Craigslist worked wonderfully for our piano sale! - Downsizing Step 9

 Some people are rightfully quite careful with craigslist ads because stuff happens, I am sure.  However, I continue to downsize via facebook or craigslist sales and thankfully, so far so good.

One of the best so far has been our standup piano sale.  We have had this piano for good 12 years of piano lessons.  We bought it used from the Yamaha Studio program, which is a program where Yamaha lends pianos to university music departments and then sells them after a year.  They are great sturdy pianos and good looking too!  If you pick a piano that's been in the back studio room with little use, you got a deal.  I did, at $3,500.

Fast forward 12 years and we got to let it go - just because it has not been played in a few years and my dream of playing sonatinas in my old age will have to be with a smaller keyboard.  That's ok, I would have to start pretty much all over I am afraid!

So I targeted the holiday period to sell this piano as the perfect gift for a loved one.  I checked the competition and it looked like a $2500 would hold - and it did!!!

After a couple of low ball offers, a nice young man came to purchase as a gift for his gifted 16 yr old niece.  Nice uncle!

All cash sale and off they went!  Music books and all....  the end of another era....

To Craigslist or not to Craigslist - Downsizing Step 3

People are asking me how I am getting rid of things...well the answer is not yet.  I am systematically going through rooms and separating stuff to be sold or given away.    That wonderful pile of stuff is starting to fill up the side of the garage where I used to park our car.  I figure that would be good training for  getting used to a life with no garage - at least I have a driveway and no need to look for street parking!

So, the stuff to sell I figured I would try craigslist and/or the Rye Moms Sale facebook page.  I even tried ebay but I have to say that craigslist has been the most effective, while the Rye Moms facebook page has been a hit or miss - although today I sold a 6-person camping tent (a disastrous wedding shower gift)  in less than 2 hours from posting!

Craigslist is a digital classified ad.  Pretty simple but you have to post and re-post to stay on top of the running list.  I sort of forget and repost every 4 days or so - but it works because people search and all matches come up so as long as you are on the top 25 or so items you are ok.    For a list of my "active" items on sale on craigslist please click here.  

So why wouldn't you sell on craigslist?   Some people are afraid of dealing with strangers - especially because it's a known fact that scammers are everywhere.  But with paypal & cash sale, this sort of goes away.   I have to say that (knock on wood) I have not had any bad experiences with craigslist buyers.   On the contrary it's been fun to meet all sorts of people - like the Chinese family from Queens who bought the ping pong table for their 7 year old to follow the mother's steps.  They spoke in Chinese as they struggled to get the table on top of a minivan ill equipped to secure the table.  

And today, I was able to sell my 8 yr old elliptical to a gym equipment retailer who will refurbish it and make a profit in the resale.  Its a win-win although I wish I didn't have to give such a huge discount to get rid of it!    But it went and with it, a cooler that was sitting in the pile of things to sell or give away.  I mention it to the delivery guy who picked up the elliptical and he quickly asked about a few things and walked away with a new cooler for $10.  He was happy - and also let me know of the sofa he would buy when I am ready  -- there he goes!

So little by little stuff is starting to move.  The strategy is - bigger things try to sell online --- smaller stuff wait for a Tag Sale before we move in the Summer.      Welcome any other ideas!