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You're probably expecting today's post to be an actual DIY project (you know, since the name calls for it and all). Instead, today I'm going to share a post which focuses on the project before the project, in other words, perfecting the hunt for that piece of furniture or bric-a-brack item that you plan to re-do or DIY.
Enter Craigslist. We've all utilized Craigslist at one time or another – bought, sold, searched, browsed – you name it. I find myself on Craigslist about once every week or two, just aimlessly browsing, hoping to find treasure but never actually strike gold. I usually get frustrated with it's UI, having to read each link, then the click into each page in order to decide if the item is worthy for purchase. It's quite tedious and I usually give up within 20 minutes.
Meet Susan of Maple & Magnolia. Susan is a passionate DIYer who loves to share, teach, inspire, encourage, and entertain her readers through the projects she shares on her blog. Susan rocked my world after reading her recent post – Top 5 Tips for Finding Craigslist Treasures. Keep reading and you'll see exactly what I mean…
Susan explains it all so perfectly, I've decided to quote her word for word:
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1. Craigseasy. If you do not use this free tool, then you are wasting tons of valuable time! Craigseasy makes it possible to search quickly by scrolling through photos rather than clicking on individual posts. Did I mention it’s FREE???
(more about how craigseasy works in number 3…)
2. Search OFTEN.
If you pop on to craigslist once a month, chances are not that great that you will strike gold. It’s simple probability, people. Search often and your odds of finding treasure increase exponentially.
3. Search SMART.
Let’s say you are looking for vintage industrial stuff. First, go to craigslist.org and navigate to your location. On the left-hand side, enter your search terms in the box.
The reason I don’t go to the antiques, furniture or household categories is because I want to grab all of the vintage industrial stuff out there. I don’t limit my search unless I’m looking for something very specific.
Entering this search criteria, brought up 123 items for me. But I want to narrow it a bit. The best way to do this is to enter your top price. If you knowyou won’t pay more than a certain amount for a piece, then enter it so you don’t waste time weeding through more expensive pieces.
That cut the list down to 100 items and now it looks like this:
If I want to view these items, I will need to click on the links one at a time.VERY TIME CONSUMING!
But I use craigseasy, so here is how I view the items:
I can scroll through 100 items lickety-split!
4. CALL.
If there is a phone number on the listing and it’s a piece you REALLY want,CALL. Don’t email. This is how I got these pieces…
5. See the potential beyond the seller’s crappy photo.
99.9% of the photos that sellers post on craigslist are crap. Don’t dismiss items with potential because of that. Look beyond. Case in point…the original listing photo of my surveyor’s cabinet was horrible. It was taken inside of a garage and was very small and hard to make out the details. But through my squinting, I saw real potential there.
It paid off, because this is my favorite craigslist find ever.
Well, actually it’s probably a tie with this piece. Another craigslist find.
And here’s a bonus tip for you. Always negotiate.
Always offer less, but do it as nicely as possible. For example, if I find a table that I like and they are asking $75, I will email and say…”Hi there. I’m very interested in the table that you have for sale on craigslist. Would you be willing to take $60 for it? If so, I can pick it up tomorrow.” Nine times out of ten, they accept. Occasionally, they will counter. Rarely people will say no. Then I decide whether it’s worth the full asking price to me.
So there you have it…my top tips for finding craigslist treasure. I hope it will help you score that wonderful piece you’ve been searching for!
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Thank you Susan for letting me share your Craigslist secrets!
