Craigslist as free cloud storage for your physical stuff
posted under category: General on February 16, 2014 by Nathan
I'm moving. This year, The Boeing Company is relocating my family to Charleston, SC, along with an untold number of my IT compatriots in an effort to put like minded people in the same "centers of excellence."
Moving across the country has its challenges, even if all your expenses are paid. There are things I don't want to move, but I don't want to lose forever. These are things like couches, tables, yard tools, patio furniture and other non-unique things. It's stuff that's replaceable but I would hate to buy again.
I had this idea about how Craigslist can be like a storage shed that travels with me wherever I go. I can sell a couch in Phoenix, move to Charleston and buy a replacement couch for the same price. It may not look exactly the same, but the couch's value is identical and it probably matches the Charleston area more than its Phoenix counterpart. If I want to get a better couch, I just have to pay the difference - an upgrade fee.
Brilliant!
Then, I began to realize this works even without moving across the country, and can also combat my hoarding tendencies.
Let's say you own a crib. It's nice and you don't want to lose it in case you have more children, but it's large and you don't really want to store an item as useless as baby bed when you don't have any babies. Put it in cloud storage; put it on craigslist. If you never need it again, you keep the money. If not, you spend the same money 3 years later to buy another crib that is just as nice.
This works especially well with electronics. Say you have a 1 year old notebook computer, but you won't need it for the next year, so put it in your cloud storage locker (yes, craigslist). Next year when you need it again, pay the exact same amount of money for a 1 year old laptop. Your first one is now 2 years old, but your cloud storage locker includes free upgrades while your items are in storage, so this one is a year newer.
Sweet, thanks cloud storage!
Stop holding on to your possessions. Sell them into the cloud and buy them back when you want them!