One man’s trash in another man’s treasure.
In this article, we’ll learn how to make money with Craigslist as well as some cool side-hustle business ideas.
One of the most popular websites for selling unwanted items is Craigslist, but most people don’t know how to use the platform.
At least not to it’s highest level of potential – that’s where we come in. 😉
Craigslist is a popular site to sell goods online and a solid way to earn some extra cash.
How to Make Money With Craigslist:
Craiglist is a free website, and you can use it to advertise anything from personals to real estate.
Like eBay, it’s often used to get rid of unwanted items and earn some fast cash. But you can create a simple business with it as well, it doesn’t have to be a one-time sale.
The problem with Craigslist is it’s mostly successful in major cities.
In smaller cities you’ll have a hard time finding sellers.
And if you live in a small town, it will be almost impossible to use the platform.
Assuming you live in a major city, using Craigslist can be fun and rewarding as well.
Know What Else is Fun? Building Your Own Money Making Website:
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When it comes to making money with Craigslist, most people struggle with finding things to sell.
They sell their junk and then it’s over – there’s nothing else to sell.
It doesn’t have to be like that. Most entrepreneurs get started with Craigslist, buy low and sell high, eventually moving on to higher ticket items with higher margins.
So you have to decide if you want to keep flipping items or if you want to find a source for a specific item. We’ll briefly discuss each method.
Flipping Products on Craigslist..
In a previous article, we talked about Flipping Websites, and the same principles apply to flipping items on Craigslist.
But the cool thing about Craigslist is there’s a Wanted section.
The Wanted section is for people looking for something specific – and it’s an excellent place to find buyers. Learning how to scan the various sections of Craigslist for deals and buyers is really important.
For example, maybe there’s a person in the Wanted Section looking for a cheap second hand phone, or an iPhone.
So you look in all the other sections for someone who is selling an iPhone. It shouldn’t be difficult to find someone.
Then, message that person, ask how much.
When you receive a price, throw in a little extra for your profit, and send the total to the person in the Wanted section.
If they agree, buy the phone, re-sell it that day, and earn a quick profit.
You can also increase your profit margins by bargaining a bit.
Most people want to just earn some fast cash selling their old stuff. If you offer cash-in-hand today, they’ll likely reduce the price a bit.
Another Cool Idea to Make a Buck on Craigslist!
Another good idea is to look in the Free section and then re-list those products.
For example, maybe someone wants to get rid of their old computer in the free section because it’s not working anymore.
You can pick up the computer for free, fix it, maybe up-grade some parts, and then re-list it.
Chances are you can make a nice profit.
But… the Wanted section can be fickle, and it can be difficult to find leads from there sometimes.
Another idea would be to keep an eye on the Collectibles section.
Most of the time, when people need fast cash, they’ll look to sell their collections.
You can buy them a resell them elsewhere for a nice profit. You can even do eBay for the resell (Click this link to learn how to create eBay listings).
A Couple More Craigslist Selling Ideas..
Another idea would be furniture.
When people leave the country, they need to get rid of their furniture. And if no one buys it, they’ll list it for free.
If it’s in good conditions there’s potential to earn a nice profit.
Thrift shops.
Some cities have thrift shops where you can find awesome deals to re-list on Craigslist.
They’re worth a look. You can even check out Home Depot in their discount sections or when they have a big sale.
Basically, to earn money with Craigslist you have to learn how to find the lowest priced deals. It takes time, and usually involves a lot of traveling but it can be worth it.
Sourcing Products for Craigslist:
If you want to sell the same product over and over, we’ll need a source.
You can find factories on Alibaba.
Just make sure you calculate shipping fees as they tend to eat a huge portion of your earnings.
And remember to avoid ordering more than you can handle (Read this post to learn more tips on importing).
You can also increase your revenue by listing the product in multiple cities and locations, even countries.
On Craigslist you can list in a different area once every 48 hours! Some people bypass this by creating multiple accounts.
To find hot items, consider looking at the best sellers on Amazon, and see if you can find their suppliers on Alibaba.
Then, order your own stock, and list the items for sale in as many cities and areas as possible.
Just make sure the items are small and light, otherwise you’ll spend a lot of cash on shipping fees.
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Consider Online Business Instead of Craigslist?
But what about businesses that sell digital products? You can also use Craigslist to advertise your digital products.
On the other hand, a lot of people do this, and Craigslist is full of scams and pyramid schemes.
If you’re selling a digital product, I recommend creating your own website, and making sales through it instead.
Not sure how to make a website?
I got you covered. Click the image below to see how it works!
Thanks for taking the time to read this article about how to make money with Craigslist.
Remember, side hustles can be an awesome way to bring in extra cash.
Leave a comment if you have any questions!
Hello Todd,
Thank you for all the Information. I have not used Craigslist before but I am wanting to. I think it would be a good way to leverage the site for selling products.
That’s how I found your awesome post. It has helped me a lot.
I didn’t realize that Craigslist could be leveraged in so many ways.
Keep it up and Cheers!
Philipp
You bet Philip, thanks for your feedback and happy to inspire ideas using Craigslist.
Your Craigslist suggestions offer great ideas. I didn’t realize all the options until I read your article.
You mentioned flipping products as a way to make money. Checking the wanted ads for people looking for specific products. What a way to find buyers. Never would have thought of that. Thank you!
The other idea is sourcing products for Craigslist. I like the suggestion of using Alibaba as a source. I wonder how long it would take to receive products from Alibaba.
Listing products in multiple cities on Craigslist is awesome. A great suggestion.
Thank you for writing this helpful & valuable information. I will definitely be using these methods to make money on Craigslist.
Awesome Daniel. It depends on the supplier you use. I found that most of my order would take from 10 days to 2 weeks.
Cheers
Wow Todd, I never thought of using Craig’s list in the ways you put it. I have plenty of things that I no longer have use for, but only thought eBay and didn’t want to deal with that. I never once considered “flipping websites” and did not really know that was a viable alternative to making money. What a novel idea! I think I will look at the online training you recommend to look into this further. Thank you for the valuable information!
You bet Nathan and thanks for the feedback. There’s tons of ways to make money online. Getting those basic skills to build websites or bring in free traffic are skills that you can use in a number of businesses.
I think the most consistent way to make money online is by ranking content and incorperating affiliate marketing and/or advertising.
Once you get the traffic, online sales will happen if you help people out. That’s it, help a niche audience out with something and you’ll be amazed at how many online sales can occur.
Best,
Todd
Todd, thanks for this information. Honestly, I never would have thought of the money-making opportunities on Craigslist. In the past years especially, Craigslist has gotten a bad rep, but it’s good to hear that it is still a very useful tool, when not abused. If you don’t mind my asking (you don’t have to answer), is Craigslist the source of one of your income streams? And of all the platforms out there, what made you decide to go with Craigslist?
Hey Wendi,
I’ve used Craigslist to sell some stuff when I was importing. I also used eBay and Amazon. Now I stick with affiliate marketing and advertising.
So I’m not using Craigslist as a stream of income. I focus on targeting topics that are related to my niche and then use affiliate marketing and advertising to monetize my sites.
This is a great plan for long term online success, wake up money eventually.
Thanks,
Todd
Todd,
Very interesting article. It makes perfect sense as it is the basis of business….buy low, sell high. I just never thought of using this platform this way.
What about using Craigslist to sell subscriptions of some sort as that would give you a recurring income right? Is something like that allowed on Craigslist?
Great article and thanks for the insight.
Yeah Lance, as long as the subscription is based on something of value and doesn’t violate Craigslist listing policies.
Great idea!
Hi Todd..I’ve been checking out your site and I think that there’s a wealth of info here to pursue more than a few income opportunities, so I’m looking and learning and will have a few options as to which road to go down.
Interesting post on learning how to make money using Craigslist, but I think online business independent of physical interactions is best for me.
Thanks for the effort to educate those of us looking for a positive change and another source of income. I’m still checking it all out..have a great day.
pete
You’re welcome Pete and thanks for your kind feedback on my site as well as your take on making money with Craigslist.
I’m like you, less physical aspects to my online business, the better.
Come back again and we always appreciate a fresh take on our content, it’s great to know that it’s helping others.
Thanks,
Todd
Hello Todd.
I think you got some great ideas here to make money with Craigslist.
Just a question, do you have to be aware of the rules on posting on Craigslist?
I previously brought an ‘arbitrage’ course on Craigslist and was told to watch out for getting flagged or even banned.
I like your idea on outsourcing at places such as Alibaba. It’s certainly an avenue I will be looking at.
Thanks for your ideas.
You bet Amar,
You should be familiar with Craigslist policies or for that matter, any platform you use so that you don’t lose the right to use their services.
Thanks for your feedback on our post and glad it helped.
Best,
Todd
Hi, Todd!
I like the way you think! To put together a couple of simple concepts, like finding a buyer and a seller, and then finding a SINGLE market where you can buy low and sell high, then combine those with an existing vehicle (Craigslist), is just genius!
Lots of excellent suggestions. I too have joined up on Wealthy Affiliate, and am looking forward to using that great resource to further my internet marketing goals.
Best wishes to you!
Hey Bobby,
You’re too kind but thanks for your feedback on our post. I think it’s just maximizing the platforms out there.
Craigslist certainly can bring in some extra money, but I’m like you. I got away from selling physical products online and started doing affiliate marketing 3 years ago.
This is when I found WA too and never looked back. I can’t see why I would not be a member there. Every week, new webinars to stay ahead of the competition.
Bobby, stay to the Wealthy Affiliate daily training courses, ask questions when you need help, follow a passion as your niche and go for it like you would if you were going to college.
Take this mentality, work at it with the intention to help others and you’ll do great.
Thanks,
Todd
I don’t really go to Craigslist these days, preferring Amazon for anything I wanna buy. But it seems there is good money to make from the Craigslist.
By the way, I really like the Amazon and Alibaba method you mentioned in the article. It really seems like a good business model as China’s stuff can be very cheap.
On the other hand, how can we make sure the product is not very low quality? I definitely don’t want to handle dissatisfied customers when something goes wrong with the product, or what if the product isn’t selling……
Hey Isaac,
I went though the same thing. First I sold a few things online, then worked in importing and drop shipping and finally I love what I do now, affiliate marketing.
Sounds like this might be a good fit for you.
It was for me, I had my fill of dealing with customers. The profits are greater selling physical products directly, but quality control is an issue, plus a ton of other aspects.
If drop shipping and selling on Amazon are for you,
check out our recommended resource for Amazon/eBay Sellers/Drop Shippers.
If you’re like me, prefer to market other brand name products without the risk of importing or customer care, go with niche websites and affiliate marketing.
To learn how to create a successful online business, do what I did, invest in your education and check out the Wealthy Affiliate Training Center.
It’s my #1 Recommendation to online entrepreneurs. Plus it’s Free to join.
Best,
Todd
Hi Todd,
I must be honest – I am impressed with the ways people can make money online. To me, Craiglist was like the Canadian Kijiji, simply buy stuff for cheap.
And I had NO idea that there’s a “Wanted” section – sounds like a great way to make money on the side. Of course, there is a great deal of communication back and forth but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. Can’t be lazy and want to make money…
Anyway, thanks for the great insights on how we can use Craiglist to make an extra few bucks on the side. Some valuable info here.
Zarina
Hi Zarina,
Thanks for your feedback, there is some creative ways to make money with Craigslist.
It’s a bit like eBay in some regards. Actually if you’re looking for deals to sell on Craigslist, you might as well hit eBay too.
People buy all kinds of stuff online, so might as well take advantage of the systems out there.
I prefer wake up money where I put in the initial work, then get paid over and over again for that one task.
Here’s how I do it, I’d highly recommend anyone who’s not afraid to learn and take action. That’s it.
Someone like yourself Zarina would kick ass at this.
Cheers,
Todd