I’m moving and want to give away some things and sell other things before I pack up. I’d like to use Nextdoor. How do I use the site safely and get my listings up and available to my neighbors?
It used to be the main ways you could sell something used was by posting fliers at the local market, school, or church, then came the Classifieds section in the newspaper. It was then supplanted by Craigslist, but in the last few years Craigslist seems to have become overrun with scammers and as a result many people have migrated to other options. My kids all love Facebook marketplace, but I’m a fan of Nextdoor and use it as a primary channel to sell or give away my own stuff with great success.
There are, however, some considerations to keep in mind as you create your listing, from which photo you want to feature to whether you want to include your specific address to how widely you want the listing disseminated in the Nextdoor universe? Do you really want to deal with someone 75 miles away who might or might not be interested in what you have? Having said that, the overall process is pretty darn easy, so let’s jump in. I’ll use this as an excuse to list a very nice bunk bed frame that I’m trying to sell, as you’ll see…
WHERE TO POST FOR SALE ON NEXTDOOR
The first step is to ensure you post in the correct area. Nextdoor organizes its millions of posts by category and if you post in the wrong one, even with good intentions, even something that’s free, it might just be deleted. To start then, click on “+ Post” on the left navigational area (I’ll be using the Web interface for this tutorial, the mobile interface is pretty darn similar, just formatted differently for the smaller screen):
Once you’ve done, that, it’ll prompt you for your comment or thought about the ‘hood. This is the usual post on Nextdoor and is where all the action (and, often, arguments) occur:
The key is to read through the options on the right side and pick the correct one for your posting. In this instance, it’s easy: “Sell or give away“. Once you click that, the input window changes completely:
Now it’s time to see if you’ve prepped for your listing…
HOW TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE NEXTDOOR FOR SALE LISTING
I’m talking about for-sale listings, but as you’ll see, the free giveaway listings are almost exactly the same except for one point where you choose “free” instead of entering a price. To start, you need some photos and a good, clear, and accurate description of your product or item. The very first photo in the row is going to be the main image associated with your listing, so I recommend making it intriguing or bright and colorful; the more you can catch the eye of a Nextdoor user, the more likely your listing will be successful. I upload my primary image separately, then upload all the other images to ensure I have control over that primary choice by Nextdoor.
Your listing title should be short and to the point, but have a few adjectives to make it engaging. Again, if no-one clicks, you won’t sell (or give away) your item.
Finally, as I said, be detailed in your listing. I like to indicate what it is, how it works, why it’s cool or interesting, and why I’m getting rid of it…
Nextdoor offers the ability of you to share your specific location on a map, but I surmise that most people are a bit more focused on privacy. Instead, its default is to show an approximation (within a few hundred feet) of your location. That’s what I recommend, so only choose “Show specific location” with some careful thought, particularly if you’re going to allow this listing to be visible across the Nextdoor universe.
You also need to specify a category and there are about 20 options. Click on “Select category” for the list:
I’m going to choose Furniture for this bed frame. Seems reasonable!
Once you’ve entered a category and decided on how precise the location info should be, scroll down and you’ll find the one spot that’s most exciting to thrifters and resellers alike:
Here’s where you enter your price – I’m hoping for $150 for my bed frame – or choose “Free” to have no price associated with it. Want to be charitable? Pick a nonprofit from their list and commit to donating a percentage of the sale.
Done? Click on “Next” on the top right and it’ll give you a preview and allow you to share a bit more about the item:
Looks good, doesn’t it? Hopefully will entice at least one buyer to acquire from me. You can add more commentary on this window or just publish the article by clicking on “Post“. However…
HOW WIDELY SHOULD IT BE SHARED?
This is the point at which you can narrow down the dissemination of this post. By default, it’s visible to the entire Nextdoor universe. Click on “Anyone” on the top right to see the options:
I prefer to have my stuff stay reasonably local, so I almost always choose “Nearby neighborhoods”. You can choose just your own neighborhood, or “Anyone”, which then extends its visibility to people who aren’t even on Nextdoor!
Make your choice, then click on “Post“. DONE!
And that’s the process. Good luck with your giveaways and sales through Nextdoor.
Pro Tip: I’ve been writing about technology, social media, and the digital community for many years. You can find a lot of my articles here in the Computer and Internet Basics area. Check it out, there might well be more that will pique your interest.