Craigslist Skilled Trade 3 Pages!

kevjob

Looking at Cl in my town and there are 3 pages of ads today! Anyone else see this trend where they live? I used to advertise sparingly on CL about 4 years ago and there was only 1 page of "contractors" advertising.

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Kevin
Basement Finishing Highlands Ranch Colorado
Littleton Colorado, Basement Remodeling
Kitchen Remodeling Denver

plazaman

everyone and their mother/brother is a skilled tradesman today.

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Westchester Remodeling Contractor
Hartsdale Remodeling Contractor
Ardsley Remodeling Contractor

threaderman

I'm not seeing independents as much as I'm seeing Handyman one-stop shopping.Seems like the handyman business is pretty competetive here.
I list once a week and find it a great resource.

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Joe ---International Code Council Member

Your plumbing & gas specialist proudly serving Oklahoma City OK, Moore, Warr-acres, Norman, Midwest City, Edmond, Bethany, Forest Park

pknyryan

After working for a g/c for 6 years, and then at a very high end trim company for 5 more, for the last 8 months I have been working on my own and got my first jobs, which turned into repeat customers and referrals, all through craigslist. My first job I had on my own, installing an entry door for a customer, turned into a 8' slider, a new 10x20 deck and a complete bathroom remodel. In 2 weeks I am starting a covered porch and a complete bath remodel at their nieghbors house.

Craigslist has been invaluable to me and my new business. I simply cannot say enough good things about it. I know some people take offense because it is competition for contractors, but hey, it's called a free market, deal with it.

Just because you are in the yellow pages and charge double what I do, does not mean that there is any benefit to the customer. Yes, I am insured and yes I warranty work. So those arguments are dead.

In fact, the same contractors who are complaining are the same type of guys i worked my ass for for 10 years and they reaped most of the benefits.... So get ready for some competition becasue I am here to stay, craigslist and all.

kevjob

Good luck

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Kevin
Basement Finishing Highlands Ranch Colorado
Littleton Colorado, Basement Remodeling
Kitchen Remodeling Denver

Mike Finley

Post back in a couple of months as soon as you figure out the hard way why everyone you worked for "charged double", probably as soon as you try to hire somebody for the first time, probably something along the lines of this:

When I was a kid, I used to charge $5.00 to mow a lawn. The landscapers charged $30.00. My $5.00 was pure profit. I was using my dad's lawnmower, when it broke he paid to fix it, I even used my dad's gas and of course all the lawns were withing walking distance from my house. Now why were those landscapers charging $30??? Once you can answer that question, you'll realize how silly you sound.

kevjob

that about sums it up.

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Kevin
Basement Finishing Highlands Ranch Colorado
Littleton Colorado, Basement Remodeling
Kitchen Remodeling Denver

mikesewell

ROFLMFBO.

It all looks so easy, doesn't it?

I used to have some really cool pictures on my web-site of houses that we jacked up and set on 12' high stacks of cribbing to do foundation replacements, and some really cool pictures of some large commercial jobs that we did.

I checked out one of those neat little sites that looks at your stats and tells you how much your domain name is worth. I think it said $463.00 or some such thing at that time.

Well, it turns out that my insurance company took a look at my really cool pictures and decided that they were worth a WHOLE LOT MORE THAN $463.00!

It pays to advertise, right?

Go get 'em tiger...

Best regards,
Michael

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Commercial construction

Sewell Construction

Patrick

How dare they reap the benefits of what they worked to achieve. I am a recovering CL user. I am SO GLAD that I no longer have a need to advertise there, or anywhere for that matter at this point. But anyways Every customer we got of craiglist seemed like the exact same person. Not much money, or spent their money foolishly, and are now trying to impress the neighbors by having things done to their house, and they want nothing but the best, for the lowest price possible. Then the "PRO" house flippers would start calling to bug you. Now I just peruse CL once a week to look for stuff that has been stolen from us in the past to see if anyone is trying to sell it.

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Originally Posted by Celtic
Like I said...I'm sure you are very good at what you do ~ whatever that is and where ever it happens.

A.W.Davis

I am usually a man of many words......but I will keep it short and sweet!

Craigslist is garbage!

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A.W. Davis Construction Co.
http://www.awdavisconstruction.com/
Your friendly remodeling contractor

pfloyd

CL is useful as a first step when you are starting out with no real financing and you want to earn referrals, but you have to learn to give nothing away and dont work for anyone that seems like a tire kicker. Most of them will be. And remember CL is a first step that you need to get beyond ASAP.Its just classified ads. I am currently trying to break out of it and my prices have gone way up.I've kicked rocks for the last two weeks as a result (holding out for higher bids), but now they are crawling back.

threaderman

My prices do not go down for craigs list.I actually have posted at times, that we are far from being the least expensive in town ,so if that's what you're looking for than move on.
Thankfully craigs list is not a make or break resource for me.The way I see it ,it is just another way for me to network.I have quite a few good customers from cl,and they're are many more I just dismiss.
I rarely put my eggs all in one basket,and for those depending on thier cl listing for all thier work,believe me,craigs list gets slow just like everything else out there,better have a plan.

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Joe ---International Code Council Member

Your plumbing & gas specialist proudly serving Oklahoma City OK, Moore, Warr-acres, Norman, Midwest City, Edmond, Bethany, Forest Park

takehartinc

funny.

Twust1285

We charge double for a reason. When you start to hire employee's and pay workers comp, and have company vehicles, and the builders require crazy insurance to even step foot in the development you will understand. I do say good lukc to you though, right now is a really hard time to attempt starting a company, and if you intend to have very low prices, you may get some work, but after awhile you will realise that for all of your hard work your profits are not as much as you think until you jack the prices up. With gas the way it is you need to have competetive pricing. Also when people hire an employee they think oh $10/hr is $10/hr and the employee thinks they are getting ripped off, what you have not realised yet, and your employee's won;t either is that $10/hr is really more like $13/hr, and it gets expensive. Good Luck P.S. that was to the guy who was complaining about prices.

Mike Finley

The thing I have never, ever, ever understood was the guy who some how takes some sort of bizarro world pride in charging less.

I got a little secret for them, it doesn't take much skill in business to charge less then the next guy and land the job.

pfloyd

I find it funny when i read all these employers bellyaching about the costs of having employees, like its some friggin hardship! To them , I say its real easy to fire them and just be a sole proprietor an STFU already! It only takes a day to get rid of the baggage.They are either making you money or they aren't, and IF THEY AREN'T, you aren't very smart. I get a chuckle out of these guys - "well ,if you knew what I have to pay in comp and insurance for these guys blah blah...if its so bad STOP, you baby!

You aint fooling me, if you got guys, and you arent a complete dip****, they ARE making you money.Stop with the sob stories.There IS a degree of exploitation / capitalism going on. When smart employees finally grow up they realize they are the "exploitees" and move on to the top of the pile, or try. .....And you gotta start somewhere.

Mike Finley

So what happens when your exploited worker goes out on his own and then gets good at what he does and then has to hire an employee???? Doesn't that turn him into the exploiter?

Exploitation is a pretty funny word to use in a free market economy.

Cdat

Hey, whatever turns 'em on. If ya' gotta' stoop so low as to pay someone else to generate you work or post in the want ads, I really do think you already have 'issues' with your work. Keep doing whatever the Hell it is you're doing. Your work keeps me working when I get to come back and fix your mistakes! Damn but I love America!

hbelectric

I used CL for the 1st 6 months, i haven't looked back. I made alot of friends/contractors from CL. I'm going to say 90% of them, have screwed me over, screwed over my customers or just do absolutely ****ty work.

pfloyd

What?? You made a lot of friends / contractors from CL and they all do ****ty work? What is your point?