Finding treasure from trash via the Classifieds
With the exception of transients and perhaps dung beetles, few can rival college students when it comes to turning “one man’s trash into another man’s treasure.”
Whether it be inheriting an old living room set after a family furniture upgrade, frequenting thrift stores to mimic an Urban Outfitters-like aesthetic, or polishing off a roommate’s leftovers – kids in college can be remarkably resourceful. And being thrifty today is easier than ever. While past generations at Utah State University had to rely on the local Deseret Industries and occasional curbside finds, students today have the KSL classifieds.
From appliances to apartments, furniture to firearms, and legal advice to livestock – you can find it all on KSL classifieds with the simple click of a mouse.
“KSL is the perfect way to find great deals and trade locally,” said Dani Hayes, a senior in print journalism. “I have the free section of KSL classifieds bookmarked on my computer.”
Constantly on the lookout for bargain deals and giveaways, Hayes frequents the KSL classifieds page at least once a week; and she is not the only one. According to compete.com, an online analytics provider, KSL.com and the classifieds section receive an average of around 1.8 million unique page views each month. While individuals accessing the site are primarily from Utah, online visitors represent numerous states throughout the Rocky Mountain West.
Although Hayes has purchased numerous items on KSL classifieds for school, entertainment and home decorating, her favorite item obtained from the classifieds was free.
“My cousin had a record player that could also be used as a coffee table, and I have always wanted one,” Hayes said.
One day, as part of her weekly regiment, Hayes perused the free section of the KSL classifieds. To her surprise, a retro-style record player similar to her cousin’s was among the items listed in the Cache Valley area.
“The sellers would give it to whomever came to pick it up first,” Hayes said. “They didn’t want it because it was taking up space, and now it is one of my most prized possessions.”
Brandon Robbins, a junior majoring in business administration, has also had great success through the classifieds on KSL.com.
“I used to buy and sell a lot of vehicles on KSL,” Robbins said. “About once every other month, I used to drive down to Salt Lake to look at cars. It was kind of like my second high school job.”
After identifying local inexpensive vehicles listed on the site, Robbins and his father would purchase them, clean them, and make minor repairs. They would then re-list the amended automobiles on the KSL Classifieds webpage with better pictures and a higher price.
“I used to use AutoTrader.com, but you had to pay to post ads online,” Robbins said, “KSL is free.”
Through repeating the process of buying and selling cars on KSL, Robbins not only made enough to fund his LDS mission, but also became an expert on the benefits of buying and selling through KSL.com.
“With Craigslist, there are no requirements,” Robbins said, “when you list a car, you don’t have to put down the mileage or anything else.”
Robbins opted to buy cars through the classifieds on KSL.com because each listing provided more detailed information.
“KSL requires whether it is a clean or salvaged title, as well as the year, the make, and the model of the car,” Robbins said. “You can also haggle prices on KSL, whereas with Amazon, you get what you pay for.”
Like Robbins, Stephen Andersen, a senior majoring in human movement, has his own list of potential benefits to using KSL classifieds. Throughout his tenure at Utah State, Andersen has made some of his favorite KSL purchases, including a bunk-bed/futon, a popcorn machine, and a Belgian rabbit.
“At this stage in my life, I do not need brand new furniture,” Andersen said. “There are great deals on nice stuff that has been used. KSL is better than E-bay because you don’t have to use PayPal, and you don’t have to wait seven to ten days for your purchase.”
Aside from the deals and convenience, Andersen simply enjoys meeting the unique individuals from whom he is buying.
“I would much rather go into the house and meet the people that I am buying from versus not knowing where a couch came from at a dirty thrift store,” Andersen said. “The lady that I bought the bunk-bed from was someone whom I would never have had associated with in life. She had a completely different lifestyle, dreadlocks, and was barely wearing a shirt.”
For every enjoyable experience and successful purchase, however, there are those who have not faired so well using KSL.
“Sometimes, they don’t put all of the details on there,” said Madi Law, a freshman majoring in political science. “I know a friend that bought a car from KSL that ran fine for two days, and then it caught on fire. There was obviously something wrong with the engine.”
Although Law’s friend had met the seller while purchasing the car, he was unable to call them after the fire because of an incorrect phone number.
Law’s sister was also the victim of inaccurate information on KSL when she thought she purchased two female bearded lizards.
“The only reason that we got them was because they were the same gender,” Law said. “Turns out, they were not. There was a bunch of shenanigans going on in the cage all of the time and one day, one lizard laid some eggs.”
– drew.vandyke@aggiemail.usu.edu