When Are #eBay and #Craigslist Worth It (and When Should I Stay Away)? I know sites like eBay and Craigslist are great for finding deals, but I imagine I shouldn’t use them for everything. Which items are best bought used, and which ones are more trouble than they’re worth? Items You Can Buy on Either eBay or Craigslist Cars. Yeah, you heard me. It seems crazy, but About notes that buying a car on eBay is safer than you’d think, as eBay has a number of protections built in. Similarly, My Money Blog has a good guide to buying on Craigslist. Whatever you do, make sure you spend a few extra bucks to have a mechanic come and check it out before you drive away. Laptops, though there is a lot of debate on this one (surprisingly, moreso than cars). Buying a used desktop computer is easy, and you can replace any parts that might not work up to your standards-but laptops are more prone to accidents, so you have to be a bit more careful. Check out our guide to buying used computers for some tips. Used music albums, movies, and video games. When people are done with them, they unload them for cheap. You can often find recent video games for less than you would in the store, if you’re willing to wait a few months after its come out. Things Best Bought on eBay eBay has a huge selection of almost anything you could imagine, and you can get stuff shipped to you from all over the world. You can’t inspect the items before you get them, but you can track a seller’s reputation before you buy. Here are a few things eBay’s great for: Rare and hard to find items like CDs or vinyl (for which condition isn’t a concern) Refurbished gadgets like smartphones, tablets, and iPods. You can buy used gadgets pretty much anywhere, but if you want something that’s undergone a bit more inspection, there are loads of electronics stores selling refurbished items on eBay. Replacement parts for your gadgets, like a new screen for your cracked iPhone. These are easy as heck to find on eBay, and easy to replace yourself. Clothing. If used properly, eBay is like one giant outlet stores for designer clothes. Blogs like Put This On regularly post good eBay finds, and have their own guide to getting the most for your money. Things Best Bought on Craigslist Craigslist is a slightly different beast than eBay. It doesn’t have the buyer protections that eBay does, but because you do most of the buying and selling in person, it means you can inspect the items yourself. So it’s better for things like: Large items like furniture, exercise equipment, bed frames, and even appliances. These are usually very costly to ship, so you wouldn’t want to buy them on eBay. Large collections of things like comic books, movies, music, or video games. Sometimes people just want to unload their entire collection without going through the work of selling them all individually, so you can get big lots at a good price (that is, if you’re looking for giant boxes of comics or video games to root through). Tools, from things like hammers to shovels to anything else you might need. Most of these things last forever, and you can save a bundle by buying from someone in your neighborhood. Power tools can be worthwhile too, but make sure it isn’t something that becomes dangerous if kept in bad repair. Audio equipment, particularly vintage equipment. We’ve talked about this a few times, but vintage audio equipment is the best way to get audiophile quality on the cheap, and on Craigslist, you can hear the equipment in action before you buy. Things You (Probably) Shouldn’t Buy on Either Site All that said, there are some things you should rarely, if ever, buy used. This includes things like: Anything where safety is a concern, like motorcycle helmets, cribs, car seats, and so on. It’s hard to tell when some of these things are actually in good condition, so you want to get something that’s been inspected and approved. Anything where a repair is more costly than a replacement. That includes HDTVs, as well as DVD players, vacuum cleaners, video cameras, and some other items. When you buy one of these, you want to make sure you get a warranty with them. Plus, as Get Rich Slowly notes, they’re often overpriced anyway. Only buy if you’re getting such a great deal that you wouldn’t mind if it broke a week after you bought it. Food, medical supplements and equipment, or anything that applies to your health. Mattresses. Because ew. This is far from a comprehensive list, and as we said, it isn’t so cut and dry. You may find a perfectly good TV for cheap on Craigslist, for example. But you don’t know until you buy it, and it’s one of the riskier items to buy used. As always, use good judgment, do your research, and watch out for red flags.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 06:21:53 +0000
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