In these time I don't think you can afford to ignore Craig's List. It has gotten to be a huge source of sales and since it is free there is no reason not to test it. It can be helpful in a variety of ways:
- Free is always good
- Lots of people watch it all the time. I have had landlords tell me they get calls within fifteen minutes of their for rent ad going up.
- It's very useful for items that won't ship well and thus don't work with Ebay.
- It's very easy to use and you can even include some pictures.
- As time get tougher there are some screaming deals available.
We have bought some things from Craig's list; mainly furniture like bookcases and some childs chairs and tables for our grandkids to use.
I am considering building some websites related to wood turning, wood working, etc. and had started my tool search at Harbor Freight. They may not sell the top of the line tools, but their prices are very good and I think their tools facilitate an inexpensive test of the woodworking as a hobby or alternative income source.
Today, for the first time, I went looking for woodworking tools on Craig's list. The market close to me (Albuquerque, NM) is not large but I found ads for four Harbor Freight brand tools. There were three wood lathes and one joiner/planer. All four were offered at about half of the new retail price.
There is alway some risk with buying used, but my impression is people get these tools for gifts, or find they lack time to use them, etc. For a lot of valid reasons there seems to be a continual supply of new machines in good condition coming onto the market. When I buy used things from private sellers I make the decision to buy based on my reaction to the seller. Do they sound reasonable? Does their other property look well cared for? That has worked for me.
Since there is no sales tax to pay on private sale used items that produces additional savings. That may be offset by the cost of traveling to look at items you decide not to buy. Private sales are a cash business so you have to be prepared to deal that way.
In the end it is clear that with almost no additional effort I can buy the equipment I would need for a variety of woodworking projects for half off. If I am willing to negotiate harder and/or wait paitently for the right (distressed) seller I can probably do better than that.
I think I could have fun and learn a lot by trying my hand at woodworking and/or wood turning. I will be keeping my eye on these tool sales and see what I can learn.
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