Back to Craigslist

Four years ago we were knee deep in Craigslist. We were photographing and listing many of our belongings for what turned out to be immediate sale. Of course, there were items that were duds. But, overall, we unloaded a bunch of stuff quickly and easily on this nifty little website.

Fast forward four years and we are back at Craigslist again. But, this time it's different.

We're buying.

I've been cruising Craigslist Kansas City for awhile now. I just wanted to get a sense of what is available here. Hardgoods are a plenty. So, I've been focusing on finding things for our master and guest room and tables for our family room.

Yesterday, I spotted a nifty master bedroom set. King size. Simple styling. Espresso finish. Five pieces. A real bargain.

Splendid.

I fired off an email to inquire if the set, which had been posted a week and half ago, was still available. I added that it would be a couple of weeks before we would be able to pick the set up should we decide it was for us. I gave the seller the opportunity to give us a pass.

Instead, she said it was perfect. They were selling their bedroom set to prepare for the arrival of a set from her parents, which was scheduled to arrive in mid-June. She was more than happy to wait a few weeks for us to take delivery. We scheduled a time for us to take a look this afternoon.

We made the pilgrimage to the western suburbs, to the land of great big houses and itty bitty lawns. It made my stomach turn. But, we weren't there to buy a house. We were there to shop for furniture. We pulled up in the steep driveway and rang the bell.

The cute little couple introduced themselves. She was wearing a Kansas t-shirt, which provided an ice breaker about our shared alma maters. We made polite conversation with the strangers. With the ice appropriately broken, we finally went upstairs.

The furniture was fine. Beautiful. Ten years old with a hardly noticeable scratch or dent or two. It would definitely work. Paul shot them an offer and they countered. Within a minute we had all agreed on a price that was exactly what we all probably originally intended. It's quite a game.

We left them a deposit and went on our way. We'll be back in a couple of weeks to take delivery. Meanwhile, we know this young couple is experiencing the same joy we did four years ago. They've realized that Craigslist is a great place to sell stuff.

Lucky for us, now we know it's also a great place to buy.