Craigslist Buying Tips

Previously, I wrote about selling things using Craigslist.   Here, I'd like to talk about buying - kind of a combination of good practices and old fashioned etiquette:

• Use either the search engine or the categories to save time - going through ads one by one is slow 
• When searching, recognize that others may not use the same naming conventions you use - be creative in your search
• Respond immediately if you MIGHT be interested - these things go very fast
• Ask all questions up front - you don't want to waste your time nor the listers
• Even if you call a seller (number is provided in ad), send an email as well - this can help indicate strong interest and will help you find which ad(s) you responded to later when you get responses  - the original ad will be incorporated/linked in the return message as well as in your sent message
• If you are strongly interested and have sufficient information, suggest earliest possible time/date for meeting with lister - recognize that some listers will indicate that if someone can come earlier, they will sell to earliest person to show up with the cash
• If you intend to offer less than asking price, indicate that up-front to determine willingness of lister to sell at that price
• Get address information (double check if using GPS to make sure address is likely to be found or nearest address that would be on GPS) and ask for phone number in case you get lost or need to change plans
• Always tell lister if you change your mind about plan to meet
• Always bring cash - nothing else is acceptable
• Only if item is much less valuable for reasons you can articulate once you see it, offer less if you are still interested

Happy Hunting!