do: take plenty of pictures, provide an accurate description, and don't try to pull any bullshit

don't: http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/very-nice-the-shadow-for-sale

Pictures, price, location, important condition details...and a phone number if you want to deal with more serious buyers and avoid long and numerous e-mail pen pal sessions with strangers.

*pin pals

If you leave your contact phone number on a craigslist ad,
Ignore all text messages that simply say
"is the item still for sale?",
with no other details or specifics or questions
about your game for sale,
as they are just scam spam texts.

"is the item still for sale?" also goes for emails.

I wouldn't leave a phone number.... for spam and crank calls. You can still communicate with serious buyers through email.

Also jack your price up 25%......none of my friends or myself have ever received an asking offer......you post 2000 for FT, you get 12-1500 offers......its just the way it goes on there. If you want 2000 for FT, post 2500....then everyone will automatically lower the offers down to 2000 and you have a deal

I think the reason behind the low offers is some people have stupid high prices so everyone thinks every for sale is stupid high.

Be very straight forward with description and pictures. Don't get offended when the bottom feeders offer 1/3 of what its worth, because they always do. I would try to stay away from negotiating with someone through email and wait until they see and play the machine. Unless you have have some sort of pre-existing relationship.

I never put a phone number. Only after a few email exchanges does a phone get used.

As mentioned, plenty of pics. If an ad doesn't have a pic, I won't even open it.
I never post my phone number, always correspond through e-mail.
I give a full description of the good AND the bad.
I personally don't like the "haggle/used car game".
I set my price fair and exactly what I want to get out of it and say "FIRM" after my price.
I also state that as soon as the item is sold, I will immediately remove the ad, so "please
don't ask if I still have it".
I list my town but not my actual address.
And regardless of your past experiences,
my "Golden Rule" is to always treat a buyer like you'd want to be treated.

THIS. If you price 25% above, chances are I probably won't even call/write. If its priced at market, there is a chance I'll pay it without even trying to haggle. Its the way I've done it in the past and the way I've sold things. Too many weird way of doing things to not just be straight forward.

I have bought and sold almost exclusively on Craigslist and I never give out my phone number until we have had some decent email conversation. You can typically tell those who are actually interested as they will respond with a phone number. As others have said you will get low ball offers (fishers) but don't be offended. I typically respond and thank them for the offer but let them know I am not willing to sell that low.

If you do, spell out some numbers like Six one 9- sixtynine 69. That will keep any bots at bay.

I put in the middle of the description of the item that I'm selling.."Must put (fill in the blank) in your reply". subject line.
If that (word) ain't there, I know someone didn't even read my post. I only open up the emails that have it..the rest go right to trash.

Do what I do.
Do not put in a phone number!
Say to avoid scammers that you will only reply to emails that contain a working telephone number.
Then call them (to verify the number and arrange the deal.)
This will help weed out most scammers and tire-kickers.
Here's an ad I just placed:
cleveland.craigslist.org link

So if I call them..and they are a scammer, They now have my phone number.

I always put my phone number. Half the numbers are spelled out, half are numerals. This keeps computers from reading the digits. Spelling 9 as Nin and 3 as Tree will foil most any computer.

I post my number because I want the game sold in minutes, not days. I don't want to send 5 emails and texts (in fact, I always say "no Texts").

Anyone who Texts me anyway, or makes an offer of 1/2 my asking price, gets added to my No Call list. That way I never get another phone call or text from them in the future (giant time saver).

I have all my hi-rez pictures ALREADY taken and ALREADY posted to a web site. Again, I don't want to waste time with "can you send me a picture of the shooter lane?" or "Is there any wear next to the kickout?"

I take a picture of every defect, no matter how small and post it. I don't want anyone driving a hour and then balking because of a cabinet scratch.

I post a link to the game at IPDB to make sure nubies know exactly what game it it.

If someone is 100% on the phone but can't get off work until 9pm, I ask them for a $100 Paypal deposit. If they can't do it, I tell them to call me at 9pm and see if I still have the game.

Other than a possible $100 Paypal deposit, all games must be paid in CASH. No paying for the whole game in Paypal or a Cashier Check.

I have a printed receipt ready to go. I don't try to find a receipt book at the last minute, or write a receipt on the back of a pizza coupon. The receipt says "As is, used 30 years old commercial machine. No warranty expressed or implied ." Better to make that 100% clear right from the get go.

I have a dolly ready to go to bring the game up from the basement. If it's not freezing outside, I have the game already in the garage. I want to minimize the chance of anyone hurting their back on my property. I have an Operator from the area who will deliver and level games for $100. About 20% of the people choose that option.

Precede the phone number you're calling with *67 and remain anonymous.

Put their number in the banned list on your phone and then they can't call or text you ever.

Your phone will never ring and they will get a busy signal or "The number you have reached is not in service...." depending on your phone company's system.

I thought of that..but if I'm the other guy and I'm legit...I won't answer a blocked call.

Yeah...that would work

If they can take the time to call you, they can just as easily respond through your ad via e-mail.
Yes, there are scammers that find "coded" phone numbers as easily as the ones typed out.
Why put your Ph. # out there period !?

Who wants to be woken up at 2:00 AM with :

"Ya man, I was wondering if you still have the pin thingy?"
"Shut up Martha, I'm on the phone"
"So dude, will ya take $200 instead of the $3200 you're asking?"

I've put my number out there in ads before. I've tried spelling out numbers etc. to make it less likely to have some data bot grab my number and use it for telemarketing calls.
It simply is not a good idea to put your phone number out there in any shape or form.
Every time I've used my number, telemarketing calls seem to spike shortly afterwards.
Do not call list is a joke so don't think that will protect you.

If they just replied to your ad and want what have, they'll be expecting your call and will more than likely pickup.
Not saying my method is flawless. Works good for me but your mileage may vary.

Comcast will only give me 12 numbers to block. So, I'm waiting on "Digitone call blocker plus" for 2014 due out end of the month.

On your cell phone you can block unlimited calls.

Google Voice is free and will block unlimited calls.

In fact, fnck Comcast !

Port your home phone number over to Google voice ($19 one time charge), and get rid of Comcast phone and it's 1,000,000 "taxes and fees" .

Me too. Way too tired of countless "I'm interested" and "Is it still available" e-mails? When I want something sold I put my phone number and say call. That weeds out the vast majority of the tire kickers and people who are on the fence about the item because they won't make the effort to actually call. They will send e-mails though cause it is easy to hide behind that online anonymity for when they want to back out or vanish. People are also much less likely to flake on you when you have their phone number, not to say it still won't happen, but it will happen way less. I can't count how many times I have gotten the "I'll take it e-mail" and then 6-7 e-mails later I am still trying to get their contact info and a meeting place and time setup...then they finally vanish after wasting a ton of my time. Avoid that, make them call and prove they are really interested.

I think Craigslist now suggests
not posting your phone number within your ad (text)
but you can enter your contact info ( email or phone number)
as your are creating your ad, then once posted,
potential buyer has to click on contact info button, ( which supposedly foils bots)
in order to see if you left your number or email address (in a pop up window)
or reply by craigslist anonymous email method.

Anyway expect a lot of scammers and tire kickers
but i have to say I have had good luck
selling lots of furniture and appliances
on Criagslist without too many headaches,
just know when to smell a scam con artist or phishing.
I will be selling a lot of my collection soon on
craigslist and ebay and various pin forums,
once i retire and can devote more time to the task of selling off my pin collection
to get it down to a manageable size,
and help prepare for my move to ORE or WASH.

Wow. I was kind of rolling my eyes at "manageable" until I saw that 318 next to your name. Sounds like a full time job for sure! I'll just go ahead and say - wish I was closer.

How is this? Isn't this one of the first things you want to know, if it's still available. I guess its people like you who ignore my inquiries.

google voice

Setup a new gmail account and then create a google voice number and have the calls forwarded to your phone. If the phone number ever gets corrupted remove the account and start a new one. I have the google voice app on my iphone and ipad (via talkatone) and I can even make outgoing calls with that being the only number shown.

Lets say my phone number is 202-123-4567

I have a google voice number that is 202-234-4567 (I got lucky and got the same area code and last 4 numbers so I only have to remember different middle 3)

Jumpin jee-hos-if-fats !!

It's so much simpler to NOT list your phone number!

Our local Craiglist is called "Le Bon Coin" and we got the same kind of bottom feeders...perhaps worse (we're French, after all !).

No phone listed. First contact by email. Got a special email for adds!

If I sell a pin, I do not need it gone within hours. I list a fair price, keeping a small margin for negotiation when a potential buyer shows up. I can afford the extra delay in communication.

I wouldn't rule out the "is it still a available" texts and emails completely. Its just the state of our times and texting is a big convenience. I don't and don't seem to waste too much time. If it's priced right you will sell it. If it's a price that may take some time to sell your going to deal with shoppers.

If their email responses (I never put my phone number in the ad), literally says "Is the item still available?" I guarantee it is a spam. No one talks like that ("the item"). But if they say anything else, such as "Is it still available?" i will answer them. Amazing how many "the item" emails you get when you put an ad up on CL. You can usually tell something is off in the language the spammers use--I guess because most of them are from overseas and English is not their first language.

I would suggest first putting your pin for sale on Pinside. Not sayin that everyone on Pinside is a saint. Far from it. But at least you'll be dealing with people that for the most part, are very knowledgeable about pins. Lots of pinsiders looking for a Fish Tales.

Selling on pinside or craigslist is the same, as far as the description. Have a good description of the pin. Describe your ownership history of the machine, what mods or work you've done to the pin in the time you've owned it.
Take good clear photos, especially of the playfield (glass removed), the cabinet, the back glass/translight, and the boards.
Be forthright. Describe any mechanical issues, fading, playfield wear issues, or cosmetic issues.

In reality, the fact that you're asking about how to sell tells me that you probably already have received requests for photos of your pins.....and maybe even some offers. Pinsiders looking for a pin generally don't overlook these things.

Not always true. The last three machines I listed on CL, I received asking price for. Maybe I sold too low...or maybe my prices were just fair to begin with.

I also disagree with the notion of jacking up your asking price 25% on CL. Whenever I've tried to do that, I get zero responses. Likewise, I rarely respond to someone's ad if their price is way too high. Ask for what it's worth and stick to your price. If you're patient, and it's REALLY worth what you say, you'll eventually get it.

I don't jack anything up.

I just put a fair price and the game is gone in a day.

It's not worth $200 to me to answer 2000 emails, phone calls, return visits, haggling....just come out and take it home.

Since we are talking about CL i have a Q. If your CL ad gets flagged and u get an email about it its other people flagging it. If it gets flagged and u dont get a email its CL themselves doing it. Is this true? If so, how come my ad gets deleted without even being posted?

Scamers can get banned by CL itself, but it's pretty rare.

People flag ads just to be idiots.

Use your phone (so you have a different IP address) and a different email address and see if the identical ad still gets deleted.

Avoid Choggard

I created a different email address. Did not even put a phone number but just told people to email me thru CL. I changed my IP address and my MAC address. Within 10 minutes, its gone..

So it did make it up there then.

Sometimes it does, sometimes it does not. I think CL is trying its best to keep people from doing several postings of the same thing in diff states. Its weird, i see some postings of the same thing about 10 diff times in 10 diff counties but i can't do one w/out it gone. Pisses me off..

I usually make sure i state how recently the rubber bands were replaced by my local tech.