I finally took the plunge and upgraded from my 802.11b wireless router to the faster 802.11g. But this isn’t really a review of this new piece of hardware, since it is virtually identical to the old one. This is more about the reason I chose to upgrade at this particular time. One word: craigslist.
I found this router on craigslist for $40. Which is quite a bit cheaper than anywhere else online, and even cheaper than Sam’s. Sure it’s used, but who cares? There aren’t any moving parts to wear out, so as long as it works, it doesn’t matter.
My own price point for this item was $40, and I had been checking on and off for quite a while (since before Christmas) and my patience was finally rewarded. Craigslist may be a better deal for the sellers than the buyers — it’s not eBay, where you are guaranteed to find any item on Earth — but if you’re not in a big hurry for something, it is usually a great deal. The sellers are all local, so you are going to get to see the item before you buy it, just like retail stores, and of course there is no shipping because you have to go pick it up.
The same holds true for many other items, furniture for instance. We’ve been lucky to find some great deals on used furniture, and it’s all stuff that we probably couldn’t afford to buy new, but if it’s still in decent shape, it really doesn’t matter that it’s not brand new.
If you haven’t checked out Craigslist yet, give it a shot. If you are patient, and have reasonable expectations about what you will get, you will be glad you did.
