Craig's list

Frank Fusco

Member
Messages
12,782
Location
Mountain Home, Arkansas
Until seeing references here, I had never heard of Craig's list.
Very interesting and potentially useful site, I'll be checking frequently.
Couple interesting things about it. When I saved to my Favorites, a 'chicken-track' peace icon came up on my computer. And, it is 25% owned by eBay.
 
There was a story on the news about a year ago...

The list was started and run by a guy in San Francisco. I got the impression that he didn't plan to sell it to the many corporations that wanted a piece. Sounds like that has changed.
 
I have purchase several items on craigslist, and check it on a regular basis.

An almost new PC-690LR, with case ($65), and a PC "D" handle, new in box ($50) A 4yr old, rarely used, Delta RAS complete with stand. ($100)
A double hutch set, all real wood, build in Tennesee, excellent condition. ($400) An Ethan Allen table, like new ($65) A kitchen hutch, all wood, also made in Tennesee, dovetailed drawers, ($100)
A like new Janome sewing machine ($75) A like new Hitachi Heavy duty 8" grinder ($80)

My latest purchase: 4year old Delta BS220LS 12" band saw, again in like new condition ($175)



You can find great deals there, but not always...know what you want, and it's value... If you want it, make an appointment to see, but bring cash if it is "as advertised".

As far as e.bay owning 25%, they bought it from one the the original 4 founders... One left the company, and is probably the selller.
 
Frank,

craigslist was started out of need for consultants in Silicon Valley, by a guy in San Fransisco. At one time during the dot-bomb era, it was considered one of the premier sources for consulting jobs (ba-jobs), along with DICE and now Monster.

What it turned into was a free classified that is moderated by the user base. IOW, if you think an ad is SPAM, you can flag it, if a certain number of users mark it as SPAM, it will be removed. The system seems to work.

I have bought and sold many things on craigslist, including many woodworking tools, blacksmith tools, and even sold an old upright bass to a guy back in PA who found the ad by googling for American Standard basses.

It's a mixed bag though, in my experience. There are excellent deals, and then there are lousy deals. I find most fall in one of those categories, and there's a lot of craftsman tools for sale on there in my area, so you have to weed that out with the good tools.

For the most part, I find better deals on craigslist than I do on ebay, although I've gotten some great tools in my area off ebay, it just requires more patience.

craigslist typically requires local pick-up, and gives the buyer the local advantage.

Just sold my table saw overnight on craigslist, awaiting pick-up. The good deals go quick, the so-so deals continue to be listed over and over, in my experience.
 
From what I hear it is very regional too. It is not used much here. But that is where I found my Queen City grinder. I watch it fairly close and try to remember to check it everyday. But in my area is doesn't see much traffic and deals don't go to quick. So it's probably better for the buyer here.
 
I check Craigslist rather frequently, and have bought a number of decent tools and other things on the cheap - or for free. There's lots of junk too - Harbor Freight stuff and worn-out contractor tools - but at least you can deal locally and look it over before you buy. The city I live in is large enough that its Craigslist page gets plenty of activity, but pages for smaller communities don't get a lot of traffic. I find it to be a great way to get rid of stuff. I can't count the number of times I've gotten rid of some old item that would otherwise end up in the trash. Last week I posted an ad giving away a 1970s-era color TV (working), and got 11 responses within an hour or so.

It's good entertainment sometimes. Just read some of the "Best Of Craigslist" postings. And the personal ads are a real freakshow (not workplace-friendly, BTW, and certainly not for the kids).

I've read that it's becoming a bit of a thorn in the side of newspapers that rely on classified ad revenues. You can post for free (with photos) and the ad will show up in minutes, not next week. Craigslist's terms of service prohibits certain items that will get flagged, e.g., firearms, drugs, pets for sale (free adoptions are OK), illegal items, etc. Basically anything else can be bought/sold.

Just be careful: surfing Craigslist can become addicting.

Cheers,

Kevin
 
I like Craigslist. Just sold a DeWalt scrollsaw. Too heavy to ship economically, so EBay was out. I usually put my old tools on Craigslist for about 50%-70% of retail. Met a lot of interesting people. Bought a wheelbarrow and a long ladder. The good thing about Craigslist is that you actually see the buyer and the merchandise before you buy, so if you get taken - its your own darn fault.:rolleyes:

There are some scams on C-List though. There's a guy who posts fairly often claiming to have a Kubota tractor or something like that. Every time he posts, he's in a different town I never heard of. Conveniently, he's in the trucking busness and will happily ship it for free as soon as your $5000 check clears:eek: :eek: There's one born every minute, huh?
 
Never cruised it much. Prefered Ebay I guess.

Sparked my interest again though.:huh: I'll go look again.:type:
 
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