Part 1 on How To Write a Classified Ad, discussed making your text appealing to the public. This second part focuses on ways to make sure you sell safely, once you’ve received an offer via email.
If you’re not interested in someone’s emailed offer, don’t reply unless you want to negotiate: This way your email is private unless the offer is serious. Above all, do not respond to someone who is out of town, or is insulting you. Out-of-town offers could very well be fraudulent, or at least be a difficult client to get in touch with should your deal go awry. Should someone be sending you insults or rude messages, contact the site’s administrator or web master with the person’s email and info.
Used Goods Terminology
Some abbreviations may be hard to grasp, and some vendors may be less-than clear (or honest) about the quality of their goods. Here is a quick list of some terms used to sell goods:
- SS = Still Sealed and new and in perfect condition.
- Mint = Like new but no longer still sealed.
- NrMint = Lightly Used. Perhaps some wrinkles or some hairline fractures on the item.
- VG = Very Good: It could still work, but it has seen better days.
- U = Used
If unsure, feel free to look at eBay’s List of Abbreviations, so you can see how your item would best be described.
The difference between print ads and online ads is often the allotment of space. The more text you have, the more it will cost to print it up, whereas there is no fee or space constraint for posting online. This means that fewer abbreviations are needed. While more words to describe the item may be useful, brevity is still key. Nobody wants to read more than one paragraph, or about how much emotional value the item has to you.
Online Selling Safety Check
There is more to selling than making sure your text is clear: It’s generally recommended that you opt to leave your personal details like phone number and address out of the ad. Anonymity helps preserve your security, and also helps weed out potential spam from hitting your inbox.
Make sure that the online service you are using keeps your information private, and does not sell your information to third parties. Most online classified ads have an option to use a box number, so that only interested parties can reach you via email with their queries.
Craigslist also features a box that can be un-checked only if you want to receive advertisements or other offers. It should read, “It is not ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests,” if you only want to receive emails from potential buyers.
Always check the fine print of the sites’ selling conditions. Ensure that only potential buyers may contact you, and no third party will contact you with offers you didn’t ask for.
