Best way to transport craigslist obtained furniture without owning a car

[TopHatFox]

1. Owning a bicycle cargo trailer and bungee cords or ratcheting straps + tarp if it rains.
2. Asking friends with a van or large car for help.
3. Renting a vehicle for yourself.
4. Renting a uHaul.

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Any other ideas? I want a bookcase to replace a drawer set--bring on the dust!--but lack a cargo bike trailer atm...they sure look useful...and expensive enough to try to make one: http://bikesatwork.com/store/bicycle-trailers. That additional trailer would take up a lot of indoor space though.

[jacob]

Carry these by hand one by one ...

[TopHatFox]

Carry these by hand one by one ...

Maybe if I screw the cinderblocks & wood together I can make a nice wooded cinderblock shelf?

It might be more expensive to make a book shelf with 5 shelves than getting and transporting a used,built one for almost free.

To build a book shelf for almost free I'd have to find the wood for free, learn about woodworking, find the tools necessary, and find or buy some screws. Hm, challenge accepted: any recommendations for a good furniture making book for beginners?

[bradley]

If this is a one-time thing, I'd just ask a friend. How big is the bookcase? It should be able to fit in the back of a sedan. If you have time on your hands, you could also disassemble it, pack it in a box, then re-assemble it at home.

[TopHatFox]

I want something like this one--used, made of wood, wood color, taller than wide, 5 or more shelves preferred, adjustable shelves preferred:

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/fuo/4848618247.html

[jacob]

Don't try to build it. Unless you plan to build several things, the cost of tools will far exceed the cost of craigslist---except the cinder block solution (you just stack them, gravity will hold it together).

If I were you (college student who will relocate a significant distance within a few years), I would either ask a friend with a truck/van (if such exist) or rent a truck/van knowing that I would have the problem of disposing with the big-ass shelf system in a couple of years or much more likely screw the conventions and simply stack the books on the floor or in moving boxes(*), and keep my stuff in a big suitcase. I would invest as little as possible in making a temporary living space homely.

In general, the more stuff you have, the harder it will be to move, and the more inclined you will be to turn down opportunities.

You can also ask the seller if they will deliver for $10 more.

(*) Despite buying a home which should allow plenty of space for an elaborate shelving system, I still keep all my clothes except for a few shirts, suits and jackets on coathangers in three cardboard boxes: underwear, socks, and everything else respectively. I don't even bother folding it anymore. (Anything that needs creases is on a hanger).

[TopHatFox]

Paying the person to deliver sounds like a good idea. I am interested in building it only to gain more experience with woodworking; I've been gaining some trade skills already in a machine shop class and with Habitat for Humanity.

The 5 shelf book shelf would hold all of my possessions except for my bikes, trailer, cookware, food, and dental hygiene stuff. I own only own one handful of books; the other five books are from the library and change every few weeks haha.

Thankfully I can get rid of a nice book shelf fairly easily by donating or selling it to the next tenant (:

[jacob]

The wood alone in that piece will cost $40-60 minimum. I would guess closer to twice that.

Also, you would have my still unsolved "how do I transport a 4x8 piece of plywood despite owning a station wagon"-problem.

[Dragline]

Carry these by hand one by one ...

Yup. I made one of these in high school. Painted the cinder blocks red. You just stack them, put the boards on and you're done. And you can make more levels at any time.

But you might not be allowed to build this in a dorm these days due to the weight. Check restrictions.

The other kind of cheap shelving that was popular at my school was the kind with two linear pieces that screwed in the wall with adjustable metal brackets that went in at whatever height you wanted. Then you just put the board on.

[jacob]

But you might not be allowed to build this in a dorm these days due to the weight. Check restrictions.

Wait, what?! Seriously?!? ... Surely that would weigh less than the books that go on it.

[Dragline]

Yup, here's a typical list off a quick Google search: http://housing.appstate.edu/pagesmith/39

Cinderblocks are a no-no at this place, along with guns, waterbeds, kegs and hookahs.

[jacob]

Wireless routers and electric blankets are illegal now?

Can someone please invent a time machine so I can go back in time? Twenty years will do.

[Dave]

I'm with Jacob on this one - screw the conventions and simply stack the books on the floor.

I understand your desire to build your skills, but the expense of acquiring necessary tools will (likely) outweigh the experience. Especially when you can build woodworking/other skills through school and volunteering!

[KevinW]

Any other ideas?

Renting a truck was already suggested. I second that and add that now there are a lot of options aside from expensive U-Haul moving companies. Home Depot will rent a pickup for $20/hour IIRC, or you can rent a minivan for 1 day from a place like Hertz. Also ZipCar sometimes has station wagons (ahem, "Compact Utility Vehicles").

Do Uber or Lyft have an option to ask for a large vehicle?

I've seen ads on Craigslist for "guy with a truck" services.

Ikea and most other furniture stores will deliver for a fee. It might not be so bad to make an Ikea run and have them deliver everything all at once. The last time I shopped for dorm-grade furniture, new Ikea was actually cheaper than used stuff on Craigslist.

[BeyondtheWrap]

If it's not too big, maybe you could call a cab.

[billc]

How far is it? You can probably find a hand truck or dolly laying around school? Maybe just walk and get it? Borrow a shopping cart from local shopping center?

One other tip on picking up furnishings while in college. Wait til move out time frame and just hang around the dumpsters by the dorms on campus. The dumpsters fill quickly so people tend to put stuff next to the dumpsters. Tons of perfectly good stuff thrown out. I used to grab everything I could from there and sell on craigslist.

[akratic]

I've rented a pickup truck from Zipcar before for something like $12/hr, but I believe there was a $25 signup fee for Zipcar, and I think the trucks might only be available in big cities.

Another thing I've done is post to craigslist gigs that I'd pay $20 cash to get a couch from point A to point B, and I was shocked at how many people responded and how quickly. Based on the response, I suspect I was over market price, and should have offered $10 or $15.

[Natha]

A simple idea here is to just ask the seller to transport the item for free. This is similar to the suggestion to ask the seller to transport it for a little extra money, but perhaps "even more ERE" in that you are substituting skills (craigslist social skills) for money.

For example, I might write something like, "Hey, I'm really interested in your bookshelf - it looks perfect for me - but I don't have a car and XXX is kind of far away with a bike. Do you ever come to XXX [your part of town]? If so, maybe we could arrange a meetup somewhere near XXX [a landmark close to where you live]." And then you can just carry it from there or maybe they'll actually offer to drive it all the way to your house.

Admittedly, a large bookcase might not be ideally suited to this approach. It probably works best for things that one can indeed fit in a car fairly easily, but that are awkward/heavy/risky to carry with a bike. For example, I have bought and sold a variety of musical equipment on craigslist and done the above successfully in that context a number of times. I think it could also work with small furniture, and even with bigger stuff if the person you're buying from happens to have a truck or SUV.

Another caveat is that this approach probably reduces the likelihood that they will write back at all, so if you are extremely interested in their specific item, it might be best to bring this up in a socially friendly way in the second email or on a phone call. (On the other hand, the danger in not bringing it up in the first email is that you might give the impression that you're flaky or trying to manipulate them.)

[wheatstate]

The bookshelf in the CL ad is a ~$80 new MDF/particle board piece from Office Depot. It does ship to the store flat. You could disassemble with a couple screwdrivers and a hammer. The box is defined by the height of the sides. The back is “posterboard”, is attached with tacks and folds into thirds.

Whatever you offer the seller, is probably their best offer.

I would suggest going with a friend, disassembling, and carrying home with straps. One person gets 2 long sides boards. One person gets 5 shelves. Pay with pizza and beer.

[dman]

Where I live (Sweden), there are often carts left on the side of the streets nearby post offices, kiosks, small shops, carrier transport agents, etc. I have "borrowed" those several times to move furniture and for moving in/out. You will get some strange looks and possibly 1-2 questions from people in the street (especially if you go a long way, I have done max 1 km), but it beats car for capacity and it makes for a nice memory and is free!

this was me last year taking home a IKEA Pax wardrobe:
http://www.yogile.com/mpulk0a5#06222850l