Advanced techniques for using Craigslist

[Youthman]

Many of us already use advanced techniques to search Craigslist but I thought I would start a new thread for those unfamiliar with them. I'll post my favorite method and others can post theirs. Maybe this will help someone to score that super deal because they learned a new trick!

My personal favorite method for searching Craigslist is using RSS Feeds with Firefox Browser. You can use Internet Explorer but Firefox has a much easier and more intuitive interface.

How to Add RSS Feeds in Firefox Browser:

1. Go to craigslist.com and choose a location near you.

2. Search the entire site using the search box on the left side of the page or search within a specific sub-category

3. On the search results page, scroll down to the very bottom of the page and click on the RSS link at the bottom right.

4. Select "Subscribe to this Feed using Live Bookmarks and click "Subscribe Now"

5. In the dialog box, you can either leave the text as you see it or rename it. I choose to only have the location and what I'm searching for. (ex. Instead of the default "craigslist tampa bay | all for sale / wanted search "klipsch"" I change it to say "tampa bay | klipsch". Hit Subscribe.

Now you can go to a different location in your area and do another search using the previous steps. Once you have added all of your RSS Feeds, here are the steps to viewing them.

How to View RSS Feeds in Firefox Browser

1. Go to "Bookmarks" then "Bookmarks Toolbar"

2. Mouseover your RSS Feeds to the right to see a dynamic list of the search results.

3. You can easily tell if you have viewed a listing because it will have the Craigslist Logo (Peace Sign) next to it.

4. If you want to see all of the listings in separate tabs, you can choose that option at the bottom of the list.

This setup EASILY & QUICKLY allows me to browse the items I'm looking for, in various locations, on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis.

If you like to keep your RSS Feeds organized, you can right click on the RSS Feeds in the Bookmarks and choose Create Folder or Create Separator. I choose to use the Separator.

Here is a screenshot of my current RSS Feeds

[Youthman]

I just checked through all 37 of my RSS Feeds and it took less than 1 minute. That's the main reason I use that method. It's super easy to tell which adds are new and unread.

[psg]

Thanks! I didn't realise that they had RSS feeds! You can also use a newsticker program to view them.

[Edgar]

I find Search Tempest to be very useful for searching multiple Craigslist locations.

[Frank1938]

I use craiglook.com. Works well for me with items listed by date of posting but I am usually looking for a specific item.