My two favorite Craigslist tricks:

1. Search for a specific item or manufacturer. People who value their stuff (and have valuable stuff) are likely to remember where they bought it and the exact model, and they put that in the post. I don't have the patience to go through the hundreds of "beautiful beige sofa!!!" postings that turn out to be junk. It takes time, but eventually someone is selling the exact table I saw in a catalog. (But this means I miss out on the neat-o unique finds and the real steals.)

2. Browse through all the furniture postings for the hip or upscale neighborhoods of your city (depending on what you're looking for). SOMA tends to have a lot of urban loft-like furnishings. Noe Valley and the Castro have nice vintage pieces.

My friends think I should start a decorating business based on finding things on craigslist for broke grad students.

Re: Craigslist/Name Your Price

The Craigslisters I have come across already take that tactic. To ridiculous extremes.

Liana- my friends say the same thing of me! My wife manages a group home for Autistic teens, of which there are many in the city under the same ownership, and I have completely outfitted several of them top to bottom - often exclusively from the free list. And no junk - these houses look good. I don't think these kids should live in surroundings any less stylish than the rest of us, and their 24-hour staff should get the same luxury.

I have a Craigslist tip -- don't just email people saying "Is it still available?". Send you name, your phone number, as well as some times you are available for viewings.

If it's a hot item and the seller gets multiple emails, they'll prefer to deal with someone who is organized and polite.

Pretty cool.

So, which challenge is the room in the photo? Catalog? Craigslist?

Here are a few tips I picked up having sold eight major items on Craigslist. They seem obvious but you would be surprised what you forget when you think you've found a deal on the item you've been looking for.

If buying,

(1) If you are looking for more than one item, ask if anything else is for sale. Uusually sellers have multiple pieces and are willing to make a package deal.

(2) To echo an earlier post, acknowledge you are a real person interested in seeing the piece. There are a number of auto emails (scams?) sent to sellers despite the site's best efforts to avoid them. Having had eight postings, I ignored all of those emails and probably some legitimate inquiries because I couldn't tell and simply had other interested buyers.

(3) Indicate in your first email whether or not you need help with moving the piece out of the seller's home. I turned some people away when they brought it up on the 3rd or so email after I spent time on sending add'l photos and blocking off time to meet. (Obviously, I didn't want to help with the moving and my posts stated that. Some sellers might not mind, but ask early if that's a deal breaker for you.)

(4) Don't ask for detailed directions; that's what mapquest is for. Where to park? Ok but at least know which major roads to take to get there.

(5) Bring rope, blankets, etc. for transporting the furniture. I had one buyer drive away with a simple cargo net holding the SUV hatch door down for a major media cabinet. I still wonder if they made it home without having to stop at a hardware store for rope.

If selling,

(1) You absolutely must include manufacturer and model if you want premium dollars for your item.

(2) Have additional photos in addition to the ones you post on Craigslist. Without exception, every legitimate buyer wanted to see additional photos before committing to come see the pieces. You'll save yourself time in having the photos already taken and ready to go.

(3) Be security conscious. For example, I used my high-rise building to my advantage. I had all potential buyers meet me in the lobby of my building and then I took them to my apartment. I gave no one my apartment number. For people in single home dwellings, have a neighbor or someone else available, at least by phone. There are some crazy people out there. Particularly if your ad says cash only and it's a large item.

(4) Finally, be realistic in your description and set a reasonable price. You will NOT get what you paid for it. Reseach what similiar items are selling for.

Above all else, be patient, be safe, and have fun!

I've sold many things on Craigslist and the responses I've gotten have told me a lot about the purchasers and who I'd want to deal with in a sale.

If I get five or 10 emails right away I won't necessarily answer the first one. As someone posted previously, being polite and including a telephone number goes a long way and I'd rather deal with someone who uses 'please' and 'thank you'. Emails like: "Do you still have it?" get answered last because usually those are the people that aren't really serious anyway.

gonna have to pick this up; mad i canceled my subscription!

"So, which challenge is the room in the photo? Catalog? Craigslist?"

It appears to be the IKEA challenge...

Used to buy and sell a TON on Craigslist. Best tips for buyers:

1. Don't ask the person to hold the item. I had one girl string me along for a week before she showed up, shrugged, and said she didnt really like it after all. If you want it - go get it.

2. Politely ask if they will go lower on price - but be prepared to pay full price. I once asked a seller to drop a $25 Eames table to $20. He snorted and asked if I REALLY thought $25 was too much.

Tips for Sellers:

1. Be as honest as possible - with description, condition, history, etc. People can smell a rat.

2. Be fair on pricing - dont inflate prices because you 'know this will make a lot of money on eBay' - because you're not selling it on eBay, you're selling it on Craigslist.

3. If you want somethig to move, drop the price. I had a dozen Eames shell chairs that I had to unload before I moved. I put up a post for 50$ a chair - all but two sold, and those two i left on the sidewalk with a Free sign on them :)

this image isnt from the article.

in the article there are 3 staged rooms all with the room and board jasper sofa in different slipcovers but everything else -chairs, lighting, rugs, accessories, tables, art, etc were found from craigslist, catalogs, or shopping channel.

the craigslist room was my favorite. i wish i could find pics online. it had a mid-century coffee table, fiberglass shell chairs, midcentury side tables, and the curvy pier 1 chilli lamp that i loooooove along with a jute rug and colorful art and accessories.

the other 2 rooms were kind of boring i thought. i like that it showed you can pull together a complete and nice looking room (it was kinda retro but not kitschy which i dont really like) with craigslist and some patience!

Good tips, thanks!
HOWEVER...the Craigslist here in Vegas sucks so bad. It needs to be updated, it seems almost everyone who posts is selling 80'S furniture. You know, those HORRIFIC poofy SOFAS, that you find in a non-stylish bachelor pad. It's sad that most other people will not ship...or else I'd be buying most of the stuff I saw from L.A Craigslist.

Jen Ramos

'Cards & Prints You'll Love...'
www.madebygirl.com
madebygirl.blogspot.com

(1) You absolutely must include manufacturer and model if you want premium dollars for your item.

Shhh dcaries! If everyone knew this I wouldn't have got that Milo Baughman sofa for $25 now would I?