craigslist victories & defeats

My relationship with Craigslist could probably best by compared to that of Elaine and Puddy from Seinfield. There are times when I think it's fantastic. I'll make a few dollars when I sell something that is no longer needed or used, and I'll find a few nice items to buy. But, I think more often than not, I'm frustrated. Flakey buyers, overpriced or misrepresented items, and the speed at which the good deals get snatched up, all make me more likely to look for things elsewhere.

Some people swear by Craigslist, and I have one friend in particular who seems to find really fantastic deals all the time. To be honest, I might just not have the patience to deal with the people—it's easier for me to go into a thrift store when it's convenient in my schedule. That doesn't keep my husband from perusing the site on a daily basis. One of his Craigslist victories is the orange fiberglass shell chair in the photo above.

Now onto my biggest Craigslist defeat.

We purchased our current house a few months ago, and when we did, we doubled the square footage that we had previously occupied. We have been wanting a sectional couch for our family room downstairs, since we've only ever had a living room and thus, one couch. I was very eager to find the right sectional (on a next-to-nothing budget), and I let my emotions take over my better judgment.

After days of checking the furniture section of Craigslist hourly, so as to not miss that perfect sectional, I finally found one that seemed to be a good deal. It was a beige microfiber (I know, what was I thinking?) sectional with an ottoman for $350. That was on the high end of what I was willing to pay for used furniture, but it was the best deal I had seen, and the owner claimed that it was nearly new. I proceeded to call him to get a few more details. Is it clean? Yes, he assured me that there were no stains or rips and that the only reason he was selling it was because he was moving out of state.

Here's the part where I think my brain must have left the room. He lived about an hour and a half south of Seattle. He offered to deliver it for the cost of the gas it would take to bring it up here. Okay, sold—yes, sight unseen.

We arranged for the delivery to be the next day. My husband came home for lunch so that he could help move it in the house. Mr. Craigslist showed up on time, but I should have known that my definition of "clean" and his would be slightly different when he stepped out of his truck in sweat pants. Still, my brain was no where to be found. Bring it in guys! Hmm, is that cigarette smoke I smelled? Oh well, here's the cash.

Apparently, my brain had kidnapped my husbands brain, because any sane person would have simply said, sorry for wasting your time, here's some gas money, but we can't purchase this couch. Neither of us said it. Within minutes of Mr. Craigslist leaving, we noticed our family room being filled with the aroma of a dog's rear end. I had forgotten to ask about pets. The couch was filthy. I grabbed some upholstery cleaner and a rag to see if I could make any improvements. After just a few wipes, my white rag was brown and I nearly added the smell of vomit to the couch. To make matters worse, we discovered that the inside supports of the couch were broken.

I called the cleaners who quoted me $200 to remedy my problem. We were faced with dumping more money into a broken, stinky couch, or cutting our losses an re-selling it on Craigslist. We decided the quicker we could get rid of it, the better. I posted a very honest ad, noting that the whole thing smelled and looked like a dog that had never had a bath. I was surprised at how many people actually wanted it. We sold the couch later that day for $75, and we are still sitting on some old chairs plopped in the middle of the room, when we want to watch a movie.

On that note, I have a few tips for buying/selling on Craigslist:

1. Never purchase something without seeing it first.
2. Check the listings often and be patient if you are looking for something in particular.
3. When you respond to a seller, include your phone number in the email to get a quicker response.
4. Never let someone pick something up at your house when you are alone (or alone with your kids). This is especially important for women. I was never very good at sticking to this rule, but my husband has lovingly and firmly put his foot down about it.
5. Never pick something up at someone's house alone. Take someone with you and tell people where you are going.

I want to emphasize the last two points because of a story that I saw on the news last week. There were two separate incidents locally of craigslist related home invasions, and one resulted in a home-owner being murdered. I know it's very rare, but please be extra cautious.