Craigslist... the only place in the world where you can buy furniture, get a job, find apartment rentals, and find a date all in one place!
I first stumbled on Craigslist years ago when I was looking for tickets to a concert. I had heard that you could find great deals on tickets so I thought I'd give it a shot. I never found any tickets but I did find something that caught my interest... furniture!
When me and Mr. got our first place I was furniture shopping for a living room set. Everything in the stores was WAY out of my budget. I went to Craigslist and found a microfiber living room set that was purchased a year ago for $1100 (at least that what the owner said) for only $450.00. Long story short, I liked what I saw, negotiated the price down to $400.00 and had a new living room set.
I also purchase a desk from a nice lady on Craigslist for only $50! At the time, it was selling for $100 at and Target. The desk was in perfect condition! It's now being used as a nightstand in my Master Bedroom.
1. Know exactly what you are looking for - With thousands of listings it is best to know exactly what you are looking for. It's easy to get lost in just looking at things, which can turn into a bunch of missed buying opportunities.
2. Know where to shop. - I've found that the nicest furniture is in the nicest parts of town. I always search Buckhead, Perimeter, or Midtown area (for those in the Atlanta area) when furniture shopping on Craigslist. If you are outside of Atlanta, think about the nicer areas in your town and search there.
3. Search Efficiently - You can exclude certain words from your search by using a hyphen "-". For Example: if you are looking for a rug but want to exclude those from Target you can search "Rug -Target". On the other hand you can do an OR search by using the pipe "|". For example, I found and rented a townhouse on Craiglist before I bought my house. Some people listed it as townhome and some listed as townhouse. To include both I entered "townhome | townhouse". Knowing these trick can save ALOT of time!
4. Be patient - If the item you are looking for is not immediately found, keep looking until it comes up. Try to check once a day when you are really on the hunt for something, you never know what might come up.
5. Be quick - You've found the item! Now hurry and email the seller. Chances are there are others who are interested in the item, especially if it is a good deal and nice furniture. Don't spend days trying to decide if you want it!
6. Set a meeting location that is comfortable for both you and seller - Get a feel for the seller through email and phone conversations. If you aren't comfortable don't force the situation. Take someone with you. Also, many police stations now offer an area for meeting for online sales. Safety first!
7. Negotiate - When the listing is old or the seller seems desperate to sell, try offering a lower reasonable price. Most people have wiggle room in their asking price, so it doesn't hurt to try.
8. Have cash ready - If you like what you see, be prepared to pay after viewing the furniture. Sellers on Craigslist are usually looking to sell immediately and are not interested in future payments!
Have you ever purchased anything from Craigslist? Do tell!
These are great tips Alaya. I love Craigslist because of the thrill of the search. I have found lots of great things on Craigslist.
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