Hint for using Craigslist...

[jolobike]

As I posted in Gear Talk, I recently found a great deal on a bike on Craigslist and I think I owe it to the Craigslist app on my phone for helping me find it. So, I thought I'd share this hint. If you have a smart phone, download the Craigslist app that allows you to enter the item you're looking for, then it continually does the search for you. You can select up to 10 Craigslists for it to watch. Then, when that item is newly listed in any of those regions it alerts you. On my iphone, the app has a purple and white logo. "Craigslist +" is its name.

I had been spending 1-2 hours every couple days checking out all the various lists within 6 hours of our location. I missed really good listings a couple times. The bike I bought this last weekend was listed on Friday, on a list 3 hours from my town, and he had 3 calls within the first couple hours. I was the first one to show up. The app saved me the time on the computer and I was alerted immediately when the ad was placed.

I hope this hint helps someone else find a good deal!

Lori

[DaveB]

You are correct that quick notice is essential to find specific things on Craigs List.  I've sold several surplus bike components on my local Craigs List and often had a one or more responses that led to the sale within 30 minutes of posting the ad.   "You snooze, you lose" certainly applies to Craigs list.