Depends, do you have the means to haul stuff yourself? If so, CL. If not, I'd do IKEA

If you get an a neighborhood list you often see people giving stuff away for free when they move.

It's seems like every time there is a decent deal it gets snapped up ASAP. And, I am shocked at how much people want for used furniture, especially brands like Ethan Allen and Drexel.

Anonymous wrote:I have bought some great things on CL: An antique wool rug, a Queen Anne reclining chair, a glass coffee table, etc. I always buy from homes that look clean and inspect things carefully before taking them home. I have never had any issues.

I also have gotten some things at estate sales: a side table, and smaller things like a snow shovel, cooler, and other random stuff. Estate sales are great for getting random house stuff other than furniture because they usually include items from the whole house.

You've merely been lucky. A *knowledgeable* visual inspection would likely reveal signs of a large infestation, but if the main population of bedbugs is harboring elsewhere in the home, there could still very well be a couple of hitchhikers on a rug from another room or in the crevices of a piece of furniture without much to announce their presence. And sure, there are all kinds of reasons you'd only want stuff from a home that looks clean, but bedbug infestations really have more to do with exposure to bedbugs... for which trading in used furnishings is actually a fairly high risk.

And my best tip is, if you have a smart phone, is to use the Craigslist Pro app. It's free and it's freaking changed my life.... ok, maybe a small exaggeration, but it's amazing.

You can set alerts by keyword for things you're looking for, you can scroll categories easily and see thumbnail pictures, you can favorite items you want to look at later, and you can email a seller from the app (it just pulls up a pre-loaded draft email for you). It will notify you when new items come up with your key words.

Because of that app, I set an alert for "Chinese wool rug" and I found a rug that matched a rug I already have for a great price. These rugs aren't very common, so it was a huge find.

I have bought some great things on CL: An antique wool rug, a Queen Anne reclining chair, a glass coffee table, etc. I always buy from homes that look clean and inspect things carefully before taking them home. I have never had any issues.

I also have gotten some things at estate sales: a side table, and smaller things like a snow shovel, cooler, and other random stuff. Estate sales are great for getting random house stuff other than furniture because they usually include items from the whole house.

Anonymous wrote:I agree re not buying used mattresses and a fabric sofa, but wood stuff like a dresser--yes!

I sold some beautiful, very expensive furniture, dining room table and chairs, on Craigslist last year for a song. omg we had it for 10 years and never used it (maybe 5 times total).

We moved to DC in a hurry so it came along. After a couple of months, I thought, wow, we didn't use it in our old house, and now we're not using it in our rental. Let's sell it and free up the space!

Furniture doesn't resale well so you can get a great deal.

I'm writing this because what I learned from this experience is that this area is so great for buying stuff like this because people are always in transition around here. For example, with every new president (and especially if party changes) a bunch of folks exit, and people often decide they don't want to move their furniture. And military people getting new posts. Etc.

So right now, post-election, there's a bunch of people that will be leaving DC soon.

(Smacks forehead repeatedly) Once again, bedbugs, unlike headlice, have no particular affinity for upholstery. The live in wood furniture, too!! Any bedroom furniture, even dressers, will be high risk.

I agree re not buying used mattresses and a fabric sofa, but wood stuff like a dresser--yes!

I sold some beautiful, very expensive furniture, dining room table and chairs, on Craigslist last year for a song. omg we had it for 10 years and never used it (maybe 5 times total).

We moved to DC in a hurry so it came along. After a couple of months, I thought, wow, we didn't use it in our old house, and now we're not using it in our rental. Let's sell it and free up the space!

Furniture doesn't resale well so you can get a great deal.

I'm writing this because what I learned from this experience is that this area is so great for buying stuff like this because people are always in transition around here. For example, with every new president (and especially if party changes) a bunch of folks exit, and people often decide they don't want to move their furniture. And military people getting new posts. Etc.

So right now, post-election, there's a bunch of people that will be leaving DC soon.