For the most part we're all fairly familiar with Craigslist at this point in time. Even if you aren't buying and selling every other day, you've probably still used the handy service somewhere along the line. It's ridiculously convenient and beats the pants off most garage sales (though I'm convinced they wear trousers, but whatever), but do you know what items you'll find the best deals on? Here's a master list of things you know and some you've probably never thought of.
We checked in with the folks over at Wise Bread who have been busy compiling a list of great things to find on Craigslist. I've used the service a countless number of times in the past to buy and sell everything from furniture to housing and it's saved me tons of time and money. The list that's been compiled from Wise Bread is a pretty solid one and even if you've never thought about looking for some of the items it can totally be worth your time. Here's our favorite 5:
1. Furniture
2. Tools
3. Appliances
4. Bed Frames (not mattresses)
5. Sinks, Tubs, Showers, Toilets
The rest of the list includes things like video games, musical instruments, office supplies and more. There's sound logic behind all of them, so head on over and check out the full list. What do you have the best luck with on Craigslist? Anything special we should know about?
Image: Flickr member Posh Living LLC licensed for use by Creative Commons
Comments (37)
I just got an amazing deal on cork flooring on Craigslist. The people who I bought it from even offered to install it for free if I had sex with them! No joke. Moral of the story is always take someone else with you when buying online. Unbelievable deal though!
I love Craigslist. I've found such great things through that site! I got my super comfortable / super hideous couch on Craigslist with a slipcover thrown in for looks. Great find, and I couldn't be happier!
When I'm bored, I troll the free section, and will someday buy a clawfoot tub there.
My list. In no particular order.
1. Furniture - buying and selling
2. Motorcycles - buying and selling
3. Husband - married seven years
4. Electronics - selling
4. Job interview - declined offer
jaimemariel -How could you pass up that offer? Or did you?
I just scored a Room and Board Parsons coffee table today on craigslist. I also got a job through it that helped me start a new career. Good for finding kids bikes, too.
Craigslist is also great for finding parts for something you may not be able to find in a store anymore.
Building materials.
Almost all of our furniture was purchased via Craigslist. It's even environmentally friendly.
Furniture (my most favorite mini-sofa/overstuffed loveseat ever), free freezer (works great), Flip camera, fridge, washer/dryer, cat sitter and house share (she owns and she's wonderful). Having no luck finding the _____ of my dreams: bed frame (Mandal double), wood stove (Jotul Oslo) or Bose Wave CD withOUT remote (older model). My daughter and her husband have found EVERYTHING there...cars mostly but also apartments, appliances, furniture, kid's costumes and electronics. <3 CL
Mid-century bar stools.
Always scouring the "Free" and "Barter" listings. the best freebie was an enormous leather couch. When we showed up to pick up said couch, the owner threw in six throw pillows and told us the couch's life story.
Adult bikes can be really overpriced depending on where you live. I like the ebay local for bikes better.
Cleanable kid stuff - strollers, scooters, slides/swingsets, outdoor toys.
Anything IKEA can be found on Craigslist in great condition for less than half the price at the store! I've gotten some great deals this way.
I've also sold furniture, a TV, and other misc stuff.
Great black dresser bought, double stroller sold from failed nanny share, vintage NYC public library (with handwoven Indian silk upholstery couch) sold.
Don't forget Freecycle, which is like the FREE section of CL, but everything is free.
It amazes me what can be found on CL. I agree with the posters above, that it is very green, as it's a great source for recycling.
Or make somebody's Xmas with our well-maintained Volvo 960.
http://richmond.craigslist.org/cto/2721307985.html
I don't agree about toilets! It's a little gross to buy a used toilet unless you are going for period accuracy or someone has an extra new one that is hanging around. But the fundamental reason I say "no" is that newer toilets are so much more efficient and well-designed. I believe it is worth it to seek out a very current model. If you can find that on craigslist, I suppose it would be a good score.
I bought the largest size metal five drawer flat file on CL for $80. It was a steal.
Things I bought on craigslist from ppl (that I still have):
6 lucite folding chairs
2 array (spine) bookcases
1 dining table/desk/console
1 coffee table
1 acrylic c-table
1 area rug
1 west elm small couch
1 floor-length mirror
1 washer
1 dryer
1 cb2 shower caddy-thing
1 flytta kitchen cart
2 benjamin stools/side tables
1 anes dresser
1 tolga twin bed
2 scoobas (one v. cheap which broke, and then its free replacement)
Things bought from vintage stores that I only knew about via craigslist (that I still have):
1 rocking/swivel chair
1 3-head lamp
Things bought off craigslist that I have resold/plan to get rid of:
... too numerous to bother with.
Things not bought off craigslist:
2 ps karljohan side tables
1 area rug
1 queen size bed
1 side-arm desk
2 table lamps
1 scooba battery
Granted there are lots of other bits and bobs I didn't get from craigslist, but as far as big things go, this is how it feels. And... the second rug and queen bed together cost more than what I spent on all the craigslisted items, especially if you don't take gas/tolls/wear-and-tear on the car into account. XD
$80 for a flat file! Deal of the century.
Oh right, I forgot I also got a 22" Trinitron flatscreen CRT from the zip section. With everyone upgrading to LCDs/LEDs/Plasma, I imagine there can always be a decent CRT kicking around the free section, since they're so bulky. The soon-to-be-former owners are generally not very ambitious about what they can get for them. XD
I got my beautiful, handmade platform bed, headboard and nightstands from craigslist -- the FREE section. $0 dollars for that. Recently I bought a gorgeous, elegant big mirror (55"x40") for the space above my sofa -- $39. A similar gold one for my dining area: $50. And rather than renting a big table for Thanksgiving, I found a nice expandable (Ikea Bjursta) expandable plus four chairs on craigslist for $45, that breaks down for easy storage. I love craigslist!
I just recently sold my remaining months on a gym contract (I need a gym closer to home but was locked in until June). Whoda thunk?
QUOTE:the fundamental reason I say "no" is that newer toilets are so much more efficient and well-designed
Unless by 'well-designed' you are referring to aesthetics alone this is NOT TRUE. Flushing three tmes to rid the bowl of waste is not *efficient* by any standard. I'm a plumbing contractor & if I had a nickel for every customer who called begging me to locate an old [effiicent] toilet with which to replace their new, *efficient* one, we'd all be rich.
(and why is it only not gross if it's for reasons of 'period accuracy'? how does the reason make it more/less acceptable?)
Cannot imagine buying baby furniture anywhere but on Craigslist. Our best find: 6 Moller chairs, an expandable teak table, and a sideboard for $1100 from our "$5-bill jar." What fun! But I gotta say I cruised for that like a ..... well, you fill in the elipses.
I have had fantastic luck with furniture. I purchased a great chaise and couch both in perfect condition. Both times the sellers were just redecorating or cleaning house and the items had hardly been used. I also got a 26 inch Vizio LCD TV for $125.
brand new or hardly used small kitchen appliances! The kinds of things people get for wedding gifts and then realize they don't need/want/use/have space for. Mixers, ice cream makers, toasters, slow cookers, etc.
I got a washer in good condition for less than half of what it retails for... but it was not easy.
Since I moved, CL has been a real pain to work with. When we lived in CA we had a pretty good luck getting what we needed. Most people were pretty reasonable, they posted pics and had contact info... they were "normal". Sure we had a bad experience now and then, but that's bound to happen. Now EVERY experience is a bad one.
Getting a good deal is part luck, part living somewhere where people aren't jerks all the time.
Please be careful though. I purchased a lovely dresser in June (dove joints and all). It was a steal for $50....however, the bed bugs that came with it were NOT. Fortunately my new home is only 3 bedrooms so it was only $800. Learn what bed bugs look like and check ALL items, they can hide in wood joints as well as soft surfaces.
Every piece of furniture I own - literally every single thing in my apartment - was either free, donated by a friend, or Craigslisted. I've scored everything from a used-only-to-stage-a-model-home Crate & Barrel bedframe to a beautiful solid-wood midcentury sideboard and groovy teak nightstands.
I also bought my car on Craigslist. 2004 Honda Element... it was love at first sight.
You just have to be willing to put in the time to scour the postings. I always keep an eye out for good grammar and nice pictures - that's the first filter! :)
Craigslist is awesome. Best recent score: Noguchi Coffee Table by Herman Miller for $350. There were two little dings in the base, but I could easily live with it.
Most of the stuff listed on Burlington VT Craigslist wasn't it even worth it the first time around. Tons of horrible awful beat up ugly furnishings. That said, being stylish and having furnishings with clean lines means every time I listed an item (like when I recently moved) everything went for exactly as listed and within 30mins to an hour of being listed. That was pretty amazing.
art and craft supplies can be a really good deal. when someone tries it out, buys a bunch of stuff, and then changes their mind. I got an awesome box of fancy scrapbooking paper for free that way. I second erica's tip on filtering ads by if people write clearly and have decent photos. it doesn't have to be prize winning writing, but if they sound weird, likely they are weird...
I bought a brand new bicycle - still in the box for 150.00, (it still sales online for 800.00 although you can find it for 1/2 price (400.00) at the Commuter bicycle store online- it is a 2010 model European made bicycle from Biomega, the particular model I bought was designed for Puma) from someone that was moving out of the country and needed to sale it quickly. It is a great bicycle that I ride daily!
Vintage 5 foot claw foot tub for $300. It came with the original faucets, chrome connectors and the shower head and the overhead piece that you hang the shower curtain on. Just had to clean it up and polish the inside with car wax. The faucets work beautifully after some cleaning and reworking by my hubby with the help of an awesome guy in the plumbing section at our local Lowe's. Saved us hundreds for new versions. Painted the outside turquoise and installed it in my newly remodeled bathroom. Love it!
We have loved CL for our most-recent move. We got some CB2 lamps, a teak MCM sideboard for $50, West Elm bar stools. But my find of the century is a Florence Knoll coffee table in chrome and arabescato marble for $180! I almost had a heart attack when I got it home and noticed the stamp.
We refuse to buy upholstered furniture secondhand though, because of the risk of bedbugs and other insect infestations.
my favorite deal was a large ikea bjursta dining table (in oak with 2 leaves) and 4 ikea parsons chairs with covers for $200!!!