The electric dryer was pretty easy, we just measured before we committed and knew we didn't have to rent a pickup, and took an extra son with us to disconnect and haul it. The biggest issue was coordinating the time with the seller.

The oven was a different story. It was a great price, the one we wanted, but then we realized that installing with that weight would be a huge problem for us, so at the last minute we decided not to buy it and went to our dealer. There were several issues that made us glad to have gone with the dealer! New electrical, carpentry, besides managing the weight, that they coordinated for us.

Our rules now for buying from Craigslist are, fits in our van, we can remove the old one ourselves, and it doesn't involve new plumbing or electrical! We are not really DIYers.

I hook the trailer up to the F350 and grab the appliance dolly and the road kit tool set. I can deal with pretty much anything short of a 600 lb range by myself, and I'm a 50 something female. The appliance dolly makes the difference, and they aren't that expensive. You can usually rent one for $20 or so at any tool rental place.

If you can't DIY, it becomes cost prohibitive to deal with unless you already have contacts on board.

I expect the piece to be clean, disconnected, and in an easily accessible spot when I arrive. I call in a favor from one of my local nephews or BIL if my DH needs help moving it, and DH does the installs. We have a truck, but they are easily available for rent. If you can't tackle the install job yourself and if you've ever had a contractor work on your home, they may be able to recommend someone to install it for you (handyman, etc.). As bpathome said, not having someone to move and install it would cut into the benefits of buying used and would certainly up the cost.

1.) Disconnecting and hauling the piece home; and
2. )Getting it installed?
3. )How much does this add to the cost? Where/how do you locate these people?

1. Appliances I've bought on CL were already disconnected. Likewise for Habitat - the item is at the ReStore and is also disconnected. Hauling takes place in the back of my truck.

2. Self. Usually all that you have to do is plug it in and sometimes connect water hoses or a dryer vent.

3. $0.00 unless going from a 3 to 4 prong plug is involved but usually I have one or the other on hand anyway.

I was primarily thinking about gas ranges....

Disconnect of a gas range is easy. Turn off the shut off valve and unscrew the flex line. Unplug the electrical cord. That's it. Just be sure to buy a new flex connect line for the install, which is just the reverse of the above. It's just a safety thing to have the new line. Under $20.

Yep. And to test for leaks, spray soapy water (a scientific formulation of dish soap + water) on the connections after you turn the gas on and check for bubbling.

OK, but what about the next steps?
Haul it home?
Get it installed?
Sounds like the "savings" aren't worth it if it's not a DIY job.

True, but it's a simple DIY job for any that are interested. Lowes / HD rents trucks for $20 to help cover the hauling part (likewise for a dolly). Assuming utilities are already there, an appliance requires one or more of

- plugging it in
- connecting a dryer vent
- Hooking up two hoses + inserting a drain tube in a hole
- Connecting a short flexible gas line

It's not rocket surgery.

Unless it's a very heavy pro style range, a gas range is one of the easiest things there are to deal with. They aren't heavy at all. All you really need is a good moving blanket and another person to help pick it up if you can get close to where it's being stored. (It's light enough I can DIY though if you can't find help.) The dolly would be helpful if you can't get close. It will wheel it out to the back of the truck or van or whatever friend's vehicle you borrow. Most will fit in the back of a hatchback/wagon with a flat floor if the roof is tall enough.

Once you have it to the back of the vehicle, lay the moving blanket down to cover the bumper and have enough of a "tail" hanging out that when you slide it in (with the moving blanket as a "package") it covers the whole thing. You want the back of it towards the vehicle. Tip it back onto the blanket, then bend down (use your LEGS!) and lift up, then slide the whole range and moving blanket back into the vehicle. Reverse it when you reach your destination.

Along these lines, if you are buying appliances off of Craigslist, do you just go it on faith that the thing works (assuming it's already been disconnected)?

Or, if I want to sell my outgoing appliances, do I try and do it before everything is disconnected and then say "come back in a couple weeks when it will be available"?

1. ) Disconnecting and hauling the piece home; and
2. ) Getting it installed?
3. ) How much does this add to the cost? Where/how do you locate these people?

I bought a range, a dishwasher, and a combo stacked washer/dryer through craigslist.

and to answer the above questions for each:

Range:
1) It was already disconnected, my wife and a friend used our appliance dolly to roll it into the horse trailer, and to unload it at the other end.
2) Installed by me.
3) The cord on the range fit the existing outlet, so cost == $0.

Dishwasher:
1) Also already disconnected. It fit in my Subaru, one of the sellers helped me load it. One of the tenants help me unload it.
2) Installed by me.
3) It needed a new, extra-long cord, supply hose and drain hose, since it was being installed around the corner from the sink. Together they cost about $40, for a dishwasher that cost $50.

Washer/Dryer
1) My wife and I tested it in place and then disconnected it and used our appliance dolly to move it out of the mobile home it was in. Not easy. We loaded it into the horse trailer, and unloaded it at the apartment. Getting it up the 3 steps into the apartment even with the dolly almost killed us. Another person or two would have really helped.
2) Installed by me.
3) Since the whole setup was new: electric, plumbing, drain, exhaust vent, I can't easily estimate how much it was to install it. Probably more than the $320 the machine cost.

and to answer granada222's question. You ask them whether it works, and have to decide whether you believe their answer. That's a part of what you are getting for the low price, uncertainty.

Without the horse trailer which has a ramp for access, and the heavy duty appliance dolly, it all would have been much more difficult.

1. a. Move it yourself with a truck and some friends. Cost: $0

b. Call your local college and rent some football or hockey players to help you move it. Cost: $50

c. call a local moving place, or find a guy with a truck, often advertised on your local CL. In my area an appliance haul across town is around $65.

2. Get the same plumber/gas guy you'd get for a new stove. Preferably someone who's already familiar with your house, like your boiler or toilet guy. Cost for us is one hour @ about $95/hr.

3. We once bought a full set of cabinets from our local Habitat Restore, and they delivered them for free in exchange for taking our old ones. Dunno if this is still on offer or whether it applies to simple appliances.

Have you found a great bargain? Folks here can often help you assess whether it's a real find (or not).

OK, you make it sound easy, so I'll give it a try. Somehow I thought you needed to be licensed to install a gas range.
Good question, granada! Probably option no. 2.

I just want to add, sometimes (if it is new enough) the manufacturer is willing to sell you an extended warranty. I considered it for a new, but out of warranty fridge I got off CL. Mine is a GE. I had called CS with the serial to find out if it was still under warranty, and when it was manufactured. While they were on the line, they offered me more coverage.

In my case, I bought that fridge from a condo complex. It was worth it to me to hire a "moving company" to move it for me (my arm was in a cast at the time). It was only about 10 miles, 2 guys, and quick hour or so. So, it wasn't cost prohibitive to do it. And, they warned me not to plug it in for about 24 hours after the move (something about the refrigerant.)

Just something to know about.

If the shutoff valve is in the right place, and the pipe is in good condition, it's a simple DIY job. If the valve is in the wrong spot, or is kinda cruddy, then you need a plumber with a gas license in to deal with moving.

I'm a rabidly DIY type, but honestly, with something like gas -- considering it would be a used stove with an unknown history -- I'd probably use a tad of the savings to hire a gas professional to come check it out and install it. Better safe than sorry.

I've sold an electric dryer and some large floor tools for woodworking via CL. I always leave them connected so that the buyer can see them in operation, but I'll have them pulled out and prepped so they're ready to be easily disconnected and packed.

I also always advise buyers that I can provide only minimal help with loading their truck and they need to bring whatever manpower they deem necessary.

If you buy a fridge or freezer and lay it down for transport, you need to have standing vertically for, say, a day after you move it in BEFORE YOU PLUG IT IN. This is because the refrigerant needs time to get itself repositioned after being in a horizontal position. This doesn't count for brief tilts off of totally vertical that might happen when moving it short distances in a hand cart. But when in doubt let it rest for awhile, anyway.

A hand cart is a great thing to have around the house. i wouldn't be without one.

I'm with LWO: hook the trailer up (we only have cars with tow hitches); grab the hand cart and some moving blankets and some rope and rachet straps and a basic tool kit (most often just to get any connectors disconnected and taken with you if they are still available), and you're good to go.

If you have them, ramps will make your life easier as you can just wheeel the thing up on to the trailer, and then down and up any steps into your house. But they are not necessary if you have enough humans to do the trick.

I don't think it's a big deal, it's definitely not rocket science!

L.

While it's not rocket science, it might as well be for someone who doesn't own the right trÃÂ nsport and tools. Finding someone reliable if you don't already know someone can be a little nerve wracking as well. Who knows if the person advertising their heavy moving skills is merely your garden variety weed smoking can't get out of bed in the morning for a real job screwup, or if they are someone who was downsized and is trying to get a new business venture off of the ground. Or are criminal masterminds casing the homes of the people they pick up from.

It's why I've always owned a truck. It confers a certain amount of independence to be able to move your own stuff.

But, if you have to rely on screwups who place ads on Craigslist, then sometimes no bargain that you find there is worth it. And the higher prices of the non pre owned merchandise at the retailer is an acceptable tradeoff for the additional peace of mind and less aggrÃÂ vation of dealing with the hassles of the used market. It's a cost/benefit analysis that each of us has to make.