Wanted to write a simple guide on how to sell things locally and safely.
Where to list
It seems Facebook and OfferUp are the two best places. I have a very low hit rate with LetGo – I think I’ve sold 1 item after 2 months. Craigslist is even worse than that, so I’ve totally given up on it. I’d say the hit rate on FB and OU are around 10% or so, which isn’t bad. Facebook seems to have more old people on there than OfferUp. The more places you list the better though.
When creating your profile, don’t use your real photo. Find a stock photo out there that resembles you or looks nice. I hear photos of families with kids work out great because people think you’re trustworthy. Better yet, maybe create a new FB account just for selling stuff.
Responding to people
Almost every conversation goes – “Is this available?” “YES” “Will you take X for it?” “NO” and that ends the conversation. If someone is off my price by 10%, I’ll usually respond with “I’m firm” and they may respond back with “Okay I can do that.” You should at least respond to those people in case they raise their price.
For people who are 50% off the price, you should just ignore them. I mean, you could reply, “No” or “I’m firm,” but eventually you’ll learn you’re wasting your time. So I just ignore those people now. What you SHOULDN’T DO is try to mess with them (which I’ve done in the past) because if you mess with them enough, they could easily open up a 2nd account, agree to meet you somewhere and then do bodily harm to you. It’s just not worth it.
I also try to write one or two WORD (not sentences) replies. I realize this makes me non-communicative, but I also don’t waste my time going back and forth with people for 15 minutes. “Is this available?” FB THUMBS UP!
You should also NEVER give out your real phone number. Use a TextNow temporary number or use your Google Voice number. You’ve heard of those sim hacks; just don’t do it. I also ignore all messages that start with, “Call me at xxx so we can talk about the item.” NO, this is why we have a messaging system in OfferUp. I swear this is a scam somehow.
Meeting up with people
Best places to meet – some police stations have designated areas to sell stuff. I’ve also met people in a bank lobby, you know because of the cameras. A busy Starbucks works as well. These days, I just meet them in front of a busy grocery store.
NEVER give them your address to meet up at your house. I did have a couple of people meet up at my house because I was selling some super heavy weights that I couldn’t lift by myself into the car, but the people seemed trustworthy and I put the weights outside my house. I keep thinking about the time I bought a chair from someone on FB and was walking around inside their house to pick it up – so trustworthy some folks are.
Don’t leave the house until absolutely necessary. I usually tell people “When you’re 10 minutes out, lmk.” This works out well for me. If you live in a high rise condo, you can wait until they get to your condo before you come down. Just this last week, a guy sent his brother and said, “Okay it’s 30 minutes away and he’s leaving now.” I SHOULD have told the guy to lmk when his brother was 10 min out. Instead, I drove there and sat in the parking lot like an idiot for 30 minutes since his brother had JUST left the house.
I also try to avoid meeting up with people after dark too; I’ve broken this rule a few times, but when I do, I tell them to meet me INSIDE the Starbucks or the grocery store where there’s plenty of light and hopefully cameras.
Forms of payment
CASH ONLY. Periodt. People can charge back Zelle, Venmo, Paypal, etc.
Also count the money even if they’ve counted it in front of you. You never know if the guy is a David Blaine wannabe.
Maybe invest in a currency pen. I’ll break it out when someone hands me all hundreds. I also break it out depending on my buyer. If it’s a young kid who is buying a $500 Oculus with hundreds, I’m going to break it out. If it’s a suburban mom with kids in the car buying a Switch, I won’t break it out. Granted she could be like the lady from the TV show ‘Weeds,’ but statistically, her cash will probably be fine. You do you.
Receipts
Some people don’t like giving out receipts, so it’s up to you whether you want to give it out or not.
When people ask for receipts, I try to give them the packaging slip or the invoice with my info redacted. I realize they could just call up the vendor and get my info from the order number, but I also realize that 99% of people want it for warranty purposes that 95% of the time, they won’t need, want or use.
Opening the item up
Some people want to see the item even if it’s shrink wrapped or sealed. I had a couple of Oculus people open it up in front of me. I’ve had some people want to see their Nintendo Switch turned on. That’s fine. The key point here is – you say, “Pay me first and then you can open it. I don’t want you to open it up and change your mind and now it’s no longer brand new for me to sell. If there’s a problem then I’ll happily give you back your money.”
Misc tips
If a deal doesn’t feel right to you, back out. I had a guy who was supposed to meet up with me to buy an Oculus but was a no-show (LetGo is the worst). Then the next day wanted it immediately at 10pm but also tried to haggle with me too. I just ignored him at that point. The point is – go with your gut – if something feels off, just don’t do the deal. There are other people out there.
If there are any other tips, let me know in the comments and I’ll update.
Great info! Inside malls with mall cameras and mall security nearby is another option to meet a buyer. Local police here recommend doing the transaction inside a police station.
Great tips – most of which I do and recommend as well. Few things I’d add:
-Having a friend or family member in the car with you works well. I usually meet at a 7-11 near my house with my car parked right in front of the security camera. Its crowded enough.
-Facebook is nice because you can look at the person’s profile and see how “legit” they are.
-Facebook also allows buyers to rate (and vice versa). Seller ratings are visible by default to everyone on Facebook (I’m at 5 stars, 32 ratings currently), so provides better insurance for local buyers that I am legit.
-I’ve gotten the question “why are you selling?” quite a bit. I just tell them I’m a reseller and always gotten the “that’s smart” response.
Not sure how others feel about driving outside of immediate neighborhood to meet people, but I never ever drive anywhere.
I’ll get people saying they need something but the car is broken. Nope not delivering.
I also suggest the following:
Before I am about to meet the buyer, I turn on your phone’s voice or video recorder and keep it in a place where it can document the conversation. I never know what may happen. Use a burner phone if necessary. On some high value transactions, I have even called a buddy and have him on mute so he can listen in as backup. I also let a friend or family member know where I am heading to for the transaction. I tell them I’ll let them know the transaction is done and I’m heading home (or wherever).
Also, while it can be a pain to arrive early and wait, it sometimes is worth the extra time to scope out the area and verify that the buyer isn’t coming in with another guy that may rob you after out in the parking lot.
After the transaction, I typically will keep a subtle eye on the buyer to ensure he’s actually left the area and is no threat to me (if I get there early, I can also verify there isn’t a buddy of his waiting around for me to relieve me of the cash).
Yes, this is kinda next level paranoid talk, I know. But I prefer to play it safe, and since I don’t conceal carry, it’s just a couple more safety points to have. Selling $500 – $1K phones and devices isn’t stress free but sometimes it makes a good flip/money maker.
My most expensive items I sold locally were iPhones and made them meet inside a bank lobby or crowded Starbucks during the day.
Banks are kinda limited on the hours; Starbucks is my standard; though on certain occasions I will meet at a Target parking lot (especially if I plan on returning the item if the deal goes south).
Good insight. How do you get a burner phone? I really miss the anonymity.
Just use textnow
I just use a cheap phone; it doesn’t necessarily have to have a voice plan on it if I just plan on recording the transaction. Alternatively, use my primary phone’s hotspot, tether to that and use the data service.
The main reason to get a burner phone for me is in case I need to use my primary phone as I handle the transaction.
I also use Google Voice on a burner email account to handle the local listing/transactions. You can have multiple Google Voice numbers on a mobile phone, so I can text, but not use voice on that burner Google Voice account.
Great tips. Thanks.