You know how much I love Craigslist — right?
Not only did we buy and sell our house on Craigslist, we also purchased the majority of our home’s contents on Craigslist, and I even wrote a mini blog series all about buying and selling on Craigslist.
Craigslist is one of my favorite online shopping sites for a reason. However, since Dave and I are challenging ourselves not to spend any extra money in the month of May (more about that challenge here) I can’t shop my beloved online garage sale for 3 more weeks!
So instead, I thought it might be fun (and hopefully funny) to share a few of the things I most likely will never purchase on Craigslist 🙂
1. A vehicle without a picture.
Obviously, before I purchased a vehicle I would need to go look at it in person, test drive it, etc. But seriously, why would you even waste your time trying to sell a vehicle without at least one picture?
To be perfectly honest, I usually won’t even inquire about anything if it doesn’t have a picture.
2. Extremely out-dated technology.
I realize there may be a market for some outdated technology simply for the parts, but this computer monitor for $10 is not a deal. It’s big, it’s bulky, and you can easily find an older flat-screen monitor for around the same price (at least that’s what my area’s listings show).
3. A mattress that looks like this one!
Gross! I would be pretty leery of purchasing ANY mattress on Craigslist, let alone a mattress with tons of stains. And the price you see is correct, they are asking $125 for this dirty mattress and a really junky looking headboard.
4. A wet rug.
I literally laughed out loud when I saw this listing. We’ve had TONS of rain in West MI over the past month, so flooding and water damage have been hot topics around here. No one wants a rug that has been wet — let-alone a rug that is sitting in water in a picture!
5. Expired baby formula.
Yeah, this is another super weird thing to sell — and they even admitted it was expired but figured it didn’t really matter that much. I do agree that if it’s JUST expired, it might still be OK… but not OK to sell (or trade) to strangers!
6. Dried up Play Doh.
Yup, this ad was for Play Doh and accessories — but it was noted that most of the Play Doh was dried up. Come on!
Oh, and just in case you’re interested, here’s a recipe to make your own PlayDoh
7. Adult bathing suits.
So maybe I’m weird, but the thought of wearing someone else’s used bathing suit grosses me out — even if I wash it a few times.
And in case you don’t need a top, here’s just a bottom for sale 🙂
I’m probably forgetting a whole bunch of Craigslist faux pas, but these are just a few of the listings I found as I was scrolling through Craigslist the other night, knowing that I wasn’t allowed to buy anything.
Obviously, this is supposed to be humorous — did you laugh?
I certainly hope I didn’t offend anyone… I guess it’s just amusing to me what some people try to sell!
mary willis says
I would never buy a used vacuum.
Susan says
About the expired formula – I used to volunteer at a food pantry in a small town. When donated formula was expired, we held it and the local animal shelter would pick it up and use it for puppies they had at the shelter. For the animal lovers out there, I’m not necessarily advocating the use of expired formula for animals, just sharing what one small town animal shelter did.
Liz says
We, my husband and I, just sold his 8 year old tires and rims on Craigslist for over $300! I felt like we won the lottery!!
AnneG says
Laughed, yes! Then cringed…then laughed…then SMH!
Kjrsten says
Comical to say the least.
Kristin says
A friend of mine found a used condom in a couch that she bought from Craigslist.
No longer will I consider Craigslist as a viable source of couches!
JoDi says
Hilarious! Definitely the funniest thing I’ve read in a while.
Can’t believe people are trying to sell some of these things. A lot of organizations wouldn’t even take them as donations.
Rebecca says
That was supposed to say “was”, not I’d. My fingers got confused. Lol!
Rebecca says
The dried up play doh I’d the funniest!! And that mattress was icky!! Thanks for the laugh!!
rebeccasdelightfulhome says
I always think about selling things on Craigslist (furniture & such) but am worried about the safety issue with people coming to my home. Is that wierd? I end up donating it to Goodwill. Then I always end up going in to Goodwill and buying other stuff. LOL!
Deb says
We have listed on Craig’s List, but I would always have my husband home or if it is a smaller item, meet at a public place. But we also live in a small town with very little crime, so it is not as much of an issue as if we were in a large city. We have a large homeschool group, so I list there first to narrow the scope and because I know they are always looking for a deal.
Melissa says
Yes, I laughed. A lot. A dirty mattress? For $125?
I personally would not buy a used mattress or anything that’s plushy really unless I know the person. I just worry about what could be hiding in plushy items. Mold, bugs, cat dander that I’m allergic to… That’s just me though and I have a ton of allergies to worry about. I know a lot of people who do buy used plushy items and that works for them and that’s cool.
Erika says
Thanks for the afternoon laugh! But on a more serious note – it really irks me when people sell baby formula that they were given for free!! When I didn’t have a need for ours, I donated it to our local crisis nursery to use.
Jenni/Life from the Roof says
Oh my goodness, I can’t believe someone would try to even sell dried up Play-Doh! My brother used to have fun looking for the same types of things on eBay – used socks, etc. – it’s amazing what people will sell, but even more amazing that there’s sometimes a market for these items.
Amber says
Oh goodness! Sometimes I wonder who buys this stuff?! Silly people! Haha thanks for the laugh Andrea! Love your blog.
Stephanie says
Hilarious!!!!
muriel says
Thanks for the laugh.
Kelli says
I thoroughly enjoyed today’s post. It was a nice change of pace. Keep up the good work and thanks for the laugh!!
Jennifer says
Thanks for doing this post. I think it’s a nice break from your usual posts and made me laugh. I’m also a craiglist shopper and often find items that I think are crazy that people are trying to sell. I would never buy a used mattress for fear of bed bugs and other things, used bathing suites or any undergarments I would not buy either!
Audra says
The formula one actually irritated me. Expired formula should be thrown out even if one day old. Babies have such sensitive systems that it isn’t worth the risk, even to save a little money. My son has to have the most expensive formula and I still wouldn’t risk it for even a day old.
Deb says
I don’t get the people that have multiple listings for $5 items. Is it really worth the hassle of the phone calls/emails/people coming over for $5? I also love the stuff in the FREE section that isn’t really free, like puppy, $75 rehoming free, um, $75 is not free in my book. Have you also noticed that some words are really hard to spell like Armoire? Dinning table? Trailor? Pictures turned sideways are always great too. Ahh, Craig’s List is always good for the entertainment value. 😉
Andrea says
Actually Deb, you might be surprised how much money they can make with multiple little items. It can be more work with the emails coming in, but often (if they are the same type of items) one person will come a snatch up a whole bunch of stuff at the same time. And yes, I totally agree about the misspellings. I actually search for words misspelled and have found some awesome deals 🙂
My favorite is when they show a picture of a person wearing an item but then blur out the person’s face — just hang it on a hanger!
Amy says
Lol! Some of my favorite misspellings have been : “swaide couch” and “chester drawers” – I’m not the best speller…but I use the heck out of my spell check 🙂
Also, if the title says “Beautiful” “Gorgeous” or “Really Nice”….look out! They almost always are awful.
I’m always amused too when people don’t clean the clutter off of something. I’m looking for a dresser now and I don’t know how many pictures I’ve seen with junk (bottles of glue, socks, pots and pans, mail, etc) piled all over the top of the dresser. Could you not just move it for the picture? Crazy-but at least I know then that I’m NOT going to go look at that one!
All that said….I still love Craigslist and buy fairly often 🙂
Crista says
I’m disappointed in this post. Your voice is much better served in its normally positive tone. While you may find a headboard “junky” or wearing a used bathing suit “gross,” someone else might be in a situation where they don’t have the luxury of being that selective.
Your blog is immensely helpful, and I want to believe you are the genuinely kind person you appear to be. Sadly, this post sounds deriding or mocking and doesn’t reflect your kind persona.
Kim says
I understand where you are coming from on this comment but I really don’t think she meant it in a negative way to people who would have to “purchase” these items. I think her perspective on the subject is more that “why do people think they could SELL these items”. These items should just be donated…and if someone wants to take the risk in using the items (dirty mattress or expired formula), then that is up to them. But to sell the items for some sort of profit just seems silly.
Amy says
I agree with Kim. Andrea wasn’t trying to be mean. She was just trying to point out some of the “odd” things people try to sell on Craig’s List.
Crista says
I didn’t suspect that Andera was at all trying to be mean. My intent was to let her know that as a dedicated reader, I found this post to be less enjoyable than her others as it lacks the kind tone of her other posts.
Lisa the Farm Lady says
You just need to cheer up a little…it makes for more stress and sour faces when one takes oneself waaaay too seriously!
You don’t always need to comment on lighthearted posts negatively, and not every person (like the ones you mention that “need” to sell their items in this manner) needs to be defended or protected. I’m sure they’re quite capable of standing up for themselves.
Andrea, I chuckled at this post. There was nothing mean about it. here in Canada, I use Kijiji more than Craigslist, and I see comical ads like the ones you’ve described quite often.
Keep up the awesome work; I really enjoy your blog!
Andrea says
I think you might be reading into this a little too much Crista. As I mentioned in the post, this is just supposed to be humorous. We all need a good laugh every once in a while — especially when you’re as tired as I am 🙂
Dave and I have literally purchased almost every piece of furniture in our house from Craigslist, so I have nothing against people who shop used (out of necessity or not).
Crista says
Yes, I understand that this post was supposed to be humorous. And I didn’t suspect that you were “above” shopping on Craigslist.
My point is/was that your humor and good-natured-ness is marred a little by the judgmental tone of this post. When you call a headboard “junky” or say that it “grosses [you] out” to wear a used bathing suit, you’re insinuating a judgment, perhaps unintentionally, about the people who may like or need that headboard and a person who wears a used bathing suit.
Obviously this is your blog, and you can post whatever you’d like. I was simply letting you know that as a dedicated reader, I found this particular post to have a decidedly different tone from the rest. A tone that I found not nearly as enjoyable.
Amy says
Yep, I totally agree with Andrea! I think she called the headboard “junky” because it’s definitely not worth $125 with or without that stained up nasty mattress! Not because she is snobby…because it’s a RIP-OFF! If it were listed for $20….well then that would make it different.
I buy from Goodwill and Craigslist all the time because I love saving money. I buy super cheap swimsuits too….but always new and from Walmart or Target when they so get ridiculously cheap that anyone could afford them. I regularly buy clothing items from Target for about $4. Can’t get much cheaper than that.
{btw….Goodwill will not accept used mattresses as donations (or at least they wouldn’t a few years ago)…there’s a good reason for that}
Kris says
We’ve only bought a few things from Craigslist but I have to agree there are some weird things on there. I can’t say I’d be comfortable buying second hand formula but expired formula is just crazy. And a stained mattress?! We recently had 2 Mattress and box springs to get rid of and I just put them on free cycle. I assumed no one would buy a used mattress.
I’ve seen the used cosmetics…ewww.
Aimee says
In the Craigslist ads for my area, there is a listing for “Rich Seasoned Livestock Compost.” Now, I can definitely understand why someone would have a need for farm fresh fertilizer, but the title just cracked me up!! They really put some heart into that title, because to me, Rich Seasoned Livestock Compost easily translates to Sun-ripened cow poop! The best part is the picture of a trailer heaping over with said “compost.”
Andrea says
haha — there would actually be a decent market for such compost where I live… lots of crop farms around here 🙂
JoAnn C. says
What? No used toothbrushes? ; )
Lisa the Farm Lady says
* snicker * or used stretched-out underpants?
Brandy says
I’m always amazed to see people asking for, selling, or giving used cosmetics.
Andrea says
Oh that’s a good one — I didn’t even think of that, but you’re right, I wouldn’t purchase (or even take for free) used cosmetics 🙂