Are you a fan of the classified website Craigslist.org? I am! There are lots of great deals to be found. Unfortunately, snatching up too many good deals on Craigslist can burn a hole in your wallet. So, how can you avoid going broke thanks to Craigslist?
Only Buy Things You Need
Raise your hand if you have bought something on Craigslist that you really didn’t need. Yep, raise your hand because we have all likely done it. I have two empty dressers that are sitting here unused, but I didn’t want to pass them up because they were only $5 each. I keep telling myself one day… I will use them! If even you only spend $5 on an item that you don’t really need, that five dollars could easy add up to a couple hundred dollars by the end of the year.
Free Isn’t Always Free
Deal seekers like to scoop up free things listed on Craigslist just because they are free. This is ideal, but you are still spending money. You still have to drive to pickup the item in question. So, make sure the freebie is even worth it. For curb alerts, where items are just placed by the curb on a first come first serve basis, it is best to act quick. You do nothing but waste gas and time by driving to pickup the items only to learn that someone beat you there.
Compare Prices
A lot of us (myself included) don’t price compare when buying on Craigslist because we automatically assume we are getting the best deals. However, this isn’t always true. Since eBay has raised their fees, some sellers find it impossible to make money and many of these sellers have turned to Craigslist and they are in it to make a profit. You also get the occasional sellers who don’t understand that used should automatically mean a discount off the original selling price. If looking for a desk, you should have at least four or five to choose from and that is only if you live in a small city. Compare the other desk listings on Craigslist.org to ensure the prices are inline. Avoid anything that is too high.
Download a Craigslist Search Program
Craigslist search programs do cost money, so you may wonder how they prevent you from going broke. They enable you to search more locations and categories at once (something Craigslist.org doesn’t do). You can also edit your lists to eliminate items that are poor in quality or too expensive, giving you a shorter list to price compare. Good deals don’t go quick on Craigslist, so you need to search quickly and often to find them. Craigslist search programs allow you to do that.
Carefully read all used car listings on Craigslist.org. After performing a search, you will see a list of for sale vehicles that had your search phrase in their listing or headline. For example, if you searched for Mustangs, you will see a list of all for sale Ford Mustangs in your area. You want to click on each headline for more information. Don’t just focus on the price, but the quality too. Your goal should be to get a quality car, truck, van, or jeep for an affordable price.
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