Call it a hobby, financial arbitrage or even a form of personal therapy.
For bargain-hunters, DIY interior designers, and those who get an emotional high from purging unwanted items from their homes, there is no greater treasure trove than Craigslist.
It’s a win-win for those looking to make a local match with a buyer and/or seller for household items, among other things.
I recently met a Lincolnshire couple, Millie and Todd Cason, who are staging their home before putting it on the market. They bought my worn-butsolid wood table for $175, painted it, and voilà! Their previously empty kitchen now shows well for wouldbe house hunters, and I reclaimed valuable space in my basement.
“We looked into renting furniture, but that was insanely expensive,” Millie says. “Craigslist has been great to find things, and also as we’re moving, getting rid of things.”
A ready pool of buyers is hard to resist in the doldrums of winter when homeowners often dream of redecorating. My husband has returned from work to an empty living room, and my son had his bunk bed sold out from under him. I took the cash and bought a more appropriate bed for my son’s room. And I didn’t pay a penny out of pocket.
Sellers, follow these basic rules of marketing 101 to pique customer interest:
- Consider seasonal demand. Don’t try to sell your patio set in the dead of winter.
- Holidays are the best time to sell household furniture. People are entertaining and need extra beds, tables, chairs, etc.
- Use brand names to describe pieces of furniture, even if the item didn’t originally come from that retailer. For example, a “Pottery Barn-style sofa” will come up for those plugging in “Pottery Barn” in the search function.
Buyers need to be equally savvy:
- Shop against season for the best deals.
- No offer is too low. Many sellers simply want someone to remove the item from their house. Negotiate!
One can never be too safe when it comes to inviting unknown people into their homes, and there have been some tragic Craigslist stories in the news. Use common sense. I will always take a lower price from someone I know, rather than fetch more money from an unfamiliar customer. I bring small items outside to show customers; for larger, heavier items, I make sure another adult is at home. And go with your gut. I’ve ended deals at the last minute if I get a strange feeling from the buyer or seller. One friend’s sister-in-law does Craigslist merchandise exchanges in her local police station’s parking lot.
So use caution and your financial wits, and dive into the haggling world of Craigslist. The water’s fine!
