Craigslist!

[akw94]

Hi everyone,
I just had to share my new find. I just found out that Craiglist has a free section, yes FREE for those who weren't already in the loop like me.
I searched for moving boxes and the same day, found a bunch of postings and went and got a ton for absolutely free that same night. I am thrilled and so thankful that I had to share w/others.

Free moving boxes!!

I was *this* close to going to Uhaul too. Whew!

They have tons of other free stuff too so I decided to post some free stuff too and someone responded w/minutes. This is my new favorite site (well, 2nd to PS of course

).

 

[dtnyc]

hello-
my name is Carolyn and I am a craigslistaholic.

I have serious issues... we are renting a house, my husband is in grad school, and I didn''t want disposable furniture, so we have bought a lot of stuff off of craiglist- also sold a fair amount of stuff (wedding dress, dishes, extra microwaves.) If you have the time to wait for stuff you like to get posted and a vehicle big enough to pick stuff up with, then you can do really well.
Luckily we live in an area that is close to both Baltimore and DC, so I search both for stuff.

I found my old apt. in NYC on CL, have found a job, a dog-sitter, etc. etc.

Also if you are looking just for free stuff check freecycle.org. I got rid of my moving boxes through freecycle.

 

[cnspotts]

Ahh, verrrry syncronistic!

 

[kcoursolle]

I found my old roommates on craigslist and also my current apartment! Both worked out great, I''m still friends with my old roomies and a year has gone by and I''m still happy in my apartment. Yay for craigslist!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 5/8/2007 12:15:58 AM
Author: kcoursolle
I found my old roommates on craigslist and also my current apartment! Both worked out great, I''m still friends with my old roomies and a year has gone by and I''m still happy in my apartment. Yay for craigslist!

we''ve found all of our tenants on CL as well - the first time we put a $150 add in the paper and a $0 add on CL and we noticed a few things:

1. We got about 7 calls from the paper and *literally* over 70 from the CL add.
2. The quality of people from the paper was

and craigslist seemed to be an automatic filter for literate people

3. So far so good, everyone''s been very responsible and awesome! 4th family in there now and knock on wood, all is still well!
We''ve had some trouble keeping them in because all 3 so far moved back to california! LOL But we set up our lease such that they can break it as soon as someone else is paying rent so we''ve not gone a single month without a rent

We''ve also bought a ton of stuff as well... and given away extra sod and yes, moving boxes LOL

 

[sumbride]

CL is fabulous! We''ve bought and sold furniture on it, given away tons and tons of moving boxes, even found a home for a stray kitten! Once I swapped concert tickets with someone because I couldn''t go to a certain show and I found somebody with tickets for the night I could make it! That one still amazes me. My Crate & Barrel office furniture materialized from the DC furniture section, and our old stereo equipment left via the electronics section! And the buyers are usually people just like us... young couples looking for nice stuff that costs less than the stores... I haven''t been creeped out by CL buyers. We always try CL first for bigger stuff because it''s nice to have somebody local just swing by and pick it up rather than deal with E-bay.

 

[hikerchick]

CL is awesome. Both my current apartment and my last apartment I found on CL, we bought the bulk of our furniture off CL and we are hoping to sell some of our stuff on there this summer. It is truly a GREAT site.

 

[NewShiny]

I think I''ve had the best find on CL . . . In addition to finding a job, apartments, roommates, various household items and even getting rid of a few household items of my own, I found my husband on CL!

No, not in the personals section . . . I answered a roommate ad back in ''99 just after college, moved in with a couple of guys who seemed nice enough (I didn''t know them - my parents were furious until they met the guys and saw how great they were), and now one of the guys is my husband and the other is still one of our best friends!!

I don''t think we ever would have met without Craigslist. He is from PA and I am from CA . . . somehow we were meant to be.

Just after we were engaged, a friend met Craig at a San Francisco event and told him that ''a friend of his met her husband on CL'', and he said he hears that all the time!!

 

[FireGoddess]

Newshiny, that definitely takes the cake for the best CL find!

I will definitely be posting moving boxes on CL once I finish my unpacking...

So....not....motivated!!

 

[scarleta]

Thanks for sharing.do they charge any fees if you list something and it gets sold? Like ebay? I heard about it but never tried it.Is it just local pick up? Or shipping also.thanks

 

[sumbride]

Craigslist is completely free! (Unless you''re advertising for jobs in a couple of big cities.) It''s just like a community bulletin board. Whatever you post is at your discretion and however you handle it is at your discretion. They do have some moderators and you can flag stuff if it bothers you, but mostly it''s "Buyer Beware" and "Read at your own Risk". Some parts are just downright scary, but for the most part its a pleasant place with lots of helpful, friendly people.

It''s organized by city... I know you''re in Canada, Scarleta, so I don''t know if it''s quite the same there as it is here, but check it out! http://www.craigslist.org The main (default) page is SFO, but you can choose your area on the right side of the page.

 

[dtnyc]

We got wrought iron outdoor furniture off of CL last night!
It''s a nice set (table, 4 chairs and umbrella) and we already had bought 3 chairs, a glider and a coffee this stuff matches it well!
$150! Much better than buying plastic stuff!

 

[scarleta]

Thanks Sumbride will check it out. Definitely..

 

[njc]

I have been trying to get up the nerve to post some furniture we dont need any more on CL for the last month or so. Hearing all your positive stories are helping me! One question though... how do you know what price to put on stuff? I obvisouly want to make the most $$$ possible, but want someone to buy it. I am so clueless about this stuff!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 5/9/2007 6:55:56 PM
Author: njc
I have been trying to get up the nerve to post some furniture we dont need any more on CL for the last month or so. Hearing all your positive stories are helping me! One question though... how do you know what price to put on stuff? I obvisouly want to make the most $$$ possible, but want someone to buy it. I am so clueless about this stuff!

Just think about what YOU might be willing to pay if you saw it on CL yourself. It''s really a crapshoot...just ask what you''d like to get for it, and you can always accept best offers OR relist it for free if you don''t sell it the first time!

 

[Mokey]

I was wondering what the best form of payment is to accept from someone for a car we are selling? Thanks to this thread I just listed hubby''s car on craigslist, but I am not sure what the best method of payment is. Any suggestions? I have learned a little of everything from PS!

 

[scarleta]

old good cash and make sure its real.

 

[Alienor]

Date: 5/9/2007 8:02:04 PM
Author: Mokey
I was wondering what the best form of payment is to accept from someone for a car we are selling? Thanks to this thread I just listed hubby''s car on craigslist, but I am not sure what the best method of payment is. Any suggestions? I have learned a little of everything from PS!

Hi Mokey, i am recommending a cashier check, especially if it is a large sum of money. If you accept cash, before giving the title go to your bank to see if there is no fake bills.
I am looking for a car on craigslist in WA state, by any miraculous chance, is that where you live?

Craigslist is awesome but I have been looking for a car and some of the people there are kind of shaggy. As soon as i ask to check their VIN number i never hear from them again.

I guess it is like everything, you have to weed out the bad.

Definite plus for Craigslist.

 

[Mokey]

That''s crazy that they bolt when you ask for the VIN, very shady indeed. No, I''m not in WA, but good luck with your search. I am hoping for a fast sale and easy transaction. Thank you all for the great advice.

 

[sumbride]

Be careful with cashier''s checks too! Those can easily be forged and that''s a common scam. Cash is best, but if not possible, go with them to the bank to GET the cashier''s check! Watch the process.

 

[Mara]

I love CraigsList!!! They have some amazing deals on there...I am thinking of a new dining table set for us and I love PB stuff but their retail prices are insane. I always seem to see some sort of fab PB table and typically about 8-10 chairs in one of their styles for like 1/2 of retail on CL, but I never can decide what I actually want. Also there''s typically a CB or PB large leather chair and ottoman on CL from someone moving...I am always thinking about that too for our downstairs living room.

My best CL find so far was a $250 PB super large champagne gilt mirror for over our fireplace for $40!! I drove to pick it up like the day after she placed the ad. It''s in pristine condition and she just didn''t have any more room for it. Love that thing!

 

[Nicrez]

ha ha ha, saw this and had to post!

CL is a staple in NY. So many people, so much going on that Cl seems to be the best way to connect all these people in such a diverse city! Apartment searches, used furniture, selling jewlery, adopting pets, jobs, personals (although I find that a bit weird still) and even postings for people who are looking for tickets to shows, concerts, etc. I had opera tickets I had paid a small fortune for and last minute I could not go. It was posted on CL for almost an hour when I got 5 e-mails and one guy worked right by me, stopped in at lunch and paid me in cash.

I remember my sister coming in from her 2 year foreign assignment with LARGE fabulous furniture into a large NYC apartment, and even with the size, her furniture had to be sold. She spent thosands on this stuff and some lucky person walked away with amazing unqiue furniture for not even 1/4 of what she paid or what it was worth! She had patio furniture that cost over $3,000 and some lucky NYer in Soho got the whole set, a full-size hammock and lots of extras for $800!

I do use it for tickets mostly, this whole free thing is genius though. I can''t tell you how many times I have just thrown things out and felt terrible about. I had a stereo that was still in the box with remote and all, but I had absolutly NO use for it, and was moving, so furniture, stereo, boxes, etc all just wasted! I would have put it for free on CL!

Thanks for the info!!

 

[Mara]

yeah Nicrez sometimes the deals on these things are insane! like a PB dining table and 8 chairs that retails for like $3k and it''s like ''$1200 for the set, 8 months old'' and you are like WHAT?! but i guess NYC is probably a lot like here, it''s super transitional here esp in SF, people come in and out all the time and so you see a lot of newish kind of nice pieces that go for cheap because people just have to get rid of it. when i finally get around to figuring what i want, i am totally going to use CL for my shopping haha.

 

[dtnyc]

CL is fantastic- I sold a decent amount of furniture on it in NYC- loveseat, chairs, a room divider, and managed to get someone to pay $ for my old dishes and glasses- so much better than just tossing the stuff! Selling my "extra" wedding dress was the best though because I got a little more than I paid for it @ a sample sale. I also bought a dog crate for the puppy we adopted in the fall...

Here in MD we bought a great sleigh bed frame, a really nice leather sofa and 2 chairs (not leather) that go w/ it, just got all of this patio furniture, a weber grill, and 2 cedar wardrobes (we are in an old house that only has 2 small closets.) I much prefer to have something that is "gently" used and good quality vs. cheaply made disposable stuff.

As far as selling I say always ask $10-20 more than want to leave wiggle room for haggling.

Nicrez- I got Barry Manilow tickets off CL once!

You seriously can find ANYTHING!

 

[Nicrez]

Date: 5/10/2007 3:23:48 PM
Author: dtnyc


Nicrez- I got Barry Manilow tickets off CL once!

Should you be posting this publically?? LOL

Just teasing!

My friend actually had amazing tickets to the Moby concert ages ago when he was actually popular. She is a publicist, and although she is not supposed to give the tickets away, she didn't want to go, so she sold her God seats for a ridiculous amount and went to Miami for a weekend instead. Yeah these were VIP passes, so she went to Miami. Good ol' CL!

Mara: AGREED! Furniture seems to be the best deal on there because of the transient nature of NY, but best of all are the antiques that people find. I hear stories like Antiques Roadshow style, as NYers generally don't have cars and shop at the usual spots, they seem to generally be antiques or Ikea. many people get custom furniture because space is limited, the antiques from Grandma's apartment that people sell can end up being some seriously amazing work!

Furniture... I actually DO remember buying a hunter green leather pull-out sofa actually almost 7 years ago from CL...Odd, I had forgotten! It was AMAZING, and made by RL!!! The person who had purchased it worked for them and clearly got a deal, as the savings was truly passed on! I remember paying like $400 for it, and she threw in a coffee table her husband hated which was simply cherrywood and glass. (he couldn't put his feet up on the glass, hence why they got a sturdy carved oak one) One friend found a dog walker and mover on there for cheap (bonded and insured).

Another friend of a friend of mine found a job, but sort of roundabout. He bought a TV from some guy who was a chef at a NYC restaurant. They met up, and my friend back then had just graduated from Culinary school. They start talking and the guy offers him a job in Zurich working for the large restaurant he will be moving to. He moves out there after several interviews and he's happy as a clam. TOTALLY fortuitous! He still lives in Zurich from what I hear...

 

[VegasAngel]

CL is ok. Lots of scammers just like Ebay so be careful. We have good luck when it comes to buying things but when it comes to selling we attract crooks, weirdos, & people who want stuff free.

 

[pearcrazy]

We''ve sold an entertainment center and TV on Craigslist and the advertising cost us $0. Most recently, my DH found an ASE certified mechanic to work on our Toyota van and do some expensive maintenance for less than half what the dealership wanted to charge.

Love Craigslist!!