Tips For Finding Great Stuff on Craigslist

I love to decorate my home, but I really don't like paying full price for stuff. It frustrates some people, but I love to go to my favorite stores to look at furniture, but I seldom will actually buy it from the store. Instead I get a ton of ideas and I search high and low for knock-offs or for the real thing in gently used form.

I have scored things like brand new West Elm arm chairs that retailed for $699 each for $200 each, a pottery barn upholstered headboard that sells for $700 for only $120, and an ottoman that would normally retail for $300 for free! And those are just a few.

So now I'm addicted to never paying full price and you should be too! Here are 5 tips I use for finding great stuff on Craigslist.

Use the Search Bar

We all have our favorite stores right? Well use the name of your favorite store in the search bar. For example, I like the style of West Elm. So when I am searching, I type in West Elm + what ever it is I am looking for. Or, because I look on craigslist for fun (the hubs thinks I'm nuts-0) I simply just type in West Elm and see what pops up.

Spell Things Incorrectly When Searching

One day, I was looking for a crEdenza but I accidentally typed in crAdenza and a bunch of credenzas that I would not have otherwise seen popped up. So when I went looking for a playhouse (1 word) for my daughter for the backyard I tried out a few different scenarios and sure enough the one that ended up being perfect was actually a "play house." (2 words)

Search in Neighboring Cities

We live in Southern California on the very outskirts of a large city. The next large city is only about 30 minutes away. So I often search the neighboring cities and find a ton more options.

Search During the Week for Top Quality Stuff

Every time I wait until the weekend to try to buy or sell something it does not go well. People are busy and in and out during the weekend and it is hard to get them to reply to your email let alone set up a good time to check out the goods. So search during the week. Most people are checking their email regularly during the week and are typically home in the evening hours to set up a time to meet. In fact it is Tuesday right now and I have tried for 2 weekends to sell some dining chairs. Finally I put them on Craigslist yesterday afternoon (Monday) and within 2 hours I had 3 takers. And there is someone on their way over this evening to take them off my hands! Hooray!

Search on Sunday Afternoon for the Best Deals

People that have just finished up having a garage sale will have the stuff they didn't sell for really cheap. You can usually bargain the best with someone on Sunday evening, cause they just want to get rid of whatever they are selling.

Happy Hunting!