Over a week ago now, I started searching for a simple plant stand 36″-39″ in height. After searching for new plant stands online, and realizing I was looking at having to spend hundreds of dollars for new, I decided that I would gladly settle for buying a used plant stand that needed painting.
Searching with Google, I found a few used plant stands listed for sale on Kijiji, but the owners did not respond to my emailed questions. Then I noticed that Google seems to be ignoring one of THE best online classified ad servers EVER… Craigslist!
So, off to “Toronto Craigslist” I went, in search of a plant stand that might be listed for sale there… and VOILA! A perfect pillar-like plant stand was listed for sale, owned by a person only blocks away from me. Again, when I emailed questions to this seller, I was totally ignored.
Wow, and here I thought people were listing things for sale because they wanted to be rid of the stuff.
I even went so far as to post a WANT ad on Kijiji in hopes that one of the plant stand owners would email me from there. Was I ever wrong!
After conversations regarding my search for a simple plant stand with several different friends, each promised they would “keep an eye out” for one in good condition at yard sales and flea markets, for me.
One friend successfully found a solid wooden table topped with a ceramic tile for $5! It is only 28″ in height but, I could use it elsewhere, so GLADLY paid him the $5. Thank YOU Jason!
During another online search, I found great instructions posted on Lowe’s website for building your own pillar type plant stand, so I printed them off and asked another friend if he could build one for me. He was so shocked to learn just how much it was going to cost to build this stand that he started looking in stores from one end of town to the other, for a plant stand being sold for a decent price. However, my friend got an even bigger shock when he discovered (like me) just how much stores are asking for a simple pillar-like plant stand… even tall tables that are simple in style!
Well, don’t you know, the very last place he checked with had just chucked out three pillars that could be used to make pillar plant stands from. Apparently these pillars were on their showroom floor for years as demos for customers to see who were coming in to buy lumber, etc.
My friend was allowed to take these pillars from their garbage bin. He was told, the weights of them would save the store the cost of their disposal.
Two of the three pillars are usable! All that needs to be done is have the tallest pillar brought down to the height I was looking for (and, I have decided on about 40″), and then have both ends completed; the bottom with a piece of wood slightly larger than the bottom, and a porcelain tile attached to the top to prevent potential water damage (a tile top to be installed on the shorter stand too!)… a little white paint on both, 🙂 and I have TWO pillar plant stands, 32″ and 42″ tall, for WELL under $100!
So… the next time I need something like this, do I look to online classified ads FIRST?
Hmmmm, I’m not thoroughly convinced that’s the way to go anymore. It’s as though most sellers now think these ads are our only means of obtaining items for sale. Surprise… it’s NOT!
What is your experience with online classified ads?
