Does Craigslist make anyone else nervous?

Okay, I know it doesn’t make my friend Courtney nervous in the least and I’m always jealous when I hear her talk about the crazy finds she scores, the random projects around her house she knocks off her to-do list and the stuff she gets rid of through the sell/swap site. She is like the master of Craigslist and I’m not even a novice.

When it comes to eBay, Poshmark or a handful of other sales sites – I’ve got the gig down but I think my fear of Craigslist keeps me from reaching Courtney’s level of swap/sell mastery. And I’ve challenged myself to get over it with our recent move. There’s some things we’ve yet to move from the old house that are prime for selling as well as some furniture and other bigger items I know we’ll want to sell in the new house to make room for pieces more in line with our current style.

So when I got the opportunity to partner with a new app, called Sudo, that allows you to create special profiles (think emails, phone numbers and even credit card numbers) for shopping/engaging online, I knew that it was time to tackle my Craigslist phobia.

Sudo, which is currently only available to iOS users (which is why you can see I’m using it on my iPad), allows you to create a unique profiles for any number of shopping hazards. So instead of having to use my regular email and phone number for my new Craigslist listings, I was able to create a unique email and phone number specifically for my adventures in online selling. This way I was able to keep up with the questions without having them get lost in the shuffle of daily emails. Plus, arranging for pick-up/payment didn’t involve them knowing my cell-phone number, Sudo provided me with a special number to use to connect with buyers. It’s free to text/call with anyone worldwide through the app. I ended up unloading a Pottery Barn wine rack we don’t need anymore and am keeping my fingers crossed that the train table D3 has outgrown will sell too.

One other feature I’ve taken advantage of is the apps hidden browser feature. With all the random crap we’ve ordered off Amazon lately, I didn’t want to have ads for trashcans and gas fireplace logs (yup, been hunting for those) following me around on the internet indefinitely. I mean sometimes it’s okay to have that pair of shoes I passed on initially pop up again but I don’t necessarily want random housewares popping up when I’m trying to get stuff done at work (shoes as distraction – perfectly acceptable, mops – no thank you).

You can also generate secured, disposable credit card numbers for sites that make you wary about submitting your information. Your regular credit/debit card gets charged but the site doesn’t exposure your personal credit card info. Pretty cool.

One feature I think could be fun for the single ladies/guys is using the special phone number feature to give out to people you meet out. This way that stage 5 creeper doesn’t have your real cell but if you see them again, you won’t have to deal with that awkward convo of them wondering why you gave them a fake number.

For this boring gal, I’m mostly jazzed that I can now Craigstlist in peace. I’m thinking of setting one up to use for all my online selling ventures to keep it separate from my daily email grind (sticking with that goal of eliminating clutter).