If you need a couch or a bed for your new apartment or home, you may consider turning to Craigslist. This online classified website has a large selection of new and used items for sale, including furniture. Although you are sure to find some good deals on used couches and beds, what are the pros and cons of doing so?
The Pros
Cheap prices! As previously stated, you are likely to find some good deals on Craigslist. This is because most of the sellers aren’t in it to make a profit. They decided to buy a new bed or couch and now they need to do something with their old. What they decide to do is recoup a small amount of the money paid by selling on Craigslist. On average, you should pay less than half the cost of new when buying used.
They are easy to find. Craigslist.org allows you to search or browse the website. Get started by finding your local page (which can be done by choosing your state and city). Then, use the search box on the left-hand side of the page. Whether you are looking for a sofa or a bed, you can find it. In fact, you can find lots of them. For even more choices, download and use a Craigslist search program that allows you to search multiple locations and categories at once (something Craigslist.org does not allow).
The Cons
Bedbugs. Bedbugs are something we don’t want to think about, but we must. It is tricky because some of the cleanest people in the world have bedbugs. You may have heard that in July 2009, Colorado State called off their Great Sofa Roundup because of bedbug fears. This sofa swap went on for nine years before coming to a halt this year. If college administrators are willing to cancel a very successful program because of bedbug fears, it should also be a concern of yours.
Transportation. If you go to lets say Metro Mattress and buy a new mattress, you are likely to get a good deal on delivery. In fact, many stores toss the delivery in free. This isn’t likely to happen on Craigslist. Most sellers will state “you need to come and get the mattress,” right in their posting. This may pose a problem is you drive a little Geo Metro. Your best bet to offer to pay a friend with a truck $10 to help.
As you can see, buying used couches and beds from Craigslist.org does have its pros and cons. If you decide the pros outweigh the cons, remember that you can use a Craigslist search tool to find the best deals with ease and little effort.