Ebay Vs. Craigslist Pricing Advice

I have been frustrated lately by all of the EXTREMELY overpriced items listed on craigslist. Listen folks I understand that you saw your item on Ebay and someone was asking $100.00 for it and that led you to believe your item is worth $100.00. This is 905 of the time NOT the case. People can ask whatever they want on ebay and if you want to get pricing guidelines from ebay you need to look at sold listings only and then you need to go with the middle price not the highest price unless your item is mint in box or NOS (NEW OLD STOCK). HOWEVER, in my opinion as a professional buyer and seller that has been doing this 15 years and actually made a lot of money doing it, you should not use ebay process on craigslist. People shop on craigslist to find local deals and steals! They want that item dirt cheap and with room to resell the item for a profit in the future (in most cases). I am talking about vintage items, antiques, and collectibles here… Not TVs, Electronics, Furniture, and Game Consoles. You can sell stuff for more on ebay because you are selling to a MUCH larger global market Vs. Craigslist where you are dealing with a small local market. If you see an item on ebay that is $200.00 you can expect to get $80.00-$100.00 for it on craigslist if you are lucky.

I see so many items that are listed on craigslist for literally 10x’s the price on ebay, and to these people I say WTF are you thinking!?? I also see that your item has been on craigslist for over 6 months and you keep renewing your ad like it is going to magically sell to the same people that have seen it for the past 6 months without a price decrease. 90% of craigslist shoppers are “regulars” there is a very low “new shopper” increase each month on craigslist.

If you want global market value sell on ebay. If you want a fast sell to your local market sell on craigslist. But to get that fast sell you need to price your items accordingly.

Example of Antique Clarks Spool Cabinet over priced on Craigslist Vs. Ebay

Seller is asking $550.00 for the cabinet above in a local market, the same item in better condition can be purchased on ebay (the global market) cheaper.  As seen below the same item SOLD (completed auction search) for Approx. $200.00 – The one on Craigslist is priced $350.00 above what the global market will pay. Ebay dictates the true value of this item. Value is what someone is willing to pay for an item, in this case ebay is the larger market and has pricing/value authority over craigslist.

A special note to jewelry sellers – I hate to break the bad news to you but that Silver or Gold necklace you paid $300.00 for retail is REALLY only worth scrap prices and maybe 10% over scrap value on craigslist. Also diamonds are worth very little unless they are name brand and/or BIG. Asking $125.00 for a 1 oz made in Italy silver (925) chain is not a good idea. The scrap value is about $14.00 at the time of me writing this. Unless it is Tiffany/Hardy/Yurman – Just keep it!

Also it does not matter how much something was worth or what you paid for it in 1996 – antiques, collectibles, and vintage item prices have dropped more than 70% in most cases since the 1990’s