Craigslist is an incredible place to find great deals for decorating your home, but unlike going to Ikea or Restoration Hardware, there is no quality control on Craigslist. This means that in exchange for your big savings, there is a little more work that needs to be done on your end to ensure you get those great deals and avoid having a bad Craigslist experience. Here are our five best tips for finding great deals on Craigslist, and how you can implement them when you’re bargain hunting online.
Know Exactly What You Need
Unlike the aforementioned retail chains, Craigslist is not a place you want to blindly browse in search of the items you’re looking for. You could spend all day and never find a thing, or you could end up buying things you don’t need. Craigslist has a search bar for a reason, put it to use! The filtering process on Craigslist is incredibly helpful for setting price limitations, keyword searches, etc. Also, if you’re buying furniture (or anything, really) make sure there are pictures so you don’t waste time tracking down something ugly or defective.
Do Your Research
One of the most important things about Craigslist hunting is doing your research. It is supremely important that before you even begin searching for what you want, you already have in mind the market value of the item, the price to buy something similar from a retail store, and of course – your budget. Armed with all of this knowledge, you can feel great entering a discussion with a seller about their item and ensure that you leave with the best possible value
Put Tech To Work For You
Craigslist is a website, but if you’ve ever used it before you probably know that it is about as basic as basic gets. The user interface gets the job done, but it still looks like a website that was built in the mid-90s. If you want to amp up your Craigslist experience, the Craigslist app is a great place to start. The interface is more visually appealing and it also makes searching much more user-friendly. Another great online tool for the Craigslist power user is IFTT, which allows you to set up alerts for certain phrases and parameters on listings as they’re posted so you can always be the first to respond for the item you want!
Always Inspect the Item
You never want to approach a Craigslist purchase as a done deal until the item is in front of you, because you never know exactly what kind of shape it will be in when you finally see it. If a couch that you thought was worth $200 based on the pictures turns out to have cat scratches all down the back or tears on the cushions, the price will need to be adjusted. Be sure to take your time with the inspection and don’t let the seller rush you, if they’re being pushy they could have something to hide. Most sellers will understand the need for inspection and allow you the time to look something over before money changes hands.
Be Safe!
Above all else, this is the most important tip of all. If you decide to meet a Craigslist seller, be sure to pick a public place and avoid traveling to their home if possible. If you must visit the home of a Craigslist seller (to pick up furniture, for example), be sure to leave his or her name, phone number, and address with a friend and/or bring someone along. It is also important that you never send money ahead of time for something before you actually receive the item. These warnings are not meant to alarm anyone, because millions of problem-free transactions take place around the world every day between people who found each other on Craigslist, but it can never hurt to take small precautions! If you’re shopping on Craigslist, happy hunting and be safe! And once you’ve found all the decorative pieces for your home, be sure to call us at Closet & Storage Concepts of Las Vegas to help you get organized!