One of the best places to look for good deals is an online marketplace. If you haven't shopped on one before, it can be a little scary because of the possibility of outright fraud (no item at all!) or inaccurate advertising (a "gently used" shirt arrives looking like it's been through a couple of hundred wash cycles).
There are ways to minimize your risk, one of which is to KEEP THINGS LOCAL. A local transaction removes the uncertainty of whether or not the product actually exists and you can check for quality before completing the deal. You simply can't do that if the goods are hundreds of miles away.
Here are the local marketplaces in Columbia MO:
1. Craig's List -- columbiamo.craigslist.org
Good old Craig's List has a category for everything which makes for easy searching. Not all cities have a Craig's List site so neighboring cities also list under Columbia. If you're interested in something that's strictly within city limits, use "Columbia" as a search term. On the other hand, if you're willing to drive a couple of hours for a good deal, St. Louis and Kansas City have their own Craig's List sites.
For the next two, you will need to have a Yahoo! account because they are both Yahoo! Groups.
2. KwikSwapColumbia
This is a moderated Yahoo! group for trading and selling items. Transactions are conducted via email.
This is another moderated Yahoo! group but only for FREE stuff! Yes, only completely FREE stuff. The idea is to keep people from just throwing things away and adding to our overflowing landfills. Members post things they want to give away and things they need. There are a bunch of things people offer from furniture to plants to barbecue grills to lawnmowers to garage sale leftovers. Anything and everything, really. Trading and selling are NOT allowed. Transactions are often conducted via email. Sometimes, the items are left on porches and sidewalks free for the taking.
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