shopping online

The 25 Best Things to Buy on Craigslist

Paul Michael — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:36:32 +0000

Craigslist continues to be one of the go-to places for people to buy and sell used (and sometimes brand-new) goods. Not only is it simple and free to use (thanks, Craigslist, for staying true to your word) but it also has a vast reach, with sites across the United States and the rest of the world. (See also: Get a Deal Every Time You Shop With These Tools)

There are plenty of articles out there about what to avoid on Craigslist. (The big ones are used infant seats, cell phones, and high-end electronic goods.) But there aren’t nearly as many articles about what you should go to Craigslist for. Well, here (in no particular order) are the 25 best things to buy off Craigslist. You may agree, disagree, or want to add to the list. By all means, use the comments box as a way to inform our other Wise Bread readers.

1. Exercise Equipment

Why? Quite simply — human nature. Every year people make New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, get fit, and stay in shape. And for a while, they make good on those resolutions, going out and buying some shiny new equipment to make it happen. However, most people soon realize that the infomercials and ads made this “easy-peasy workout” look a lot easier that it actually is. It takes effort. And soon the exercise bikes, elliptical trainers, and treadmills are gathering dust in the basement. When the time comes to sell the equipment, you can usually snap up an almost brand new piece of machinery for less than half the price. Sometimes they’ll be almost giving it away to get it out of the house, because no one likes a reminder of a failed resolution.

2. Bed Frames

Not mattresses. Yikes. But the bed frame itself, that’s a different story. You can pick up some terrific deals on bed frames, including four-poster beds, and all you have to do is arrange for pick up if you don’t have a truck large enough to do the job. Craigslist actually has a section called “services” where you can quickly find people to help you move large items for a nominal fee. Some people make good extra money doing it.

3. Furniture

We just bought a new house, and it’s twice the size of our old home. Ironically, with the market being the way it is, it cost almost the same price. But it has left us with some large, empty rooms that need to be filled. We’re going straight to Craigslist for furniture, especially for some classic mid-century modern pieces. They are much cheaper than store-bought pieces, have more character, and were built to last the test of time.

4. DVDs and CDs

People buy DVDs and CDs. They watch them, listen to them, and get bored with them. Or they copy them to their iPods, computers, or other media devices, and then they sit and watch the original gather dust. So they sell them, and that’s where you can come in and pick up some great bargains. I’ve found recent movies and albums for sale on Craigslist for just a few bucks.

5. Video Games

Even more copious than movies and albums are video games. The reason is one of usefulness. Unlike DVDs and CDs, once a game has been completed, there is very little point in doing it all over again. So you will see tons of titles on Craigslist that are way cheaper than buying new. And once you’ve bought and played the title, you can resell it or trade it in for a discount on a game (used is always cheaper and just as good…if you can wait).

6. Collectibles

Typewriters. Old cameras. Action figures. Clocks. Teapots. You name it — there is something to add your collection on Craigslist. Finding them isn’t always easy, as sometimes people put them in rather confusing sections or don’t know exactly how to list them. But put in the time, and you’ll find your items way cheaper than on eBay. Plus there's no wait for shipping.

7. Tools

Have you noticed how expensive good tools are? Sure, you can buy the cheap and cheerful tools at Walmart and Target, but if you want good, solid, reliable tools that last decades, you need to pay. Craigslist is a great option for these kinds of tools, and you’ll get them way cheaper.

8. Books

Personally, I love the library for books. But sometimes it’s not an option, especially if you want to highlight sections and write notes in the margin. Or if you want books for the kids that you don’t have to worry about them destroying. There is a whole category on Craigslist devoted to books, and the prices are rock-bottom as always.

9. Toys

Kids have this habit of wanting toys, playing with them for 20 minutes, and then throwing them in the corner. If they’re not forgotten about, they played with so much and so hard that they’re destroyed. So why pay full price? You can pick up some of the latest toys on Craigslist for pennies, and you won’t have to contend with that annoying packaging that would challenge the patience of a saint.

10. Bicycles

You have to be careful on this one, but if you know what you want and what to look for, you can scoop up some major bargains. Kids bikes are a great option here, as are cruiser bikes. Just be wary of bikes that look too good to be true; they may have been rode hard and repaired often, or they could be stolen.

11. Framed Art

I was in Target yesterday and saw some nice art, albeit mass-produced, and it was $100. I saw the same piece on Craigslist for $20. Chances are you won’t be as lucky finding the exact piece you want, but if you just want to browse and pick up something decorative for a few bucks, you’ll do well. You may even find original art for a bargain, or a long lost masterpiece!

12. Office Supplies

I’m not just talking about pens and pencils here, but chairs, cubicles, shredders, printers, whiteboards, and so much more. Sadly, the poor economy means that a lot of businesses have gone into liquidation, and when that happens, the supplies have to be sold off for pennies on the dollar. I bought a white board for $20 that retails for over $180.

13. Refrigerators and Other Appliances

When we decided to rent out our old home, we didn’t want to leave the stainless steel appliances behind. We wanted them for the new home, but didn’t want to pay another small fortune to get replacements. We searched Craigslist and found a one-year-old, black, side-by-side refrigerator for just $200. The cheapest we could find it used in an appliance store was $600. When people want their old appliances gone, they will take much less money. Take advantage of that.

14. Antiques

You really need to know your stuff, and I don’t. I would love to browse the listings, see an old item for a few bucks, and sell it for thousands. But I know plenty of people who have made some big money buying antiques for profit.

15. Sports Equipment for Kids

When you have kids, you soon discover that they grow quickly. They outgrow their sports uniforms in no time, and the uniforms are often in amazing condition. Parents will sell these to make cash for the next size up, and you can pick up bargains for your kids. Adults can also find great deals on golf clubs, fishing gear, and lots of other sporty stuff.

16. Musical Instruments

So many guitars. So many pianos. So many drum kits. Take a look at the musical instruments section of your local Craigslist, and you’ll soon see how many instruments, often barely used, are up for grabs. Again, it’s a mix of unrealized dreams (wow, playing guitar isn’t easy), kids who aren’t interested, and people who are moving up to bigger and better equipment. Whatever the reason, you make out.

17. Barbeque Grills

Who doesn’t love a brand new barbeque grill? Well, some people don’t, because they’re really expensive these days. But you can find bargains on Craigslist, if you don’t mind a little grease and smoke from someone else’s cookouts. Trust me, they all look that way after a few weeks anyway, and you can save hundreds of dollars going used.

18. Sinks, Tubs, Toilets, and Showers

One word for you — remodel. When people decide to upgrade their bathrooms, they want the old fixtures and fittings gone quickly. But quite often, these upgrades are about style and modernization, not function. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and you can find some wonderful old sinks, tubs, toilets, and showers units for almost nothing.

19. Lawn Mowers

I’m in the market for a bigger mower now that I’ve moved. I don’t want to pay a bigger price though, so I’m trawling the Craigslist ads for a self-propelled model. The stores sell these for upwards of $300, but one look at Craigslist and you’ll see models, almost new, for half that price. Now is a great time to buy too, because winter is a tough time to sell a mower. Just test drive it first.

20. Pack ‘n’ Plays, High Chairs, and Rockers

There’s a lot of baby stuff I’ll avoid on Craigslist, purely because of safety concerns. No infant seats, no cribs, no strollers. I just don’t know where they’ve been, what they’ve endured, and how well they were taken care of. But things like Pack ‘n’ Plays, high chairs, and rockers, well, they’re much less likely to have any problems. When baby grows up, the parents want to make room for new furniture, and you can pick up items for 75% less than retail.

21. Dog Kennels

Our 120-pound dog needed a big kennel. The price of Dogloo in her size, new, was about $300. We picked up a barely used one for $50. All it needed was a quick hose down to remove some grass and dirt, and it looked brand new. Now the bigger challenge is getting her to actually use it.

22. Playsets

You will see lots of listings for these on Craigslist, and you need to use good judgment and inspect the items carefully. Some of them have been played with hard and left unattended, and could be too rickety for children of any age. But some are pristine, with parents selling them because the kids don’t play on them, or they want to make room for one of those huge trampolines. If you do your due diligence, you can spend hundreds instead of thousands. But you will need to dismantle it and reassemble, so take plenty of pictures before you start!

23. Outdoor Furniture

Just like with lawn mowers, this is a good time of year to pick up outdoor furniture. Who wants to be sat outside in the cold when the warmth of the fireplace beckons? But summer will be back, and you can pick up some real steals. A lot of people buy outdoor furniture and realize they’re not actually using it, so they’ll sell it off really cheap.

24. Landscaping Supplies

When homeowners landscape their yards, they will invariably be left with overages. They may also have removed some things to make way for new shrubs, benches, pathways, and so on. You can find cheap or free landscaping rock, stones, concrete, and all sorts of other backyard goodies on Craigslist for a fraction of the price you’ll pay at a hardware store. Just remember…you haul.

25. Crockery and Silverware

How are your plates and dishes looking? If it’s time for replacements, Craigslist is a phenomenal resource. For a start, a lot of newlyweds will get crockery and silverware as gifts, and they can’t use it all. So, they sell it. Also, people looking to clear out space in the kitchen will sell off their older sets for almost nothing. It’s a good way to spruce up your kitchen on a budget.

So, do you have any “must buy on Craigslist” tips to share? Please let us know.

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This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Where to Buy Discounted Designer Clothing Online

Brooke Kaelin — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:06 +0000

I've always been a bit of a clothes horse and madly in love with all things fashion. When I began writing, my first ever magazine article covered Valentino's retirement. Lucky for me, I'm also frugal and would never, ever pay full price for designer clothing even in my dizziest daydreams. (See also: 5 Tips for Scoring Discount Designer Handbags)

So, what's a fashion-forward starving writer to do but ferret out all the places that designer duds can be had for a penny and a song? Below you'll find my top-secret list of places online where you can go to get your fashion fix without signing over your first born.

1. 6pm.com

6pm.com features designer brands like BCBGeneration, Max Azria, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Calvin & Anne Klein, 7 for All Mankind, True Religion, and more. They list daily and weekly sales with designer items discounted up to 70% off. Shipping is flat rate at $6.95. This site comes with a warning: It's entirely too easy to spend money here. Be careful and be frugal.

2. Amazon

Every now and then you can score a surprising find at Amazon. Your best bet here is accessories. Designer purses and glasses can be found up to 70% off. Most of them are the previous season's finds, so depending on where you live, this may not work for you. I live in Kentucky, where people are more likely to say "Who is Marc Jacobs?" than "Those are SO last season!" Amazon offers free shipping on most orders over $25.

3. Fraction Price

This is another great place to find bags and glasses at — you guessed it — a fraction of the normal price. Fraction Price's brands include Cartier, Michael Kors, Roberto Cavalli, and more. They offer a daily deal that is usually marked down between 50% and 90% off.

4. Beyond the Rack

Beyond the Rack is an invitation-only site. (Which is a polite way of saying they want you to give them your email/mailing address before they let you view the deals.) If you want to view the current BtR offerings you can use the code SPRING2011 to sign up. It's totally free. Beyond the Rack offers some truly fashionable finds. Discounts average 30% to 50% off, with occasional items up to 70% off.

5. eBay

Yes, you really can find fashion on eBay. Be careful though, knock-offs abound, and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between the real thing and the faux.

So there you are, my hidden cache of shoppable sites featuring fashionable steals. Keep it secret; keep it safe. And the next time one of your friends jealously wonders how you managed to afford all those incredible designer shoes, just smile.

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This article is from Brooke Kaelin of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

An ING Direct Online Retail Store? It's not a joke.

Elizabeth Lang — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:20:01 +0000

It was my birthday last week. I was up early checking email and the first birthday email I received was from ING Direct. I had received plenty of birthday emails from companies earlier in the week and they always contained some sort of coupon: "Happy Birthday, come celebrate [by spending your money] with us." No company ever just emailed to say "Happy Birthday!".

When I received an email from ING Direct, I assumed it would be just that, birthday wishes. I use ING Direct for both savings and checking accounts and am a big fan of the company. Generally, they have good marketing and so I was especially curious to see what their birthday wishes looked like.

I opened the email and to my astonishment guess what it contained?

A link to the ING Direct Store. With a 15% off coupon.

At first I thought it must be some sort of joke. After all, ING Direct prides itself on encouraging savers. So why would it encourage them to spend?

But, I clicked through to the link and discovered that the ING Direct Shop is no joke. ING actually sells products like books, water bottle, messenger bags and flashlights.

At first I was annoyed and enraged. Why is my bank trying to sell me more stuff?

But, after looking around the store I was amused. The products they sell are (for the most part) practical and trendy.

Some of the products are eco-friendly such as 100% recycled reusable shopping bags, biodegradable coffee tumblers, and BPA-free water bottles.

Other products, like a safe, shredder, and home emergency kit, promote safety and security. There are several books about financial literacy.

And, if you really want to show your ING love you can buy ING Direct bright orange apparel.

The prices listed are generally competitive. For instance, the ShredderShark is $20 cheaper on ING than Amazon. And the Wrap-n-Mat (an awesome product I've reviewed on another blog) is about a dollar cheaper on ING than on Amazon. But, the Honeywell Safe is over $30 more on ING than on Amazon.

It appears that shipping is free. No where on the site are shipping costs explicitly stated, but when I added items to my cart and started the checkout process ground shipping was free. Sales tax is charged for products shipping to NY, PA, CA, and MN.

The biggest downside is they have a no returns policy (except for items that arrive damaged.)

It's an interesting online store to browse. Although I'm still conflicted about whether a bank should be selling anything besides financial products/services. If you do find something to buy you can use the 15% off coupon of "MARBD1509" which expires April 30. (Coupons are also posted at Retail Me Not.)

I wonder if the ING Store the beginning of a banking trend or will remain unique to ING.

(Disclosure Notice: I have no financial stake in ING other than the fact that I use them for checking/savings accounts.)

This article is from Elizabeth Lang of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Make Your Own Deal Tracker

David DeFranza — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:08:51 +0000

If you are not already familiar with them, websites like Woot! and Steep and Cheap offer a single item at a time, often at huge discount, but only until their limited stocks run out. If you need a new piece of travel gear or gadget, these sites can be a great way to find it for cheap. However, they also encourage frequent refreshing, procrastination, and impulse buying.

What if there was a way to filter the results so that you were only notified of items you were most interested in?

Well, I am going to show you an easy way to do just that.

Introduction: RSS and Yahoo! Pipes

Real Simple Syndication, commonly known as RSS, is just an easy way for readers to stay up-to-date with new content on their favorite websites. Using RSS is commonly refered to as "subscribing" because new content is delivered to the reader's browser or email, eliminating the need for them to visit the site themselves. The major difference between an RSS subscription and most magazine subscriptions is that the former is totally free to use.

Yahoo! Pipes is a fun, straight forward, way to manipulate the information carried by the RSS subscription. I say it is fun because really it is a lot like playing with blocks. Here are five simple steps to creating a custom deal finder with Yahoo! Pipes.

Step One: Grab your sources

The first thing we need to do is insert the RSS links into Yahoo! Pipes. The links themselves can be found on each deal site, marked by either a text link labeled "RSS" or a square, orange, icon. Copy the link from you favorite deal site and head over to Yahoo! Pipes.

To create a deal tracking machine, we are going to link several modules together with "pipes." The first module we want is under "Sources" in the left column and called "Fetch Feed." Drag the module from the left column into the working area to add it to our machine.

In the dialog box on the Fetch Feed module, add the RSS link from your favorite deal site. I did this twice, once for Woot! and once for Steep and Cheap.

Step Two: Sort the results

The next thing we want to do, is sort the results from the two sites, so that the newest deals will always be at the top of the list. This is easy with the use of the "Sort" module, found under "Operators" on the left side.

Connect this module to the first one by clicking the little circle at the bottom of the Fetch Feed module and dragging it to the top ofSort. You should see a "pipe" appear between the two. It's kind of like connecting the dots.

Under the "Sort by" drop-down menu on the Sort module, select, "item.pubDate" and then set it to "descending." Once that is finished, click the plus sign on the module to create another sort option.

Set the second sort option to "item.y:published" and, again, descending.

I did this twice, once for each of my RSS links.

Step Three: Combine the feeds

Note: If you have only a single Fetch Feed module than you can skip this step.

If you have been working with the RSS links from two sites like I have, we can now combine them into one. We do this using the "Union" module located under Operators in the left column. After dragging it into the work area, you will see that the module has several input circles but only a single output.

Click and drag between the output circle of the Sort module to one of the input circles on the Union module. Do this for each differentSort module you have created.

Step Four: Filter the results

The goal of this process is to filter the many deals that will appear for things you do not need, from those that you do. We can do this using the "Filter" module, located under Operators in the left column.

Once you have dragged the Filter module over from the left column, you will see that you have the option of either blocking or permitting certain items. The easiest thing to do is to permit only the items you are interested in.

As an example, lets say I am interested in buying a new winter jacket. I would set the Filter to "permit items that contain all of the following." For the rule, I would select "item.description" from the first dialog box, leave "Contains" selected in the second, and type "jackets" into theword box at the end. That's it.

We are almost done, but I like to do one more thing to limit the results I recieve. Drag the "Truncate" module from the Operators section in the left column and connect it below the Filter module. Set this to however many results you want to see. Something like two, five, ten, so on.

Now is also the time to connect a pipe between the bottom of the Truncate module to the "Pipe Output" module.

Step Five: Grab your feed

Once you have connected to the Pipe Output module, click save and name your new feed.

Once created, there are many ways you can view the results of your new deal-tracker feed. If you click "Run Pipe," you will notice that you can view the results on that page, add them to a Yahoo! or Google homepage, get them sent to your phone or email, or view them through any other RSS reader. How you view the results is up to you.

Once you find that great deal on a winter jacket, simply go back in, edit you Filter to permit a different item, and save the Pipe again.

Deal-a-day sites can be a great way to find discounts on items you do not urgently need. To beat their impulse buying trap, try using the free and powerful Yahoo! Pipes tool to create your own deal tracker.

What is your experience with Yahoo! Pipes? What are your favorite deal-a-day websites? Let us know in the comments.

This article is from David DeFranza of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Buying (and Trading) on Etsy

Maggie Wells — Mon, 26 May 2008 04:35:48 +0000

Positively one of my favorite places to shop online when I need a present is www.etsy.com. And I have to say, most of the time when I go to buy a present from this site, I have no idea beforehand what I'm actually going to buy. I just browse endlessly by random criteria. My favorite is by color. I want to see something blue and voila! Everything from buttons to yarn to pillows and barrettes in blue.

Etsy only lets vendors who are selling handmade items post their wares on Etsy. They are pretty strict about this. If a vendor even tries to post something not created , other shoppers and artisans will flag it immediately. When they say handmade they mean it---but there's such a broad interpretation of that. The t-shirts a friend of mine silk screens are on there, my old zines are on there, and restrung jewelry made with vintage beads are there too.

If you want to set up shop, etsy boasts some of the lowest cost fees around and the percentage cut is tiny. It doesn't have the traffic of eBay yet, but it doesn't have the high cost either and stuff can sit in your store for three months straight from one posting. A girlfriend of mine who dyes her own yarn has sold about $500 worth so far with not that much effort put into it. You can go in with a few artists in your area and have one store between you.

On the flip side, since artisans and artists make up this site and ususally can't help themselves when they see something fun, clever or beautiful, you can bet that other artists and artisans are looking around their fellow etsy sites. You can totally work out trades of merchandise and can post on your site that you are up for such things (there I go again with the trading). I traded a few books for some earrings.

This article is from Maggie Wells of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: