Craigslist: Shopping for Used Furniture

Furnishing your home can be extremely time consuming and costly, which is why more and more people are turning to classified ads, such as Craigslist.com, when shopping for new or used furniture. Many times, great bargains can be found if you are willing to take the time to shop around and purchase used furniture for your home. I have made a number of purchases on Craigslist, and have learned a few important lessons during my search for the perfect piece of used furniture. Your local Craigslist truly can be a one-stop-shopping dream for your home, but you need to remember to use common sense and self-control when deciding what items for your home are worth spending your money on.

Do You Really Need More Junk in Your Trunk?:

Bargain shopping can be addicting, and it is very common for people to buy things they neither want nor need simply because they believe the deal is too good to pass up. Before buying any piece of used furniture, make certain it is something you will actually use. Invest the same amount of time researching the piece of furniture that you would invest if you were planning to buy it new. If the brand name of the furniture piece is available, read consumer reviews to get an idea of how well the piece of furniture is built. It is also important to compare the cost of the used item listed on Craigslist with the cost of buying the piece new from the original manufacture. It might not be quite the bargain you believe it to be.

Size Does Matter:

Is the size of the furniture appropriate for your home? Is the item too large for you to pick up and transport home? If the dimensions of the item are not clearly listed in the Craigslist ad, email the seller and ask. It will do you no good to find and buy that perfect piece of furniture you have been looking for if it is too big to fit properly in your home. Some sellers on Craigslist are willing to deliver for an extra fee, even if the ad does not say so. It certainly will not hurt to email and attempt to make delivery arrangements.

Don't Get Stood Up:

It is very important to contact the seller right before leaving to pick up your piece of furniture to ensure it is still available. There is nothing worse than driving across town only to find out the piece was already sold to someone else. Ask the seller to hold the item for you if possible, and remember to be courteous in return. If you make arrangements to collect a piece of furniture and then later change your mind, let the seller know they are free to sell the item to another interested party.

Photo or Not - This Really is a Blind Date:

Do not completely rely on the photos listed with your furniture on Craigslist. There have been reports of images being touched up, and of photos that are several years old being used in ads. Some sellers might decide to use a touched-up photo to lure you to their home, figuring once you have driven all that way you will purchase the piece of furniture even if you are not completely satisfied with its appearance.

Bedbugs and Roaches and Lice - Oh My!:

.. And don't forget the dust mites. There is always the risk when buying used furniture that your items will come with a collection of tiny critters as well. Sofas and mattresses can be infested with bedbugs, dust mites, or lice, and wood furniture can be a hiding place for cockroaches. There really is no way to know for certain if the furniture you are purchasing is infested with any of these nasty pests, so be sure it is a gamble you are willing to make.