White Blank Pages: Top 5 sites to buy or sell used stuff in Bangalore [Update]

Being in the field that most of the us in Bangalore are, our closets are filled with gadgets we've long stopped using. Unfortunately for many IT folks, their spending power works against them. It leads to hoarding and soon, there is a whole lot of stuff, we could let go. I always sell anything I don't use. And, if what you are selling does have a life, it'll find a new home, make you some cash and hopefully get used better.

Of all the oddest things I've sold, my old Palm T|X PDA stands out. In a day and age when smartphones do everything, I never really expected it to sell. But it did. For 3 Grand! And to someone who believes in Palm's products and was extremely happy with its purchase. It took four months of patience. Its a win-win situation and it's cash you never realized you had. So, here are the top 5 ways you could buy or sell your used merchandize in Bangalore.

Craigslist

Nothing else in Bangalore works as well as craigslist. And for a reason. Bangalore is home to a lot of expats and also to many who have flown back home after living ta few of their years all across the world. Craigslist is not 'a', but 'the' place for classified listings in the US. Thanks to this, you often find a genuine gamut of imported electronics, furniture, tools, automobiles and the like for sale on Bangalore's Craigslist. It has a very simple interface, the listings are free(Ad-free too). Criagslist has remained unchanged for approximately a billion years now. But it works. And that's whats counts.

Quikr

Quikr has gained quite a traction lately thanks to their advertising. Your listings are free, but they provide options to upgrade it to a premium listing. You then basically pay for the top spot or for a longer validity. But, since the team is out there to make money, expect to see an ad-riddled interface.

OLX

Everything stated for Quikr, holds true for OLX too. Both are similar when it comes to the type of listings and the interface. I do like their prefer their slideshow widget over Quikr's.

Sulekha classifieds

I wasn't planning to mention this one at all. But it's here out of old time's sake. A really cluttered, ad-heavy interface, coupled with a whole lot of restrictions on how to contact the seller/buyer, number of free listings and the like, Sulekha makes buying and selling as painful an affair as possible. They were really friendly when they started off, but in my personal opinion, greed has gotten the best of them.

Any IT company's/Apartment's messaging boards

Here's Bangalore's advantage over other cities. The large number of IT companies here provides this place with an alternative listing channel. Most companies have their internal, informal listing boards. Also called as employee bulletins, employee portals and so on. Infosys for example has a very active employee portal. So, ask among your friends if their companies have such a platform, and pass them up the details. It works really well.

Apartment's internal messaging forums are again a great place to do the same. ( Thanks for the tip Puneet)

Selling tips

Pricing - Start High. Its the buyer's job to do his homework. So start your first round of ads high and then lower the boom if you don't get enough responses. Wait again and repeat.
Images - Ensure you provide pictures. - Some in stock condition of the product and some in actual condition. Having images pretty much doubles your chances of a sale.
Avoid - Capital letters and exclamation marks. It makes the ad seem very commercial and less genuine. For many, its a major put-off.
Patience - Its a true virtue. I've often had to repost my listing several times. But its free cash and does both good. So keep at it.

Buying tips

Buyer beware - Its your job as a buyer to ensure you know what you are buying. Research the product well, check for pricing on similar listings, check if warranty exists, if the product is still supported.
Do not meet at a nondescript place - Always ensure you meet the seller outside his/her office or home or some place you could trace back. You might realize that there is a problem with the device a day after you purchased. In which case, you should always be able to trace the seller back. So avoid meeting road-side, in coffee shops etc. A genuine seller will not have any problems letting you in on his daily locations.
Women should avoid divulging their mobile number - The world is riddled with desperate men. You can never really tell who'll find you amusing. Use the office land line number for all communications.