Why pay full price? That is the question I ask myself whenever we are in need or want of a new item around here. I found buying and selling on Craigslist to be extremely profitable for our family, but I think you need to have a few ground rules before starting to use the website.
Top 5 Tips for Buying on Craigslist
1. Research, research, research. Price check the item on Craigslist, Ebay, and Google shopping before buying on Craigslist. I usually do my new item shopping on Ebay or Google shopping and my used item shopping on Craigslist. Sometimes I’m shocked at how cheap I can find used items like my bread machine I found a few weeks ago. It’s a few years old, works perfectly, and I bought it for $15. The new model is selling for $250!
2. Bartering is acceptable. Craigslist correspondence is done mostly through email so don’t be afraid to barter. I was looking for a table for the boy’s school/play room and sent out three or four emails asking for dramatic discounts before I got the table I wanted for super cheap.
3. Say no. I learned this tip the hard way. I found a super inexpensive play kitchen for the kids, gave the cash to the seller at her door and then stepped into her pig sty (Hubby was grossed out, that’s how bad it was). When we got the play kitchen, it was gooey and gross. I don’t like making mistakes, especially $30 mistakes (I think we’ve established I’m, uhh, frugal), so I scrubbed that kitchen for about 2 hours when we got home and it actually worked out. I won’t do that again, however. EXAMINE the item before you bring out your cash and be prepared to say no thanks if it isn’t up to your standards.
4. Free is the best price. Think of the top five things that you can’t afford to buy right now but kinda want. I always have this list in my head and every once in awhile find the item in the Free section of Craigslist. My amazing planter for my garden was a free find that I stumbled upon after typing planter in the search engine once a week for a month. I won’t pay for a trampoline, swing set, landscaping material, or pool table in the future because I see them all of the time for free on Denver Craigslist.
5. Luck favors the prepared. Don’t expect to find great deals by looking on the Craiglist website once. My best finds, usually in the free section, are a result of prior planning. For example, I found a truckload of really clean free sand in January for a sandbox we were building in April. Sure, I had to store the sand for a few months outside, but I knew that in April EVERYONE would be looking for sand for their sandbox.
Top 5 Tips for Selling on Craigslist
1. What to sell? You can sell almost anything! Check the Craigslist rules here as there are some prohibited items. I’ve sold a car, clothes, furniture, cameras, computers, children’s items, appliances, you name it.
2. How much should I list the item? When I’m going to sell an item, the first thing I do is search for it on both Craigslist and Ebay to see how much similar items are going for. If after this research, Craigslist seems like the best option, I describe the item accurately and always list it with pictures. I don’t like waiting for items to sell and would rather have my time saved instead of getting a few extra bucks, so I also cut about 10% off my listing price after doing the research. If I find through this research, that the item is only worth $10 or less, I give the item to Goodwill or the Salvation Army for the tax refund. If you have a ton of these $10 or less items, you may want to consider a yard sale.
3. Be available. Look out a week or two on your calendar before listing on Craigslist as you’ll need to be somewhat available to sell items. That doesn’t mean you need to be home. I prefer meeting in public areas, parking lots, etc. around town. If you have a hectic week coming up, however, like family visiting, work projects, etc., you may want to wait to list your item.
4. What about Ebay? If your item is unique and easy to ship, you may want to list it on Ebay as you’ll make more for your buck with a larger buyer’s market. The advantage to selling items on Craigslist is that all purchases are made with cash and you don’t have to ship them.
5. Be safe. There are some yucky people that use Craigslist, although I’ve never run into any of them as I ONLY deal locally. Only accept cash. Avoid having someone come to your house if you can and be careful about sending your address out until you’ve had some correspondence with the buyer. If someone is coming to our house, I always have Haus, a buddy, or a neighbor with me when they arrive.
This guide doesn’t describe every single thing you should know about Craigslist (Here’s a link to their fact sheet), but it’s everything that’s helped me over the years. Craigslist keeps my junk out of the dumpster and definitely boosted my cash income so I’d say it’s perfect for green living. I’ve also found some amazing stuff on the Free Craigslist page. Comment with your questions and Happy Hunting!
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