.png "The Magic Words I Use to Find Dirt-Cheap Craigslist Deals")
Did you know there's a button on Craigslist that spits out a list of motivated sellers? You can use it to find deeply discounted furniture, home décor, computers, electronics, cars, boats, motorcycles and more offered by Craigslist sellers who are in a bind and need to sell their stuff fast. If you can help, many will sell their Craigslist items to you dirt-cheap.
Where is this magic button?
It's not hidden or secret. And you don't have to pay for an upgrade or subscribe to Craigslist to use it.
The button I'm referring to is actually Craigslist's default search button. It's the same button you already use -- only you can't access this information unless you know the "magic words."
Bear with me. You'll love this.
The fact is there are certain phrases you can search for on Craigslist that work like magic to uncover ads posted by distressed sellers. I honed these phrases through trial and error over the years. but I want to save you the trouble. So today I'm sharing my favorite magic words with you verbatim.
The Science & Art of Searching Craigslist
Way back when I first discovered Craigslist, I found a $2500 Pottery Barn sectional for $350 and I was hooked!
Since Craigslist doesn't have a 'Dirt-Cheap Deals' category, like a lot of people, I resorted to wading through page after page of loser listings looking for another winner like my sectional until I was cross-eyed.
Obviously, I couldn't check 12 million Craigslist ads a day no matter how much coffee I drank. So occasionally I would search for a specific item to narrow the field.
Although there was no guarantee that searching for a bookcase, for example, would uncover a dirt cheap deal I thought I could at least compare all the bookcases up for sale to find the best deal.
I was wrong.
How To Get the Most Out of the Craigslist Search Engine
Searching Craigslist for "bookcase" doesn't result in a list of all the bookcases for sale on the website, because not everyone calls a bookcase a "bookcase."
Many sellers list their bookcases as bookshelves, bookracks, cabinets, display cases and etageres. Adding these 'magic words' to a query for bookcase increases the number of results substantially.
For example, a recent search for "bookcase" on my local Craigslist site returned 53 results. Not bad. But adding "bookshelf" to my query uncovered 10 more. And "bookrack" returned an additional 11.
That's 21 more bookcases to choose from than if I had searched "bookcase" alone.
But I didn't stop there.
What do you think happened when I searched for bookcase, bookshelf, bookrack, cabinet, display case and etagere?
Craigslist showed me 250 ads offering bookcases for sale!
Anyone in the market for furniture that displays books would be thrilled to have so many choices, right? But what if you're only interested in dirt-cheap bookcases?
Frustrated Craigslist Sellers Are Ripe for Offers
Obviously, those aren't the magic search terms I promised. (I'll share those with you in a moment.) But searching for synonyms and other words related to your query (including misspelled versions) is also worthwhile.
It not only uncovers more items, but it can also help you find more Craigslist sellers who may be willing to part with their items for a song.
I call them "Frustrated Sellers."
These sellers have had little to no response from their ads because they used a synonym or some other uncommon word in the title and description instead of popular search terms. Since most people search for the first word that comes to mind, ads without popular search terms are virtually invisible.
After a few weeks without a single offer, a seller who listed his bookcase as an "etagere" is sometimes happy just to get rid of it.
At that point, all you need to do is politely make an offer.
I usually offer 30% - 50% of the asking price on items that haven't sold in 30 days. About 50% of the frustrated sellers I reach out to accept my offer and roughly 10% make a counter offer. I've found that the older the listing, the more likely a seller is to accept.
TIP: Sometimes, the worse the photo, the better the deal. People who invest a lot of time and effort into taking a ton of good photos from every angle usually won't sell their Craigslist item at a bargain price. Bad photos can indicate the seller just wants to get rid of the item and doesn't care about getting top dollar. Or it may be that they just don't know what they have.
How To Use The Craigslist Search Tool To Find the Oldest Listings
Craigslist makes it easy to find ads that have been on the website a few weeks or more. Just select "oldest" from the dropdown menu that's second from the left immediately below the search box. Your search results will be sorted by date with the oldest ads at the top.
In "gallery" and "grid" views you'll see the dates the ads were posted on the bottom left of each individual ad .
Search Smarter, Not Harder
If you think you don't have time to search Craigslist for a bunch of synonyms, think again! You don't have to do a separate search for every keyword. Craigslist allows you to save time by searching for all of your keywords simultaneously! Just put the pipe symbol "|" between each keyword and quotation marks around phrases like this:
The pipe symbol is the long vertical line sitting above the backslash on your keyboard. It's a Boolean operator that acts as the word. 'OR.' That means the Craigslist search engine will read the search string above as, "bookcase OR bookshelf OR display case," so the results of your search will include ads with any or all of the listed terms.
If you search for multiple keywords without adding a pipe between them, the Craigslist search engine will treat spaces and commas as though they're the word, "AND." In that case, it will only show you ads that include all your search terms.
SEND YOUR 'WADERS' BACK TO DUCKS UNLIMITED
If you want to reduce the amount of search results you have to wade through, you can use a hyphen "-" to exclude words that aren't relative to your search.
First, group your search terms in parentheses; then add a second group of terms you don't want to see in the results in parentheses preceded by a "-" hyphen.
Search results from the string above would include ads for a bookcase, bookshelf, display case and/or cabinet, but would not include ads for a file cabinet or filing cabinet.
TIP: A good way to remember the hyphen search trick is to think of it as a minus sign since it subtracts unwanted terms from your results.
Timing Is Everything
My best friend, a huge Craigslist addict, used to swear Craigslist had "nothing but junk." But the truth is, she just had bad timing. Before she mastered her search strategy and began to search more frequently, she never saw the good stuff because it goes so fast.
Real fast.
When I started this blog, I tried to feature the best deals and unique finds listed on oklahomacity.craigslist.org, but I eventually gave up because the items would sell before I could even finish writing my post!
To get the best deals on Craigslist you have to be in the right place at the right time. Which means you have to be vigilant in your search.
How To snag the best deals on Craigslist before they're gone:
To find frustrated sellers and have more items to choose from.
Because early birds...worms and such.
Enough to stay up-to-date, but not so often you'll need a 12-Step program to kick the habit.
Because procrastinators wait until their lease is up to list their favorite things.
That's when most users post items for sale.
You'll be amazed at how many ads your Craigslist search missed.
If you're not familiar, I show you how to set up Craigslist Email Alerts step by step in a previous post. It's super easy and it will save you so much time. (You'll only need to enter a long search string once, for starters!)
You can do your due diligence while waiting on a response.
Ready to give it a try? Here are a few furniture-related synonyms and search terms to help you get started:
How To Find Distressed Sellers
Finding distressed sellers is a similar process, but you have to get a little more creative to find high-performing keywords. I have the most success when I put myself in the seller's shoes and imagine what they might say in their ads.
It's easier than it seems because nearly all of these ads follow the same formula:
1. They offer their item at a low price, hoping you'll jump on it
2. They explain why they're selling it so cheap, so you don't think it's a scam.
If there are magic words to be found, they'll most likely be the reason a seller gives for selling so cheap.
WHY DO THEY SELL SO CHEAP?
For example, the couple who let me grab their Pottery Barn sectional for next-to-nothing was leaving the country. They had recently been deployed and it was cheaper for them to buy a new one overseas than ship the one they had. They didn't have time to hold out for top dollar and considered any amount they got for it profit!
That's how I discovered my first magic search phrase: "Leaving Country."
I don't have the sectional anymore, but the search phrase still works like magic! Every time I search for it. I find at least one or two sellers who are in a hurry to unload possessions they can't take overseas. I even find ads offering the "entire contents" of homes for the same reason.
Of course, not every search phrase I try is magic. I tested tons of keywords that apply to leaving the country ("moving overseas," "deployed," etc.) but "leaving country" is the only one that consistently works for me.
Notice how I said, "for me?"
Even though I'm sharing my best, there's a chance these search phrases will perform differently in your region. Demographics, competition and supply and demand govern that, so you may need to play around with them a bit to figure out what works best in your backyard.
Search Phrases That Uncover Dirt-Cheap Craigslist Deals Like Magic
"Leaving country"
"Wife is making me"
"Now we have kids"
"Husband Cheated"
"Divorce"
"Pay Bills"
a
"Don't have room"
When You Find a Gem
Stay Safe
Please be careful when you meet up. It's best to bring a friend and only meet during the day. You should tell someone else when and where you'll be making the exchange, too.
The safest place to meet is a designated Safe Exchange Zone with cameras and police presence. I have a map with photos and directions to safe exchange zones in Oklahoma for you here. Outside Oklahoma? Safe Deal Zone and Safe Trade Stations also keep running lists, but always confirm the location is still active before you set up a swap.
Now go find the buy of the century!
— I hope this helps!
P.S. If you're interested in shopping or selling on Craigslist, don't miss these posts!
16 Sweet Craigslist Scores Under $50
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