Buying second hand items may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for the frugal minded it is a great way to save money and still get what you want. But what’s even better than getting used items at a discount, is getting them for free, and there are sites which will let you find freebies online.
I understand there are some things you probably don’t want second hand even if it is free, for example used toilet paper, or used underwear. But I think in general people like free stuff right? Both Kijiji and Craigslist have a “free” section on their sites where anyone can put up ads to give away their things for free. I’ve seen old computers, book shelves, various carpentry tools, comics, TVs, working appliances, kitchenware, games, movies, and even animals. Here are some listings I found on Craigslist recently.
And these ads are all from the same day, Sept 27th 2012. If you have the patience to browse through this free section regularly who knows what kind of gems you could find for free 🙂 Hmm, I believe I just found a way to do all my Christmas shopping this year without spending a cent!
Haha, just kidding 😛 So why would anyone want to give away their stuff? Maybe the seller is moving and don’t want to take all their stuff with them. Maybe someone gave them a new coffee machine and they don’t see the point of keeping the old one anymore, even though there’s nothing wrong with it. Maybe the children moved out and they want to de-clutter their home. Of course there’s also the charitable side of it as well. So there are actually many reasons.
For people in college perusing through classified websites can save them a lot of money. Why buy a desk, a tv, a mini fridge, a microwave, and a shelf for your dormitory, when you can probably find most or all of them for free 😀
I am sure there’s a reason why someone would give away something for free, like you had mentioned. I, on the other hand, don’t see myself doing that. If I wanted to give it away then I would just give it to charity or something like that.
That’s probably a better idea actually, depending on what the item may be. It’s disheartening to realize that some people just throw out their stuff, what a waste.
Great post. I use craigslist an awful lot to find all sorts of things. I found a lot of great deals and a lot that are free. Most the stuff that I found is virtually brand-new. Although, it does take a little time to sift through all the crappy listings. I found that the best way to use craigslist is on my iPad with the craigslist application. It allows you to search and lots of different locations easily for the items you’re looking for.
Thanks for the tip. There seems to be an app for everything these days. I don’t have an iPad yet but maybe I can find one on craigslist lol.
I have a lot of fun on Craigslist through selling stuff and finding jobs haha… I personally haven’t gotten anything free from there. One time, I tried getting a table for free… I showed up at her house ready to load, but guess what, she already given it away to someone who beat me to it, and she didn’t even bother telling me before hand. What a waste of my time and effort. So that was my first and last freebie story.
I hate it when that happens. But yeah the site itself is a great place to find lots of cool things and even people. I found my car on Craigslist.
I always forget about Craigslist’s FREE section!
It’s also useful for getting rid of stuff you don’t want anymore.
I used to peruse the craigslist free section but most of what I saw wasn’t worth the time it would take to go pick it up. Now that I itemize my taxes, I would never give anything away to a stranger for free haha. I just donate it to Salvation army, take the tax deduction and make myself feel good inside(jk) haha
I didn’t know you can deducted items you give away to the salvation army. I’ll have to try that out some time. Thanks for the tip :D.
I feel a strong dose of nostalgia after seeing Operation! I loved that game.
I remember the commercials for it. Don’t see ads for boardgames as much as I use to. But then again, I don’t watch TV anymore these days.
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