I just relisted twelve items on Craigslist to try and sell before we have another garage sale at the end of the month. I have previously listed the same items with not much response, but this time its different. I've already sold my 2GB Ipod Nano for $50 and my seven extra bicycle tires for $2 each, and today I'm meeting with someone for the leaf blower and possibly the chainsaw. I also have tentative plans to sell a bike U-lock on Saturday.
I attribute the success of these listings to the fact that I included a picture of the item in all listings. Even if I didn't have a picture of my actual item, I got a picture off Amazon to show the buyer what the item looked like.
The second important thing to do is provide a phone number. If you don't want to reveal your cell phone or home phone, get a free number from Google Voice that you can have forwarded to your cell.
The third point that seems to have made a difference this time for me, is to encourage buyers to text you. ALL my contacts have been initiated by text this time because I encouraged people to leave a message or text me and I'll get back to them. With my Google voice number, it forwards the text to my cell phone and google voice account, where I can reply either way. Did you know you can be logged into more than one gmail account at one time? This allows you to work on blogging on one account and if your google voice is linked to another account, you can just click over.
The fourth thing that goes without saying, is to price your item appropriately and describe it accurately. If it is scratched or compromised in some manner, just tell people up front rather than wasting everyone's time with a meet that surprises the buyer when they see the condition of the item.
If you have some higher priced garage sale stuff, I highly recommend listing on Craigslist and attempting to sell before the sale. Plus you'll get a list of contact numbers or emails to let people know of an upcoming garage sale.
Good Luck