Welcome to part two the eBay/Craigslist lecture. Now that we're all professional eBayers (did you buy anything yet?), let's talk about an equally convenient, yet vastly different avenue.
Craigslist is also a shopping mall for... well it's a shopping mall. Adam did all his big ticket Christmas shopping for me on Craigslist. Sounds weird, I mean, going out and buying people's used stuff for a Christmas present? Saved us hundreds. I got:
Some of the items were brand new, but even the ones that were second hand, it hardly matters once it's hooked up or hung up on the wall! Why pay more than you have to?
One of my favourite CL purchases are my Valentine's day decorations. Being a new family, we don't have a big collection of decorations like my parents do. A lady had too many, so she sorted out the ones she didn't want anymore, put them in a bin and put them up for sale on CL. $25 later, my house is all Valentine's out! Beat that, Martha Stewart.
But Craigslist isn't all about buying and selling. There's a pet section, a job section, apartments, cars, classes, rants and raves, personal ads, volunteer groups, and just about anything else you might want to search for in your area. (or in other areas!)
For the avid Craigslisters (Adam), there are the smartphone apps. Craigslist Pro for the iPhone and Craigsnotifica for Android. These apps allow on the go CLing, searching within x miles of your zip code, and registering different keywords. Definitely worth checking out.
Like any other website, you do have to be careful. Meeting in a public place is probably best and because I'm a baby, I suggest power in numbers. Meet with a buddy. Be smart about meeting up with strangers. Also, if you're 14, please don't even read this post.
Happy Craigslisting!
:: Celeste
Craigslist
Craigslist is definitely more intimidating that eBay. With eBay, unless there is an issue, everything is handled electronically and there is no person-to-person communication. Craigslist is just the opposite. Maybe you prefer it, maybe you're like me and think every person on Craigslist is an axe murderer. Loosen up and listen up.
CL is like the Salvation Army of the internet. It has everything. At first when Adam started using it, I was totally sketched out. I mean, the layout of the website is so basic it looks like it's been slapped together by some weirdo living in his mom's basement. (I hope the guy doesn't still love with his mom; I'll feel bad about that comment) Also, the idea of him going out to meet strangers who are selling things like phones (he was big on buying and selling parts for his phone for a while) was TOTALLY freaky. It didn't help that we lived in a bad part of town at the time and I was convinced everyone could just open fire at any moment.
Then we sold a musical instrument. We drove an hour away from home to a mattress store to meet two Brazilian men who wanted to take a look at it. It was just us, them, and the mattresses. I guess one of the guys wanted it for his brother back in Brazil. I wouldn't know; he was speaking Portuguese pretty much the whole time.
In the end, no one came out from the back room with a gun, no one followed us to the car, and we went home $1200 richer. Granted we used it to turn our heat and hot water back on, but still. It was pretty sweet.
Since then, we have been using it for a whole bunch of things. Adam uses it to grow his business as a music teacher. Many people post on CL looking for a guitar or piano teacher, a musician to play at their wedding or party, and even studios looking to hire teachers. Craigslist is responsible for making it possible for me to stay at home with Nikolai. Thanks, Craigslist.
- A Wii
- A hard drive with 80 Wii games
- A moving water picture (like in the Chinese restaurants! I always wanted one)
- A Digital photo frame
- A Camcorder
Some of the items were brand new, but even the ones that were second hand, it hardly matters once it's hooked up or hung up on the wall! Why pay more than you have to?
One of my favourite CL purchases are my Valentine's day decorations. Being a new family, we don't have a big collection of decorations like my parents do. A lady had too many, so she sorted out the ones she didn't want anymore, put them in a bin and put them up for sale on CL. $25 later, my house is all Valentine's out! Beat that, Martha Stewart.
But Craigslist isn't all about buying and selling. There's a pet section, a job section, apartments, cars, classes, rants and raves, personal ads, volunteer groups, and just about anything else you might want to search for in your area. (or in other areas!)
For the avid Craigslisters (Adam), there are the smartphone apps. Craigslist Pro for the iPhone and Craigsnotifica for Android. These apps allow on the go CLing, searching within x miles of your zip code, and registering different keywords. Definitely worth checking out.
Like any other website, you do have to be careful. Meeting in a public place is probably best and because I'm a baby, I suggest power in numbers. Meet with a buddy. Be smart about meeting up with strangers. Also, if you're 14, please don't even read this post.
Happy Craigslisting!
:: Celeste
I love my craigslist app on the iPhone! I don't really purchase much on CL, but I do love searching on the go when something strikes me!
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