There are times when checking your local ads will get you some great deals. Whether you’re looking for something used or something that’s brand new you should definitely check Craigslist before you make a decision.
People are sometimes surprised when I tell them you can find great deals on Craigslist for new items everyday. I usually get a response like “I thought Craigslist was just for used stuff.” While that’s mostly true you can also find new items up for sale every single day. The best part is that these new items are usually selling for lower (or much lower) than the retail prices you were going to pay.
How do new things sell on Craigslist for less than anywhere else?
So you might be wondering how it’s possible to find a new TV that retails for $600 for sale on Craigslist for $450. How is that possible? Well, when you see this type of thing it’s usually because of two things.
It’s either that the person bought the item and then decided they didn’t want it or they’re a reseller. The reason doesn’t really matter to you, but knowing why such deals come about could make you feel more secure in making the purchase.
People do it all the time. It’s likely that you have something somewhere that still has the tags on it, still in the box it came in, still new and never used. It happens to the best of us. We buy things we think we need or want and then decide we don’t want them anymore. Then we look for the receipts to return them but they’re nowhere to be found. Or, maybe it’s been too long and you’ve passed your allotted time to make a return to the store. So what are you to do with these things? Sell them on Craigslist of course!
Resellers making money on Craigslist and saving you money
The other main reason why someone will be selling something new on Craigslist is because they’re a reseller. More than likely the person bought the item at a wholesale price or some sort of spectacular deal and they’re trying to profit off of it. It’s ok that they’re profiting because they will also have better prices than retail and allow you to save money too.
Of Course, you want to get in on the spectacular deal at the source and save the most money, but that’s not always possible. It takes time, work, and effort to get in on these deals and you might be better off spending that time elsewhere. However, it doesn’t take that much time for you to do a quick search on Craigslist to see if an item you want is for sale. It could save you a couple hundred dollars and all you needed to do was look.
Before you buy from Craigslist though you should make sure that you’ve searched online for deals. It could be that you can also get in on a spectacular deal. Don’t just assume that anything for sale on Craigslist is a deal. Sometimes they are and sometimes they’re not. A quick google search should give you the answer to that.