Secrets to Shopping Craigslist
by Vanessa Brunner · 5 photos · 40 comments
Searching
• Unless you want to spend years filtering through search results, check off that little box at the top of the search bar to view only listings with photos.
• Search "by owner" rather than "by dealer." Avoid anything with tons of asterisks, smiley faces or hearts in the title, or anything with weird phrasing or grammar in the copy — most likely, it's spam coming from a bot.
• Check the listings multiple times a day: parked in your car waiting for someone, when you're bored at work or while you're sitting in front of the TV. The good items go quickly, so you're going to have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince. Be persistent and don't give up.
• Set the maximum price range at $100 over your target budget. A lot of people are willing to come down on price if it's been up for a while, so it's worth perusing objects that are a little more expensive.
by Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors • Unless you want to spend years filtering through search results, check off that little box at the top of the search bar to view only listings with photos.
• Search "by owner" rather than "by dealer." Avoid anything with tons of asterisks, smiley faces or hearts in the title, or anything with weird phrasing or grammar in the copy — most likely, it's spam coming from a bot.
• Check the listings multiple times a day: parked in your car waiting for someone, when you're bored at work or while you're sitting in front of the TV. The good items go quickly, so you're going to have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince. Be persistent and don't give up.
• Set the maximum price range at $100 over your target budget. A lot of people are willing to come down on price if it's been up for a while, so it's worth perusing objects that are a little more expensive.
• Search for terms in the home page search bar before going into furniture or collectible pages. This is particularly handy if you're just browsing for a particular style rather than a specific object. Going into the individual pages may mean you'll miss out on some things — there are plenty of great items that people have listed in the "Garden," "General" and "Free" sections.
• Don't necessarily dismiss items because of bad photos — it doesn't mean the item isn't awesome.
• Try several different words to find what your looking for. Many people use different descriptions. Your dream sideboard could also be a credenza or a buffet.
• Try several variations of the words you're searching with. Include and exclude spaces, dashes and other punctuation marks. For example: "midcentury," "mid-century" and "mid century."
by Emily A. Clark
• Don't necessarily dismiss items because of bad photos — it doesn't mean the item isn't awesome.
• Try several different words to find what your looking for. Many people use different descriptions. Your dream sideboard could also be a credenza or a buffet.
• Try several variations of the words you're searching with. Include and exclude spaces, dashes and other punctuation marks. For example: "midcentury," "mid-century" and "mid century."
Advanced Search Tips
• Use quotation marks to search for a phrase: "yellow pitcher"
• To specify words you'd like to exclude, use a minus sign: "plywood Eames -era" finds postings that include "plywood" and "Eames," but not "era."
• When you enter more than one word in the Craigslist search bar, it automatically searches for posts with all of those words. To specify a listing that includes one or more of your search terms, use the pipe character: "midcentury | Eames" will search all posts that contain "midcentury," "Eames," or both.
by South Social & Home • Use quotation marks to search for a phrase: "yellow pitcher"
• To specify words you'd like to exclude, use a minus sign: "plywood Eames -era" finds postings that include "plywood" and "Eames," but not "era."
• When you enter more than one word in the Craigslist search bar, it automatically searches for posts with all of those words. To specify a listing that includes one or more of your search terms, use the pipe character: "midcentury | Eames" will search all posts that contain "midcentury," "Eames," or both.
Contacting the Seller
• If you see an item you're interested in, email the seller immediately to try and snag it. If there's a phone number listed, call instead.
• When you email or call the seller, tell them that you can come right away (or that evening) with cash in hand. Most sellers want to get rid of the item quickly, and mentioning that you'll pay in cash could seal the deal. Make sure you have your own way to pick it up — often, that can help you negotiate cost.
• Always negotiate. Most people are willing to knock off a few bucks here and there to get something off their hands. Always be extra polite in your negotiations — most of the time people will accept your lower price.
by Nicole Lanteri • If you see an item you're interested in, email the seller immediately to try and snag it. If there's a phone number listed, call instead.
• When you email or call the seller, tell them that you can come right away (or that evening) with cash in hand. Most sellers want to get rid of the item quickly, and mentioning that you'll pay in cash could seal the deal. Make sure you have your own way to pick it up — often, that can help you negotiate cost.
• Always negotiate. Most people are willing to knock off a few bucks here and there to get something off their hands. Always be extra polite in your negotiations — most of the time people will accept your lower price.
Buying
• Always see an item in person before buying. There's no return policy on Craigslist. Once you pay for it, you're stuck with it.
• Never use a wire transfer or escrow service to pay. It goes without saying, but don't pay until you have your furniture in hand.
• Never feel pressured to buy something you're not sure about, even if you trekked out to see it. If you don't like it, simply thank the seller and leave.
• Be cautious — it's always better to be safe than sorry, particularly with Internet transactions. Meet the person in a public place and/or take a friend with you. Always have your cell phone on hand and never give out your home address.
Tell us: What are your best Craigslist tips and tricks? Share your successes and missteps in the Comments section below.
More:
7 Favorite Vintage Furniture Sites
7 More Places to Get Your Vintage Fix
Spot a Vintage-Furniture Steal
by Domicile Interior Design • Always see an item in person before buying. There's no return policy on Craigslist. Once you pay for it, you're stuck with it.
• Never use a wire transfer or escrow service to pay. It goes without saying, but don't pay until you have your furniture in hand.
• Never feel pressured to buy something you're not sure about, even if you trekked out to see it. If you don't like it, simply thank the seller and leave.
• Be cautious — it's always better to be safe than sorry, particularly with Internet transactions. Meet the person in a public place and/or take a friend with you. Always have your cell phone on hand and never give out your home address.
Tell us: What are your best Craigslist tips and tricks? Share your successes and missteps in the Comments section below.
More:
7 Favorite Vintage Furniture Sites
7 More Places to Get Your Vintage Fix
Spot a Vintage-Furniture Steal
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I ALWAYS use this site and it saves a TON of time!
Check out our latest craigslist find (pictured) - c. 1700's wardrobe!
I abandoned Ebay and garage sales many yrs ago for Craigslist and have never looked back.
1. Saves time from running around all of town
2. It allows you to see what some items will look like after the newness wears off--(for instance how outdoor furniture will weather).
3. Saves money, items are discounted for use, age, eagerness to move
4. Its a form of recycling
5. You can shop after hours & in your jammies
6. easy to find those unusual items
7. helps get rid of your stuff without having to give up a weekend to have a dreadful yard sale
So if you do see something that tickles your fancy but it just has a phone number and no email address, don't be put off. Contact them the old fashioned way - by telephone.
Thanks for the gr8 article.
And finally, one of my proudest finds so far was a like new kitchen table w/6 chairs (plastics on the white fabric hadn't even been removed yet) and a custom table pad all for $300!
To make a protective table pad to match would have been an additional $300 - $500 be-c the table isn't your standard round, oval or rectangular but rather has carved/curvy edging all around. One of my friends has the exact same set, from Ashley Furniture, and for her set with the usual only 4 chairs, cost them upwards of $1300 and they had to pay extra to get 2 more chairs.
I got lucky, the seller had bought it as a DR set, so it was rarely used, then they got a new job, transfered and our table was just sitting in their former house waiting for him to get back to move it or get around to selling it.
When I listed a mid century Danish modern credenza for sale on Craigslist it was bought within 24 hours of posting for full price from a dealer who showed up with cash and a moving truck. I sold it to him for $800 and he turned around and sold it in his store for $3000!
I was hooked after that!
I explained how I thought it was SPAM by the way it was written. We agreed to meet that day at a public place (since items were tied together and easy to carry).
I looked... only 6 were left! I called my husband at work, he had brought in 6 to a coworker a few weeks before and forgot to mention it to me! I called the gal back and said I do not have the 12 only 6 left. And because of the mix up I am willing to give them to her.
She was so surprised and told me that 12 was too many for what they wanted anyway and she was so appreciative! We met and she insisted on giving me a HUG for being a great CL experience! I also thanked her! Smiles, everyone happy and CL is still a good experience for both of us! Except for husband, who now knows to let me know IF anything I have listed is removed from our garage! LOL
I've had good luck searching bad spelling - best one has got to be "antic" for antique.
As far as selling goes, I've given stuff away, but people were oddly ignorant to deal with. I find a better "class" of clientele when we charge even low prices, now. Some buyers I've liked dealing with, and invited to come back for other stuff afterwards.
Young women and men are the best to deal with - time is money, for them! Worst are grumpy ex-military men - lord knows why.
Happy shopping, all!