up. I already discussed things over email but I am waiting to hear from my friend who is coming with me. I don't know much about bikes but my friend knows everything. One bike I read the description and it said it had new fairing and he immediately asked if it had new grips and levers too, sure enough it did. Told me the bike definitely was dropped. Sure I could go meet whenever without my friend but I'd rather have to wait and have someone with this knowledge come with me.

And does anyone know bike values? I have an idea of its value but would be interested in some more opinions.

 

[newbeginning]

This is a seriously awesome thread! I wish I had known about this earlier. I bought a video game (Modern Warfare 3) on ebay and am going to sell that as my first proof of concept. Having said that, I haven't had much luck finding deals on Apple electronics on ebay. Maybe on craigslist, but I don't have a reliable ride to go around to people's places.

Has anyone done ebay arbitrage? Like, buy poorly listed or misspelled items on ebay and flip them? I'm still not entirely convinced that it really works...

 

[biggeemac]

Bought a brand new factory unlocked iphone 4s saturday for $450 and sold it the next day on amazon for nearly a $350 profit after fees.

 

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[DeletedUser394]

Question: Do you relist (ie create a new ad) every day for the same product(s)?

For example, I listed a game console today... say it doesn't sell, do I put up another ad for it tomorrow?

 

[Anon3587x]

Bought a brand new factory unlocked iphone 4s saturday for $450 and sold it the next day on amazon for nearly a $350 profit after fees.

wow, i could of bought a brand new iphone 4 for 300$. But I didn't see them going for any higher than 350$ on craigslist so bailed out.

Looks like I need to get on amazon

 

[Anon3587x]

Question: Do you relist (ie create a new ad) every day for the same product(s)?

For example, I listed a game console today... say it doesn't sell, do I put up another ad for it tomorrow?

If you're talking about craigslist. All you need to do is log into your account and you have an option that says 'renew'.

I think you can only click it once every 24 hours.

 

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[oddball]

wow, i could of bought a brand new iphone 4 for 300$. But I didn't see them going for any higher than 350$ on craigslist so bailed out.

Looks like I need to get on amazon

I won't spend more than 250 on an iPhone 4, that's just me. Around here it seemed hard to get 330 on mine. Ideally I look to get them at 225.

 

[biggeemac]

It wasnt an iphone 4, it was an iphone 4s (the new one) unlocked. They're pretty expensive if you buy them unlocked from the factory.