styleNorth

I frequently get requests for a Craigslist primer, which I’ve resisted until now, mostly because I feel like it’s preaching to the converted. On the other hand, I often hear from readers who say that my Craigslist-related posts are among their favourite styleNorth offerings. So, dear readers, what follows are the humble insights of a man who has sold and bought and resold a house-worth of furniture on “the list”, including most of the furnishings featured here.

My first tip is a must; you MUST download Craigstoolbox for Firefox, which lets you browse Craig’s furniture ads by viewing thumbnails of all the merch without having to click through on a link (see above). It’s like turbo-charging the list. I don’t know how Mike and I furnished our home without this plug-in; somehow we managed but I’d never do it again.

A Chinese folding screen makes a dramatic headboard and cost just $200 on Craigslist.

The only way to make out like a bandit on Craigslist is to surf often. The best stuff gets snapped up almost immediately so you have to be quick on the trigger and that means checking in with the list several times a day if you’re really serious about scoring.

Be an Early Bird
Some of my best “wins” have been early on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Mature, early-to-rise types, often downsizing empty-nesters with great vintage belongings, are posting at this hour; you’ll also be among the first buyers to see the previous night’s ads.

Use the Craigslist search feature creatively; you’ll often do better with keywords like “chrome,” “rosewood” or “mid-century” than you will with broad category words like “dining” or “bedroom.” If I’m looking for coffee tables I only search using “coffee”; including the word tables turns up too many hits.

And speaking of searches–when scrolling the furniture listings you can eliminate items being sold by dealers and those with no picture provided.

Haggling
Haggling is second nature to me but if an item is well-priced to begin with I don’t even consider it. We found our vintage chrome and brass bar cart, left, on the list for just $15 and the seller told me someone actually turned up and offered him $12 for it. The seller threw the cheapskate out empty-handed; his loss, my gain.

If you do want to make an offer that’s lower than the asking price, the time to do so is during the email or telephone exchange. I personally find it quite rude when someone makes an appointment to see an item and then starts a negotiation dance.

Ask very directly about the condition of an item; when pressed most sellers will be straight with you about whether there any rips, tears or cracks in something. Similarly, ask for “accurate” dimensions—I once drove from Toronto to the western edge of Mississauga to buy a tabletop that turned out to be the wrong size because the seller hadn’t bothered to measure properly. Boy, was I pissed.

If you go to see something but can’t take it with you then and there, offer the seller half the price in cash and pay the balance when you return to collect it. Most sellers will agree to this condition.

Hollywood Regency-style chairs weren't cheap--$400 for the pair on Craigslist--but they're beautifully made in fruitwood and would cost twice as much from an antiques dealer if you could find ones like them.

Be Courteous
If you make an appointment to go see something, for heaven’s sake honour your commitment. If you can’t make it or are running late, call the seller to let him/her know. Always pull a Google map before setting out and take the seller’s phone number with you just in case. I’ve burned myself by going without these critical pieces of information.

And finally don’t be afraid to walk away from something if it’s not what you were expecting. The seller probably has several other takers in line and you are under no obligation just because you booked an appointment to see the piece. I’ve been on both ends of these tire-kicking episodes and I take no offence, it’s just part of the Craigslist game.

Add your own Craigslist tips in the comments. I’ll do a follow-up post specifically about selling on CL in the next week or two.

Be Sociable, Share!

•