How to Sell Things Online Safely: Craigslist, Marketplace and Meetups

Selling outgrown kids’ gear, old furniture or the stuff you don’t want to move is one of the easiest ways to make some money back. Most sales go fine: someone messages, shows up, pays and leaves. But meeting strangers from the internet carries real risks, from payment scams to robbery, and a few habits make a big difference. Here’s how to sell on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and similar apps while keeping yourself and your family safe.

Write a listing that filters out trouble

A clear, specific listing attracts serious buyers and puts off the ones looking for an easy target.

• Use good photos and real measurements. Buyers who know exactly what they’re getting ask fewer questions and are less likely to haggle at the door.
• State your terms. “Cash or [your preferred app] only. Pickup at a public location. No holds.” Clear terms cut down on scam messages.
• Keep personal details out. Don’t include your address, your full name or photos that show your house number, your street or your kids. Check the background of your photos for mail, school logos or anything with your name on it.
• Use the platform’s messaging. Avoid giving out your personal phone number. If you need to text, consider a free secondary number from a calling app.

Spot the common scams

Most problems with online selling are scams, not violence. Watch for these patterns:

• Overpayment. The buyer “accidentally” sends more than the price and asks you to refund the difference. The original payment, often a check or a reversed transfer, later bounces, and you’re out the money.
• Verification code requests. A buyer asks you to read back a code sent to your phone “to prove you’re real.” That code is often used to take over your accounts or set up a number in your name. Never share it.
• Shipping and agents. Someone who can’t meet in person and wants to send a courier or pay for shipping with a cashier’s check is a classic red flag on local sale sites.
• Pressure and stories. Long backstories, urgency and requests to move the conversation off the app are worth being suspicious of.

For payment, cash in person is still the simplest. If you take a payment app, make sure the money has actually arrived in your account before you hand anything over, and understand that some apps offer little protection for payments to strangers. Avoid checks entirely.

Choose a safe place to meet

Where you meet matters more than anything else. Good options:

• A police station. Many police departments encourage people to meet in station lobbies or designated “safe exchange zones,” which are usually well lit and covered by cameras. In Chicago, police district station lobbies are commonly recommended for this. Call the non-emergency line for your district first to check that it’s okay and when the lobby is open.
• A busy public place. A coffee shop, a bank lobby during business hours or a busy store parking lot near the entrance, during daylight.
• Not your home, if you can avoid it. For small items, there’s no reason for a stranger to come to your house.

A buyer who refuses to meet at a police station or a public place, and insists on your home or an out-of-the-way spot, has told you something useful. Walk away from the sale.

When someone has to come to your house

Large items like a sofa, dresser or crib don’t fit in a coffee shop. If a buyer needs to pick up from your home:

• Have another adult home, and tell a friend when the pickup is happening.
• Move the item to the garage, porch, front hallway or lobby ahead of time so the buyer doesn’t walk through the house.
• Schedule pickups during daylight.
• Keep kids in another room or out of the house during the pickup.
• Put away valuables, mail and anything with your family’s names or schedules on it if it’s in view.
• Keep your phone on you, not in another room.

Buying works the same way

Everything above applies when you’re the buyer too. Meet in public, bring a friend for larger purchases, don’t carry more cash than you need and don’t pay before you’ve seen the item. Be especially cautious of very low prices on high-demand items like phones, gaming consoles and strollers. For anything that touches child safety, such as car seats, cribs and high chairs, check the model on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall site at cpsc.gov before you buy, and be wary of used car seats when you can’t confirm the history.

Before the meetup: a quick checklist

• Screen the buyer: check their profile age, ratings and whether their messages make sense.
• Agree on the price and payment method in writing in the app before you meet.
• Share the meetup location and time with someone you trust.
• Bring a friend if you can, and trust your instincts. If anything feels off when you arrive, leave.
• Count cash or check the payment before handing anything over.

If you’re clearing out before a move, our list of places to find free moving boxes is a good next step once the sale pile is gone.