# Craigslist ads?



## FatboyGraphics (Sep 20, 2009)

Anyone have success posting Ads on Craigslist, offering your services?

I look on Craigslist often, but only to buy random used stuff (mostly printing equipment), but have never even thought of looking on there for something else other then that.


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## hcohen22 (Nov 28, 2011)

Hi- I have never had success on craigslist


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## ryan barker (Jul 21, 2011)

to me, this is akin to trophy makers putting their services on ebay, which we, as trophy makers, have seen. i have yet to even hear of someone going there and checking out the 'competition.' for the price they offer, i promise you it's some undercutter running things out of their garage and jamming out crappy quality.

as far a printing services go, maybe CL wouldn't be a terrible thing to try. i think it would help if you had a brick-and-mortar shop. and you can't beat the price to advertise. still, i'm not sure it would be worth the bother. try it and see, it won't hurt and it's free.


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## Fenrir (Mar 13, 2012)

In my area, we stopped getting any response from advertising on Craigslist about 3 years ago.

I have been unable to sell anything on Craigslist for at least 2 years. 5 years ago I could put printer ink on Craigslist for a few dollars under retail price and people would snap them up. Now nobody is biting at 40% off retail. Computer parts, art supplies, etc, brand new stuff. Zero response at all. Craigslist is deader than a doornail here northern South FL. Don't know about farther south in Ft. Lauderdale/Miami areas.


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## Naptime (May 19, 2011)

i renew my craigslist ad every three days.

we use the ad to offer screen printing services.

i have consistently gotten AT LEAST 1 job a week from it.

some weeks I've gotten 2 or 3 jobs. other weeks I've only gotten one. 

I've also gotten referral work, from some of those jobs.


overall, i find it very much worth the 3 minutes it takes me to go in an update the add every couple days.

it's free. 


and it's not just simple jobs like 5 or 10 shirt customers for family reunions either.

my local NBC television station are now regular customers of ours. they found us, on craigslist, when they were in a pinch and needed a mere 10 shirts in 5 days. now, I've done several thousand shirts for them.

thanks to a free ad on craigslist. 

i also have a girl that does all of the cancer/Alzheimer/autism type walks in the area.. she orders 20-25 shirts for every walk. her boyfriend is a camera man at NBC, he told her about us.

she is a waitress at a local restaurant. her boss now orders all employee uniforms from us, as well as "souvenir" shirts he sells.

all as a result of that original craigslist ad, that managed to net me 10 shirts to start with.


yes, i believe it in. yes i will continue to use it.


now, if they were charging, and i wasn't seeing a return, then i wouldn't bother. 

but, seeings how it's free, AND i'm getting a return, every week.. i don't see how i could imagine cancelling the ad.


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## missabby (Apr 23, 2012)

I went with the craigslist route and it didn't went well as I have expected. I received tons of spam and just ended up with me taking off my listing.


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

I posted ads on CL for a few months and got nothing but aggravation... either competitors price shopping or lowballers wanting something for nothing. CL has been terrible for selling in general, people never show up or email me dozens of times but never buy. 

Even trying to buy stuff is aggravating, my pet peeve is people who do not want to give you their address or phone #... how the heck am I supposed to come pick up the item if you won't give me an address!?! I'm fine with meeting somewhere else. One guy would only give me a street intersection and only emailed it a couple hours before we arranged to meet (even though we had been emailing for days) but I had already left the house; then he emailed me all in a rage because I didn't show up. Once I drove 40 miles to buy something at an arranged time and the woman wasn't home.


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## losttrail (Apr 11, 2011)

I have gotten some good orders from my Craigslist ad. Just make sure you collect your money or at least a hefty deposit upfront.


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## Fenrir (Mar 13, 2012)

Ever since the Craigslist diamond murder people won't usually give an address, which, honestly, is the smart thing to do. I think some people read "don't give out your residential phone number" (which can be easily reverse-traced for address) to mean "don't give out _any_ phone number" (use a cell phone!). Of course if your cell phone is set up to display your name as caller ID instead of just "Wireless Caller" then they can still get your home address (which is a good reason not to do this). Craigslist is inherently unsafe, both from a scammer and a robber point of view.


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## Naptime (May 19, 2011)

i'm a business. my address & phone number being on craigslist, is no different than it being in the paper, the phone book, Google search, Facebook, etc...

one way to avoid spam is to not display your actual email address. i did that in the beginning and got every spam or fishing scam there was.

now i only use the anonymous email provided.


competitors price shopping, low ballers, people who want everything for nothing, are part of the territory, they'll never go away. regardless of where you advertise.

using craigslist for business, comes with a whole different set of rules than trying to sell that old bicycle pump in your garage, or the wii that your kids never play.


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## rosijohnson79 (Apr 8, 2012)

I never ordered anything on Craigslist, but for some strange reason I don't trust Craigslist. Lots of creepy people.


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## FatBoi (Feb 11, 2012)

I've had nothing but a bad time with CL. Everybody on there is way cheaper than me anyway. And the only people that call are price shoppers and low ballers. The only thing CL is good for is to get cheap equipment.


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## printingray (Apr 4, 2012)

For which purpose you want to submit ad there ? for marketing? Craigslist posting is the best way to market your business or site !


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## Padhart Designs (May 23, 2012)

No, all I get is emails requesting me to go on another site and sign up for "more" business with "more" people.


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## SouthernSwag (May 22, 2012)

Bad publicity is still publicity. You take a few bads to get a few goods. I will continue to use craigslist, under cut and print from the garage.


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## ryan barker (Jul 21, 2011)

under-cutting is bad business. bad for the industry and usually bad for the person when and if they ever decide to become real business owners. frankly, under-cutters are what i would expect to find on craigslist anyway for the most part. where i'm at (dayton, oh), there is no lack of screen printers, yet not a one of them need advertise, people will find the legit shops.


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