so frustrated with craigslist!!

[♥ms.pacman♥]

argh, i freaking hate my local CL. in the past, i've never been able to get any good deals, so normally i don't bother. but for the past week i've been searching it since i really want to get a nice glider/rocker (one for my DD's room, so i can nurse/rock her) and i don't want to pay $500+ for a new one. well, i'm so sick of sending out emails and them not being answered (even when the ad was posted a couple days before), or finally finding something posted the same day but then being told that there are already X people lined up to see it. ugh. i guess you have to be pretty quick in spotting things but with a newborn and a toddler, i don't have the time to sit at a computer all day and stalk it just to attempt to be the first to see something & snap it up.

DH already wants to give up and go to BRU and pay $600 for a brand new one. at first i thot he was ridiculous (since we already paid that for the Dutalier in DS's room) but at this point i think we may just do that. in the past 've never been successful in getting any good deals on CL, and after i've tried stalking it for various things (learning tower, baby einstein jumper,etc) but i always end up buying brand new bc there are no good deals to be found (and often times i find a better price on a brand new item!) it frustrates me though, i always read on here these amazing deals that people have gotten on CL, and every time i try to find something i end up with squat.

[momm]

Oh no I'm sorry you're frustrated.

Can you sign up to receive emails or text messages when a keyword appears on craigslist? Then you don't have to stalk.

Hope you get a good one real soon. Sorry

ETA - many phones have apps that notify you when a specific keyword is posted. Good luck!

[twowhat?]

Try a consignment store like kid to kid or once upon a child - every time I go in I see one. GL!

[wellyes]

Try an ISO post.
And subscribe by RSS to your keyword search (just do the search, scroll to the bottom of the results and the option is right there). Fastest, easiest way o learn about deals.

[Pennylane]

Sorry for your frustration, Craigslist makes me crazy too!

I would post an ISO. I've had lots of luck finding things that way.

Good luck,

Ann

[♥ms.pacman♥]

thx everyone. i forgot about the RSS feed, i used to use that ages ago when i would search for things on ebay. i just set one up.

and about Once Upon A Child, i had forgotten about them too. though i called the one close to my house and they said they don't have any gliders/rockers, they only get one in once a month or so. will check other places though. i did call Kid to Kid and they had a glider there for $100, but when we got there to check it out, it was pretty short, and did not recline. i will keep checking these places though.

and i don't have a smartphone, but i have an ipod and will check out any of the CL apps. an app with notification or whatever would be really cool. i guess that's what everyone around here must be using, which would explain why i always miss out on every single thing i inquire about.

[Pear]

I rarely find good deals on kids stuff at CL. Most of the time if something is even in fair shape they are asking close to the price of new. It's easier to just go to the store or buy it on Amazon and it shows up on my doorstep.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

I rarely find good deals on kids stuff at CL. Most of the time if something is even in fair shape they are asking close to the price of new. It's easier to just go to the store or buy it on Amazon and it shows up on my doorstep.

yay, so i'm not the only one! yes, this has totally been my experience too. for example, last year when i wanted to get a Baby Einstein jumper for DS, i turned to CL since i read several ppl on here say how they are able to get jumpers for $20-$30. well, on my CL all the decent BE jumpers (the ones with all functioning parts) were all going for $60-70 used (WTF, the retail price was $90). so i eventually gave up and just went to BRU with a 20% off coupon and got a brand new one for $75. was a lot easier, i got a brand new one and i didn't have to drive an hour to some random person's house to get it.

[happymomma]

I totally agree with you. I wanted to buy DD a bike and tried craigslist. I sent emails to about 6 people and only one person emailed me back. So I ended up just going out and buying a new bike. They were also selling for pretty high price compared to retail.

[crl]

I have found CL to be vey hit and miss. I bought ds' first bike plus a three wheel scooter for $30. But no luck with bigger size bikes. I found a great bouncy for $15, but zero luck with a Tripp trapp. And so on. It is that way for me selling too. Sometimes I get full price right away with no issues and sometimes I get flakes and sometimes stuff just does not sell even though I've priced it cheap.

Catherine