1) Craigslist

Why, of course. But there’s more to it than just perusing the FREE section or searching for that specific thing you need.

Where we’ve found really awesome scores are the deals in-between the lines.

Items that need a little love

If you’re handy, you can often snag a great deal from someone who can’t or doesn’t want to fix their item before selling. If you’re up for the challenge, look for things that may need some extra attention (but are not beyond repair). Often these can be free or highly negotiable, so your risk can be minimal.

For example a high-end dishwasher that needs a new motor. I’ve seen these for free, folks just want them gone – but for often less than $100 you can fix it up in just a few hours.

We also saved thousands on a generator this way. The person selling didn’t want to futz with it and gave it to us for a few hundred dollars. Bret’s amazing skills with motors had that puppy purring in no time.

Huge Lots

When I first began my collection of woodworking tools, I was searching for individual items. However, I came across an older gentleman who was retiring and selling all his tools.

I was able to snag a bunch of tools and got a crazy discount because I was taking so much off his hands.

Again, it’s those little things that can add up, so if someone is selling a box of miscellaneous items, often what you pay for the whole box can pay for itself in just one tool. Pass along or get rid of the ones you don’t need.

Same goes for someone who is done with a construction project and has leftover supplies. The items may be random and you might get more than you need – but the overall cost can be far less than purchasing new.

Less-than enticing posts

This one can be really hit or miss, but if I feel I’ve exhausted my search on CL for the items that stand out to me – I start emailing about the ones that perhaps don’t have a photo or much for a description.

It’s a shot in the dark, but I email the seller asking for a photo and more details.

Sometimes they come through with more info. This worked well when I was looking for a specific type of refrigerator where the nice ones went fast and there wasn’t much to choose from.

In this case, I was able to finally score the item because they didn’t have others who were interested (likely given to their unappealing listing).

Proper advertising works well, but also the opposite can work to your advantage.