How to Make Money from Craigslist

In 1995, Craig Newmark started a small, innocuous email distribution list to help his friends connect with one another. What began as a friendly, supportive group of individuals quickly turned into what today is the 7^th most popular website in the world. Craigslist is the largest classified service available. Over 20 billion people take advantage of this free service daily for all manners of incongruous things– arranging romantic encounters, finding jobs, ranting about politics or even making money. If you are looking to supplement your income from home and have exhausted other options, you may be surprised to know there is significant money to be made on the site.

1. Polish and Shine!

One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure. Craigslist takes this cliché one step further making one man’s garbage another man’s income. There is an entire section on the site devoted to giving away old or useless items that with a little effort can be refurbished and resold. However, it’s crucial that you have the necessary repair skills in order to make this profitable. For example, if you have no idea how to reupholster a sofa, it’s probably not the best idea to spend the time picking up and lugging a ratty old piece of furniture up to your apartment. Be sure you match your skills with what you want to repair. There’s nothing worse than a house full of junk that you plan on polishing up one day…. when you get around to it!

2. Clear out your closets.

In the same manner, if you are surrounded by items you simply don’t use it is relatively easy to post your items online and profit from them.
In fact, you may be astounded at what people will give you money for. How often do you use your toaster oven? There’s a quick fifty dollars. Do you have a shelf of video games you haven’t touched in a year? List them as well. Because the service is free, you have absolutely nothing to lose by offering your belongings up to the marketplace. It’s a quick process and one that may help put some much-needed cash in your pocket.

3. Help those that can’t help themselves

As previously mentioned, it is comparatively easy to post on the list. Nevertheless, there are people out there that are lost when it comes to both computers and the English language. There is surprisingly good money to be made helping others with this process. Many people are willing to pay well to have someone else take photos of their items, write an intriguing advertisement and submit it online. If you have a decent camera and a working knowledge of writing, you can sell yourself just as easily as your old bike. This is an excellent option if you’ve already liquidated all your junk and are still looking for a few extra dollars.

4. Be gainfully employed.

If you currently hold a steady job but have the need for more income, Craigslist has a section devoted to ‘gigs’ – low paying positions that offer more experience than anything else. Obviously these jobs are not going to make anyone rich, but what they can do is provide a bit of extra pocket money as well as help you to gain contacts in your chosen field. This is of greatest benefit to those with artistic leanings or people just starting out on their chosen career paths.

5. Work within the system

Although Craigslist does not endorse it, affiliate marketing is another way many people choose to exploit the site as a source of income. Many affiliate programs allow individuals free membership, allowing them to work to promote certain companies and/or products. Each time a customer clicks on a company’s link that you’ve embedded in your Craigslist post and buys a product or signs up to receive a newsletter; the affiliate company makes a small deposit in your account. The more links you generate, the more money you earn. However, if you choose this route, be warned. If you make more than 3 posts in a day or post to more than 3 different cities you will be ‘ghosted’ – that is, your ad will be flagged and subsequently removed.
Although the CEOs of Craigslist refuse to divulge their company income, it’s estimated that they made a profit of 150 million in 2010. It’s difficult to imagine that Newmark, unassuming software engineer that he was, had even imagined that his listing would become so popular. Instead of grumbling bitterly to yourself, use his success as an inspiration. If he made that much from Craigslist, there is an excellent chance that you’ll be able to generate some sort of income, however small.