Buzz
As you work on clearing your home of items that no longer bring you joy, you might not feel like trying to profit from the process. You may look at an old table or chair and think, 'This isn’t worth anything,' and just decide to give it away.
However, that goodwill can cause frustration when all you want is to be rid of the item—dealing with no-shows, people asking to hold the item for a week, or even worse, receiving no interest at all.
Reddit user @Magnussens_Casserole shares this helpful tip for getting rid of your stuff more easily:
If you’re looking to give things away on Craigslist, price them at $5. It’s essentially still a giveaway, but you’ll weed out all the people who feel entitled to free stuff.
Other Reddit users responded, suggesting they’ve had better success by listing their items at an even higher price than a mere $5.
This is because we tend to assume that free or low-priced items must be defective or not worth the trouble of picking up. On the other hand, something priced higher seems like it has real value, right?
User Fireflyky offers a great explanation in the same thread:
People see a $40 desk, negotiate it down to $20, and feel like they’re scoring a great deal—saving $80 compared to a brand-new $100 desk. Now it’s worth the drive to grab the discounted desk, and they feel like seasoned haggling pros when they manage to get you to drop the price even further from what you originally wanted to sell it for.
The next time you’re ready to give something away, try resisting the urge to list it as 'curb alert' and instead assign a price. You can always drop the price later if it doesn’t attract any interest.
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