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Say what you want about Craigslist being a resource to stalk and kill people, but it is also a very useful tool to find people that you need at very short notice.
I had a recent spout of success when I posted four ads for four completely different things, and managed to find secure and reliable responses for all of them.
As does almost everything in my life, a few crucial elements all fell into place at the last minute before I departed on my one-month sabbatical from New York. Without any time to lose, and to make the most of my resources, my job was to set up a photo shoot for my t-shirt venture, find someone to sublet my room, secure a means to travel across the country and carry my cargo, find a way back, and prepare the way for my new roommate.
In one week, I managed to find several no-fee models for the photo shoot. I actually had to turn some away because I got so many responses.
While sorting through pretty faces to help sell my t-shirts, I found a subletter to rent my room while I would be gone on my Midwestern field trip.
With somebody taking my place while I was gone, I had to make sure it was all set up and ready to go before I left, especially since we just got a new roommate, aside from the subletter.
The new roommate was bringing with him a TV, bigger and flatter than the one we had previously. So, my job in this case was to sell the old TV and use the money to purchase a home theater system. Naturally I thought of Craigslist. I put an ad up for the old TV and had it sold and delivered by the end of the day. The home theater was as good as ours.
With that taken care of, my room occupied while I would be gone, my photo shoot all set up, and some money in my pocket, I set out to see if I could work another deal with the half-empty moving truck I would be driving halfway across the country to Illinois. It just so happened that there was a couple who needed some things moved to the Midwest from New York at the same time I happened to be traveling. They responded to my ad on Craigslist and we set up an arrangement without ever having met each other.
It was Sunday, the day before I was to leave. They packed my moving truck while I was at my photo shoot. After the photo shoot was over, I went back to get the truck, finish packing up my remaining things, and prepare for the next day. The next day I drove the truck to Cleveland, where I met friends of the guy who the stuff belonged to. After emptying my truck, I collected my fee, and moved along home, where I completed my journey the next day.
The photo shoot went smoothly. The pictures turned out really great.
The home theater is all set up and ready to play.
And the subletter moved in without a hitch and is living quite comfortably with my two roommates while I'm away.
These things might not have worked out in a city that's not so Craigslist-centric as New York is. In New York, Craigslist is the resource used most often, by professionals and amateurs alike to find housing, employment, and love, three of the most important things in life. And it is soundly based in trust of one person to another.
It is unfortunate in some cases when that trust gets broken and people get hurt. But when trust is implemented and used appropriately, there is nothing to lose.
I had a recent spout of success when I posted four ads for four completely different things, and managed to find secure and reliable responses for all of them.
As does almost everything in my life, a few crucial elements all fell into place at the last minute before I departed on my one-month sabbatical from New York. Without any time to lose, and to make the most of my resources, my job was to set up a photo shoot for my t-shirt venture, find someone to sublet my room, secure a means to travel across the country and carry my cargo, find a way back, and prepare the way for my new roommate.
In one week, I managed to find several no-fee models for the photo shoot. I actually had to turn some away because I got so many responses.
While sorting through pretty faces to help sell my t-shirts, I found a subletter to rent my room while I would be gone on my Midwestern field trip.
With somebody taking my place while I was gone, I had to make sure it was all set up and ready to go before I left, especially since we just got a new roommate, aside from the subletter.
The new roommate was bringing with him a TV, bigger and flatter than the one we had previously. So, my job in this case was to sell the old TV and use the money to purchase a home theater system. Naturally I thought of Craigslist. I put an ad up for the old TV and had it sold and delivered by the end of the day. The home theater was as good as ours.
With that taken care of, my room occupied while I would be gone, my photo shoot all set up, and some money in my pocket, I set out to see if I could work another deal with the half-empty moving truck I would be driving halfway across the country to Illinois. It just so happened that there was a couple who needed some things moved to the Midwest from New York at the same time I happened to be traveling. They responded to my ad on Craigslist and we set up an arrangement without ever having met each other.
It was Sunday, the day before I was to leave. They packed my moving truck while I was at my photo shoot. After the photo shoot was over, I went back to get the truck, finish packing up my remaining things, and prepare for the next day. The next day I drove the truck to Cleveland, where I met friends of the guy who the stuff belonged to. After emptying my truck, I collected my fee, and moved along home, where I completed my journey the next day.
The photo shoot went smoothly. The pictures turned out really great.
The home theater is all set up and ready to play.
And the subletter moved in without a hitch and is living quite comfortably with my two roommates while I'm away.
These things might not have worked out in a city that's not so Craigslist-centric as New York is. In New York, Craigslist is the resource used most often, by professionals and amateurs alike to find housing, employment, and love, three of the most important things in life. And it is soundly based in trust of one person to another.
It is unfortunate in some cases when that trust gets broken and people get hurt. But when trust is implemented and used appropriately, there is nothing to lose.
posted by Leland J. Fischer at 1:53 AM
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