patricia_mason•1mo agoProlific Poster

Rant: My old way of listing stuff on Craigslist was a total waste of time

I used to just post a blurry picture with a one-line description and wait for weeks, but after my last garage sale in Austin only made $150, I switched to taking ten clear photos and writing a full paragraph. Now things sell in a day, but I'm spending an hour on each listing. Is there a faster way to do this that still gets cash fast?

4 comments

4 Comments

grace_white1mo ago

Wow, I read somewhere that batch listing on Sundays gets way more views.

kim_west1mo ago

Honestly, is an hour per listing that big a deal? I mean, you went from making almost nothing to selling stuff in a day. That sounds like a win. Maybe just accept that doing it right takes a little time. Idk, it's not like you're running a full store, it's just getting rid of old junk.

oliver21mo agoOG Member

Actually, the real time sink is dealing with people who ask twenty questions and then ghost you. The listing is just the start. If you factor in the back and forth messages, lowball offers, and setting up meetups, an hour of prep feels like the easy part. The mental load of managing all that is what makes it feel like a second job, even for just a few items.

linda5001mo ago

Have you tried taking photos of everything at once first? @kim_west is right that it's a win to sell stuff, but I found the hour per listing was mostly from stopping and starting. I take all my pictures in one go, then sit and write all the descriptions later. It cut my time in half because I'm not running around looking for good light for each item. It makes the whole process feel less like a big chore.