My first Craigslist purchase was a walkman. New, this would have been at least twenty dollars, but I was hoping to find a great deal on Craigslist for about half the price, so I began my search. I left in disbelief, but I came back to make more purchases from the Craigslist website. It’s so great!
The Craigslist interface was very simple and efficient. I set the location – Consect – and it covers the entire major metro area, so I didn’t have the trouble of looking at each city individually. One thing I really liked was that I could type in “walkman” and search through all the genres and pull up every hit. I found that it was “walking” in emails by some, and posted in furniture or general categories by others, so the search function really helped me find what I was looking for.
Complete the transaction
The purchase I made on Craigslist was quick and easy. The woman who sold the stroller was upfront about one drawback – she couldn’t find headphones and she was an experienced salesperson. We met in the Perkins parking lot, exchanged 3 dollars for walkers and chatted for about 15 minutes. I couldn’t have asked for a better deal!
Tips for first-time Craigslist buyers
Use secondary email. I think this is common sense, but sometimes a contact is not entered, I use a secondary email account to protect myself from spam. I recommend this for any online purchase.
Treat it like a garage thing. Most Craigslist sellers I’ve dealt with are clearing out their best used items for a few bucks rather than having a garage sale. Don’t expect a refund at a garage sale, and the same types of unwritten rules apply to most Craigslist businesses. .
You don’t need an account. This is one of my favorite parts of Craigslist. There is no need to create an account, remember a password or give personal information.
Conclusion – highly recommended
When I started to think it would be a waste of time, I took a chance on Craigslist and went back to buy a lamp for ten dollars and got a kneeling chair for free. All mine are in good condition and it’s worth at least the two times I paid for it.
