apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We just moved into a new apartment (with a garage!) and I am very excited about being able to refurbish furniture I find at garage sales and re-sell them on Craigslist.

I already have a dresser to start with!

clothes, etc go to the local resale place (for $ or trade)- beacon's closet, small houseware things just get put out on the brooklyn corner, and disappear in 24 hours or less.
big things go on craigslist.
i have one there now!

I think it works against the grassrooots spirit of craigslist for people to flip items and exploit both buyers and legitimate sellers.
In general, I think the craigslist community frowns upon such resellers.

Sorry, misread the post, yes, I sell stuff on craigslist occasionally to both purge and make a bit of money too.

I mistakenly thought the post asked whether you buy stuff on craigslist and resell at a profit (i.e. use craigslist to make money), sorry, that's not what was said.

In all honesty, when I see an amazing deal I snap it up with the intention to double the price and re-sell, usually on craigslist. A case in point is this gilt wheatsheaf coffee table that I scooped up for $99 and re-sold for $225. And bonus, the buyer didn't want the glass, which is in perfect condition, so I ended up with that, too. Thanks Craig!
http://stylenorth.ca/blog/2008/08/extreme-highlow-wheatsheaf-table/

I don't make a business of it (I have a day job, thanks), but if I am looking for something (right now, for example, a dining room table), I will buy something as a temprary solution that I know I can sell shortly thereafter for more. Then I can take time to obsess and find the perfect ____. Usually this involves a longer trip to get it. I leave the city frequently with my car, so I can then get a premium by offering items in the middle of the city that cost much less in the 'burbs.

Love that link "D LIsted Decor, The Worst of Craigslist"

FUNNY.

funnier when i see DLIST stuff for crazy amounts like triple figures!

I sell back on CL stuff don't end up working out for me, and it's much more fun to sell it off with the price you bought it for because they go much faster, and less flakes to deal with.

I use it for purging. Sold most of my belongings before a cross-country move and used all the cash to fill the gas tank and cover hotel costs. Worked brilliantly.

Although, if I had more time to churn out projects I'd probably pick up a few of the free pieces and fix them up for a resale. Is that bad?

I've sold a few things on CL, but usually not things I've purposefully bought to sell. The process is too time consuming for the return I think I'd get. Even things I am just trying to sell for cheap to get rid of cause me to have to deal with numerous questions and run around from flakey buyers and stuff like that. Some of my successes: I did sell a loveseat that I got on the street for $35. The guy was so amazed I was asking so little for it (so I was cursing myself for not charging more) but still, it was basically in the garbage. I also sold a rug I'd bought for $70 and had for 8 years for $40 and an ikea CD rack I'd had for 6 yrs for a good price too (don't remember that so much).

I've sold things on Craigslist - and have been perfectly satisfied with the money I've earned for my used (or in some cases, not so used) items.

However, I've also had little junk and used clothing that I've been more than happy to call "Out of the Closet" to come pick up for a donation.

My tennant found my studio rental on Craig's List. May I just say that my tennangt is one of the genuine and down to earth people I have met. Further proof that good people do happen on Craig's List.

I'd like to thank anyone who does do this! Trolls garage sales and resells on CL. I never get around to garage sales, but I do browse CL. Since I prefer to buy things used, this is a perfect deal for me. I think it's a very green practice.

My boyfriend thought his dresser/mirror wasn't worth more than $50, but I went and put it up for $200 anyway. He was shocked when it sold in less than an hour - the guy happened to have the rest of the set and was missing these pieces! He got it free from a friend at work, so it was a great deal for him.

I found a west elm jay desk for $75, which was a great deal for me since I didn't want to pay full price anyway, but liked the look of the desk.

I think that it's fine to mark up the prices of stuff, especially when ebay-ers are doing the exact same thing. If you know something is only worth x, then why would you pay more? That's just business.

I don't like the idea of flipping. Craigslist is a community. Some of the items I've bought from craigslist were valued by their sellers -- for example, I know the history behind my sofa, even though it wasn't my grandma it belonged to. If I had been planning to turn around and sell it to someone who didn't givva, listening to the story would seem kind of low. Some people have even taken it on themselves to lower their price when they realized my husband and I were students. Again, I'd feel low if I turned around and flipped an item! That said, I do buy temporary solutions on craigslist, and sell them again for whatever I paid. Upgrading/repairing and reselling for a profit is awesome, but buying on craigslist with false pretenses sucks.

total craigslist junkie throwing my hat into the ring for using craigslist as it was intended--for individual sellers to get rid of stuff they've outgrown or that's cluttering up their lives. i won't buy from flippers or dealers--they need to go to ebay.

i also think you need to get rid of your daily craigslist posts. this site has grown to the point it doesn't need the filler. given the number of broken links and double posts, the editors could almost certainly use the time to concentrate on quality instead of quantity.

While downsizing from a big house (1800 sq ft) to move in with me (600 sq ft) - my boyfriend sold a BUNCH of stuff on CL, for quite a nice return - nothing at a profit, but the big goal was to just get stuff moved. It was successful though!

Before moving to France, I sold most of my (old or hand-me-down or Ikea) furniture and a bunch of small kitchen appliances (that wouldn't work here in the EU) on Craigslist.

Then I took that $$ and bought an awesome (and practically new) couch here in Paris (and still have some left over for other fabulous finds) - from someone posting on Craigslist.

So, while I didn't really use it to make $$, I did get some $ for stuff I didn't need/couldn't move AND I got a fantastic deal on something I really wanted and needed.

I *heart* Craig!

I spend more money in Craigs that I actually try to make selling.

I've only given away things for free on CL - vacuum cleaner, box fans, small appliances. I never thought it would be worthwhile for me to buy/sell furniture, which is bulkier and requires transportation. I've always worried about opening up my home to strangers since I live in in NYC.

I do, however make a killing buying selling clothing through Ebay/consignment stores/friends.