My wife was doing a load of laundry the other day, but when she went to put the laundry in the dryer, the clothes would not dry. Has this happened to you? If so, you know how frustrating it can be. As a temporary solution, I went to the store and bought some inexpensive clothesline so that we could dry our clothes the old fashioned way. I felt like I had been transported back in time as I looked at our clothes hanging over every chair and on a piece of string on the back patio.
My Youtube Experience – Why Wont My Dryer Heat
I found a video explaining why my dryer wouldn’t heat and I realized that it might not be worth fixing; At least not worth me trying to fix it. I looked up the part that I thought needed to be replaced, a heating element, and it was going for around $140. I only paid a total of $150 for both the washer and dryer a few years ago on Craigslist, so I thought I should look into replacing the dryer instead of fixing it.
The Used Appliance Shop
My next move was to call B & B Appliances, the used and slightly dented appliance shop that I have gone to before. I gave them a ring and the salesman told me it would be $219 for a reconditioned model and another $40 for delivery. That didn’t even include tax, so we were looking to pay around $300 to buy one from their store.
The Retired Elevator Repair Guy on Craigslist
I then decided to check Craigslist for a dryer that looked similar to the one we had and I found one for $75 with free delivery. I thought this might be too good to be true, however, since I had purchased the set before for $150 with free delivery, I decided to give him a call. The gentleman’s name was Bill but he went by the nickname “Scrappy”. He was a well-mannered, older gentleman who retired from his job in Boston as an elevator repairmen. He said that he buys broken washers and dryers, fixes them and then resells them. Not only that, he includes a 30 day warranty, to put your mind at ease of buying a used appliance.
He brought out the dryer that he was planning to sell to me but unfortunately the knob fell off on the way over to my house. Instead of the trip being wasted, he asked if he could check out my dryer. After testing it, he said that he should be able to fix it back at his shop and that he would bring it back the same day. And that is exactly what he did. He fixed our dryer and delivered it back to our home for a total of $75! This was even better than I had expected AND we were able to keep the dryer that matched our washer.
Buyer Beware
Now, I am sure that some of you who are reading this are really skeptical of this whole process and how trusting I was of this guy “Scrappy” that I had never met before. Here are some points to keep in mind to assist you if you ever find yourself in this position:
1. Make sure they have a reason to come back – Since he took my broken dryer, it is possible that he would have not returned it. However, he had multiple washers & dryers for sale, so if he couldn’t fix it I would have bought one of those from him. So he had an incentive to come back.
2. Look for signs that verify the legitimacy of the person you are buying from – He had an actual sign on the back of his trailer that said “Scrappy’s Used Appliances”. I understand that anyone can make a sign, but this guys story lined up all the way with which made me more comfortable about the whole ordeal.
3. Ask them questions to make sure they know what they are doing – I had asked him about his experience as an elevator repairman and how long he had been fixing broken appliances. He had been doing it for a number of years and he said that dryers were much easier to fix the elevators. He also said that it gave him an outlet to use his tools and kept him productive during retirement.
4. Ask to see the parts – He showed me the old broken heating element and explained how the dryer worked. This guy was genuine and I could tell that he knew what he was talking about.
Buying used items on craigslist is a risky process. I don’t recommend it for everyone, however, it has the potential to save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars over the long run. Please make sure to proceed with caution and ask the right questions.
The Takeaway
Don’t let your emotions take over in an experience like this. It can be easy to get frustrated and want to get brand new, top of the line appliances from Best Buy. However, you have to buy what you can afford. If it is not within your budget to spend $1,000 on a washer and dryer combo, then consider using Craigslist to find yourself an affordable solution.
Has your dryer ever broken? What did you end up doing?
Image Credit: Biblioteca de Arte
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Our dryer broke beyond repair last year and we ended up having to buy a new one! It was old, though, so it was expected!
Sorry to hear that your dryer broke as well, but sounds like you anticipated it breaking. I am sure that you got a really good deal on the “new” one 🙂
Dryers are one of those things that I hate to love. If mine broke down i’d probably be happy, although drying clothes in the snow is a bit tricky.
Drying clothes in a snowy climate would be tricky. I guess you would have to start a fire or something to make up for the lack of heat.
Our dryer is about six years old, so I’m hoping to get at least 10 more years, though I know these days you’re lucky if you get ten total. I think you’re right, though, if you’ve got a good sense of being able to sniff out BS and know the good from the bad, you can come out ahead. Now, any time you have an appliance need, you have a contact.
It is so true, having a BS meter is key to dealing with people on Craigslist. And you’re right, Scrappy is now the “Appliance Guy” in my virtual Rolodex.
I’ve never thought about buying a big appliance like that on Craigslist, but what a great idea!
Yeah, Craigslist is awesome for items like this. Mainly because people will sell them at a deep discount just to get rid of them.
A friend of mine’s house burned down when we were little because of a faulty dryer, so my mother was always super neurotic about dryers. So if/when I buy one on craigslist, I’ll have it checked by an expert (and I will tell her I bought it at best buy) 😉
Wow. Sorry to hear about your friends house burning down. That does bring up a another point. I don’t recommend leaving the house while you have the dryer running. For the first load I dried I made sure to keep a close eye on the dryer to make sure that it didn’t catch on fire. So far, so good.
That’s an awesome story! Usually things end up spending MORE than you expect, so it’s nice to hear that you were able to get it fixed for just $75.
Aint that the truth. I was actually willing to pay more if needed, but I was really happy to be at $75 when all was said and done.
Great ideas, and great point about verifying everything – absolutely true. Good post!
Thanks Tony!
So this is a bit embarrassing, but I’ve never really considered getting a drying from craigslist before, but you can’t beat those prices. Sounds just like the benefits of buying a used car.
Nothing to be embarrassed about. It took me a while to even think about buying appliances on Craigslist. It is definitely more main stream these days.
I started doing this as well in my area as a side income. It’s great to see how excited people get and it’s nice to be able to help people out as well.
Washer&dryer both work….just need little miner repairs. ..i use my washer still….but i am moving and i can.t take the with me….
How can I find Mr. Scrappy?! I have two washers and one dryer that are old. I would like to sell them, but everywhere I call or search they tell me that they are too old. Well first I should ask: Where in texas, or where exactly is this place?! I have a Maytag, Whirlpool and a GE.
Well, Scrappy is in Arizona, but I found him through Craigslist. So I would search for “appliance repair” in craigslist and see if there is someone in your local area.
Two washers fairly new! Great shape. Sitting in driveway covered. Looking to sell cheap