Craigslist is an awesome thing. I've bought and sold many items using Craigslist and have honestly never had a less-than-great experience, until now.
I even bought my couch off of Craigslist and drove 3 hours for the privilege. I love my Craigslist couch.
For about 6 months, I've been searching for a dresser for my entryway. It used to look like this …
Now it's completely bare. The table that used to be in there, I moved to the living room under the gallery wall. It works perfectly there. I always thought it was too small for the entryway.
So, I've been on the lookout for a good, cheap dresser on Craigslist to paint and put in the entryway. I wanted something that could be a nice table to fill the space, but also provide some storage.
OK, so back to the Craigslist experience. This time wasn't horrible, but maybe I needed to learn a thing or two. Maybe I've just been lucky or naive and you're laughing at me because you've had to learn some Craigslist lessons along the way. Or maybe you've had great experiences like me and can learn from my mistakes. Either way, hopefully this helps you.
{Safety note: It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: you want to be careful when buying and selling on Craigslist. I follow many safety precautions and always take Coach (my husband) with me or make sure he's home before I let people come and buy something from me.}
Tips for Buying on Craigslist
I learned three valuable lessons on this purchase. Thankfully there weren't more lessons to learn, you know what I mean?
1. Always be willing to walk away.
This is just a basic buying guideline for anything, but it's so basic that we (meaning me) sometimes forget it. If you're going to drive 30 minutes {or 3 hours} to buy something, prepare yourself mentally before you arrive to let that time and gas go if the item isn't the right one. If the quality isn't what you thought it would be, then leave. Be willing to "waste" the time and money it took to get there. We drove 30 minutes to look at this dresser and I was already mentally invested. My walk-away skills were low because I didn't prepare myself mentally.
2. Look at the product in daylight, or at least a well-lit area.
I made the mistake of looking at my dresser in a poorly lit carport after dark. {My hubby was with me and we felt safe.} But what I couldn't see in the shadows was that this left corner had been chewed up by an animal. I didn't see it until we got home and unloaded it. I could have kicked myself for buying something with such major damage.
3. Stick with your gut on the price.
When I arrived to look at the dresser, I quickly saw that the quality wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. I was underwhelmed. And I really didn't think the dresser was worth what the lady was asking. I offered a lower price and she came down a little, but not enough. I should have left then, but I ended up buying it for her lower price so that I didn't feel like I had wasted mine and Coach's time going there.
So, now I have a dresser that isn't great quality and has a chewed-up corner. I'm still going to paint it and see how it looks in the entryway. I'm using my first can of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I've actually already painted something with it, and I love it so far. I can't wait to get started on the dresser and see if it helps me like it more! Who knows, I may love it once it's painted.
Have you ever had Craigslist regrets?
What lessons have you learned from shopping on Craigslist?
Do you want to see the finished dresser? Check it out here!
