What's your best Craigslist deal?

[SmallCityDave]

Tell us about your "best" Craigslist deal - by best it doesn't necessarily mean monetarily.

Keep in mind this was a few years ago when people on CL answered their phone and responded to emails. I'm not mechanically inclined but I do like everything with an engine, I find my strength is being able to identify a good value whether it's a camera or a house and I enjoy buying, selling & negotiating. As a general rule I don't buy stuff to "flip" I buy stuff I like such as cars or motorcycles to enjoy but I know myself and I normally don't keep them very long so when I buy something I want to make sure I won't lose too much.

Anyway I was looking for a small economical commuter car something like a Honda Civic, I find a Dodge Ram with a Hemi that I don't need but the deal was "too good to be true" so to satisfy my curiosity I call the guy and he's real and it's not a scam I drive 80 miles to look at this truck and it's better than expected. I bought the truck for $6500 I kept it for 2 years and sold it for $10500 a few months later I buy the same make and model but 2 years older with "patina" for $3000.

 

[bloom2708]

I scan Craigslist and similar for mis-priced items. It doesn't happen too often.

Craigslist has enough traffic that deals are hard to get unless you see early and pounce fast. I find better deals on nextdoor.com usually.

On Craigslist I bought a Surly Long Haul Trucker bike that was a XL frame size for $400. Like new. They routinely sell for $1,200+ on eBay and the large frame sizes are more rare. I still have the bike and have added on some nice trekking additions.

On Nextdoor.com I purchased an Onkyo receiver, 5.1 Paradigm speaker package and speaker stands, cables, wires for $100. An older female was selling. She said her son installed it and it was too complicated for her. She ripped it all out and stacked it in the corner of her garage. I felt a little bad, but it sat on nextdoor classifieds for several weeks before I messaged. The receiver was $500 new and the Paradigm speaker package was $1,200 just a few years ago. I set it up in our basement family room and enjoy it daily.

Every now and then I find a mis-priced item at our 2 closest thrift stores. Last summer I bought a set of TaylorMade irons, left handed for $20. Sold them on eBay for $350.

These type of things are rare, but fun to look for them. Not going to make/break our retirement, but a good distraction.

 

[CindyBlue]

My 2006 Toyota Tundra V-6. The seller was just a good guy who needed to get a bigger truck, who had all the records and was scrupulously honest about the truck's condition (confirmed by my local Toyota dealer.) He wasn't trying to get a lot of money, just what he thought it was worth to him...and I got it for thousands below its going rate. I had to replace the condenser and fix the air conditioning, re-do the brakes and get new tires. It has a few scratches and dings, which is fine with me - I use it for work around the place. I love driving it. I love my truck!

 

[bolt]

My 'treasure' (mispriced-items) hunting has waned.
Recognizing an elephant for .10cent is only worth it if ones looking for an elephant

However, I applaud your outcome SmallCityDave w/the 'patina'ed ...free-be!
In some states the title cost, sales tax, annual excise tax, annual sticker & registration, insurance & whatnot add up negating many vehicle deals.

I've found many deals on CL in its free section.
Last was a near new set of tires.
Good luck & Best wishes...

 

[skipro33]

My best craigslist deals are buying something I need to do a job I'd have to contract out because of the cost of the tools, then reselling for same or even more than I paid. Here's an example;
We wanted to tile the countertop in the laundry room. Contractor wanted $800. We bought the tiles from the 'Restore' Habitat for Humanity resell place where contractors and others donate unused goods they either over bought or ended up not needing. That cost $20. Then I bought a tile saw on craigslist for $300. Got How-To Tile book from the library. A sheet of plywood, some mortar and some grout added another $50.
When the job was done, I relisted the saw on craigslist. Final cost was under $100 and my time and effort. Tile work isn't hard, not with youtube videos and a willingness to try new things.

 

[Freedom56]

I sold my Vectrex video game system from 1984 that I bought for $29.99 at a store liquidation sale and sold it for $200 on Craigslist about 10 minutes after I listed it. It was sitting in a box inside a closet for decades and still worked well and was in near mint condition. The lady that bought it collects vintage video games and was happy with her purchase. So I guess we both got great deals.

 

[SmallCityDave]

My 'treasure' (mispriced-items) hunting has waned.
Recognizing an elephant for .10cent is only worth it if ones looking for an elephant

However, I applaud your outcome SmallCityDave w/the 'patina'ed ...free-be!
In some states the title cost, sales tax, annual excise tax, annual sticker & registration, insurance & whatnot add up negating many vehicle deals.

I've found many deals on CL in its free section.
Last was a near new set of tires.
Good luck & Best wishes...

I find the best deals when I'm not looking for them so if I get it great if not no big deal.



10 years ago a guy had 2 Honda motorcycle with trailer listed at a very low I thought it was a misprint when I went to look he couldn't start 1 one of them but I could tell he was honest. I told him I'm here I have the money I'm willing to buy everything but I can't pay the asking price because 1 bike doesn't run he gave it a minute and sold them to me. The bikes were perfect for me and my son (after I sprayed ether into the carb) but we didn't ride them so within a month I sold the smaller bike then trailer for the the price of the entire package, I had the bigger bike for another few months before selling it.

 

[SmallCityDave]

My 2006 Toyota Tundra V-6. The seller was just a good guy who needed to get a bigger truck, who had all the records and was scrupulously honest about the truck's condition (confirmed by my local Toyota dealer.) He wasn't trying to get a lot of money, just what he thought it was worth to him...and I got it for thousands below its going rate. I had to replace the condenser and fix the air conditioning, re-do the brakes and get new tires. It has a few scratches and dings, which is fine with me - I use it for work around the place. I love driving it. I love my truck!

Those older Toyota Trucks are great, it's hard to pinpoint what it is but they are just fun trucks. I had an older Toyota T100, not the best looking truck but just a great running, well engineered "honest" vehicle.

 

[blueskyk]

I scooped up a giant drafting table with an electric foot pedal that raises or lowers it. I can make it flat like a table, or slant it up to nearly vertical then tap the foot pedal to get the height I want. At $100, I was thrilled! It is the centerpiece of my art studio.

 

[bolt]

Do not think I do not agree w/you SCDave.
But storing the stuff (imo) becomes burdensome.
I repaired, bought & sold, and flipped vehicles for an odd 50yrs as secondary income stream I had the ability & knowledge to do.
================to address your OP=======
I purchased a few-watersports items, 0.50cent ea.
I've no recollection when or where, brand new in pkg's, numerous yr's ago.
Past few days I needed one, it would have cost 10-12bucks and I had them in my watersports bag @ .50cents the last 24hrs.
Work out well imo.
Good luck & best wishes......

 

[harley]

I picked up a DeWalt Tabletop 13" Planer in excellent condition for $50. That was the best.

When we bought a house in FL I used CL to duplicate some of my tools with cheaper versions. A Crapsman Tablesaw, a workbench, some ladders, etc. They were decently priced, and I'll probably be able to get 75-90% of my money back when I sell them again.

But I haven't been able to find much good value on CL recently. People seem to have started pricing their stuff pretty high, and I'm not up to searching for value. So I don't look there very often anymore.

 

[Ronstar]

I picked up a DeWalt Tabletop 13" Planer in excellent condition for $50. That was the best..

Excellent planer! And at a great price.

 

[stepford]

I've done many deals on Craigslist over the last 20 years. It replaced (and greatly expanded on) the now-defunct Recycler which I had used to buy and sell stuff since my youth.

I've bought and sold cars, trucks, bikes, machine tools, all kinds of camera gear and god knows what else. My most memorable deal was probably buying an expensive Canon telephoto lens from a paparazzo in the old Tower Records parking lot in Hollywood - not so much because I got a great deal (though I did), but because of the hilariously furtive "drug deal gone wrong" vibe of the whole affair. Good times indeed.