We were hoping to find a cooktop on Craigslist to save ourselves a little bit of cash. After weeks of scouring Craigslist, we finally found one. It was exactly what we were looking for. I would say it retails about about $700-800 and we paid $240 for it. The only reason the previous owner was selling it was because he preferred to cook with gas, and this stovetop is electric. Score for us!
We quickly removed our vintage pink cooktop and installed our new shiny black one. It is such an improvement, even with our ugly green countertops.
After purchasing this cooktop I’ve realized we’ve gotten some really great items from Craigslist (our washer and dryer, Isla’s dresser and my beloved pink velvet chair) and they’ve turned out to be just what we were looking for.
My quick tips on buying via Craigslist:
- Be specific in what you’re looking for. In this instance we were looking for a 30″ electric cooktop.
- Search CL every day. If you live in a smaller town you might consider checking the CL sites of nearby cities. If the price is right, it might just make sense to drive out of your way to pick up your items.
- E-mail the seller immediately. You cannot wait and “think about it” when you’re working with CL. Believe me, I’ve lost out on some great items because I didn’t jump on it.
- Don’t purchase an item unless it’s in awesome condition. If it is an item to be reupholstered, painted, etc. make sure the structure is good. Don’t plan on replacing broken drawers, or springs, etc. You know you’ll never do it and it’s (most likely) not worth it.
- Ask the seller if he/she is flexible on the price when you make your initial inquiry. This will give you some bargaining room when you meet the seller. We got a small $10 discount on this cooktop just for asking if it was OK to bring $20′s and make it an even $240.
- Never go to the seller’s home alone- especially if you are female.
- Plan on paying for the item using cash. If you’re pretty sure you want the item I would bring the cash with you, otherwise the seller will want to sell the item to the first person willing to pay for it and cart it away.
Love the tips! So glad the cooktop from CraigsList worked out for you and you were able to get in the snow storm.
Awesome finds! We have found some great things via Craigslist. A Jenny Lind style changing table for the little one… an IKEA Ektorp couch in great condition, my mountain bike… By far, my favorite find was our dishwasher. We needed (wanted) a dishwasher last fall after we remodeled our kitchen, and our budget was basically zero since it was an “emergency” project to do the room. I wanted a specific type of dishwasher – one with a stainless steel interior and very quiet when running. I hopped onto Craigslist every few days, searching for a ‘stainless steel dishwasher.’ About three weeks into my search, I eventually found a Bosch dishwasher listed for $25. (I thought it was a typo-surely they meant $250!) The couple we purchased it from was remodeling their kitchen and their contractor had purchased a new stainless appliance package, otherwise they would have kept it. I couldn’t believe it was still available, as the ad was a few days old – I think no one took it seriously because it lacked a photo. So my tip is definitely follow up on items even if they don’t have a photo posted!