Elizabeth Schreckenberg

For six months, Julie Travous of Belleville shopped for a new bedroom set for her teenage son, but all the solid wood furniture in stores cost much more than what she wanted to spend. When she had almost given up, she decided to start checking on Craigslist, and finally found a set that she was interested in seeing.

"I lucked out," said Travous. "I contacted the lady on Friday and since their new furniture was being delivered on Monday, she was eager to get rid of it. She knocked the price from $1000 down to $650 without me even trying to talk her down."

The set included a bed, a dresser with a mirror, a chest of drawers, a desk with a chair, and a night stand.

"I was nervous about buying it used, especially since they were so quick to lower the price," said Travous. "The pictures looked great, but I didn't know when they were taken. When we saw it in person, though, it still looked brand new."

Travous said her son came home and saw the furniture and loved it.

"He had no idea it was used," she said.

In a time when everyone is looking for bargains, with a few clicks of a button, people can browse through for sale by owner web sites such as Craigslist and Ebay to find specific used merchandise at affordable prices, and they can receive their purchases within hours or days. And in the new year, with tons of resolutions to Clear Out the Clutter, they'll find people who are looking to get rid of stuff and make some quick cash. In other words, now is the perfect time to buy or sell used items.

If you're a novice to online bargains, here's a quick list of pros and cons for Ebay.com and Craigslist.org.

Ebay was one of the first sites to offer auctions for used items. It lets you search for merchandise either worldwide or locally, and there's a secure payment method called Paypal to ensure that you get the item you expected. If you receive it and aren't satisfied, your purchase is protected and you can dispute it through Paypal.

On Ebay, you can see a seller's ratings and reputation to examine whether or not they're likely to offer quality merchandise. In return, they can see your reputation as a purchaser to determine whether or not you're likely to pay for what you purchase.

The downsides to Ebay are that you often have to outbid someone else, and if you win, you agree to purchase it before even seeing it in person. Also, unless you find something within pickup distance, you have to pay for shipping costs. Finally, if you're the seller, you have to pay the site a fee to post an item for sale.

Craigslist has a site for each U.S. city as well as international cities. It's free to list an item for sale, and because the sites are all local, it's a great place to sell and buy large items such as furniture and playground equipment that you wouldn't want to ship.

Instead of an auction-style bid, once you find what you want, you simply email the owner and express your interest. You then schedule a time to see the item in person, and if you like what you see, pay at that point. The face-to-face interaction is appreciated by some, but intimidating for others.

Sarah Shane of Columbia was thrilled to make extra money when she sold an expensive part to a fish tank on Craigslist within 24 hours of posting it. But making the transaction was something she didn't look forward to.

"It made me nervous because people that I didn't know were coming to my house - I had to make sure there was someone home with me when the buyers came to get it."

Shane's sale went off without a hitch, but Caroline Simon of New York had a different experience.

"My husband tried to sell our couch and love seat," said Simon. "A man said he wanted to purchase it, but then sent us a bogus money order for too much money, and wanted us to deposit it and send him the leftover money. Luckily we were smart enough to know better."

If you know how to be cautious and want to save money this year, start by searching for used items before you set out to purchase something new. A Little Tikes playhouse can cost up to $700, but on Craigslist you could find one from around $50. If you're shopping for a boys' seersucker jacket, size 4, for a summer wedding, you could pay up to $75, but if you look on Ebay, someone could be trying to get rid of one that was worn once for $20.

And before you trash your clutter, consider that there's a good chance someone is eagerly searching for what you no longer need. Danielle Kohrig of Columbia sold a cell phone that her dog chewed up for $50 to someone who wanted it for parts, and Andrea Walter of St. Louis sold something most people throw away.

"I sold the bags from the Coach store on Ebay," said Walters. "The ones that you use to carry your purchase out of the store. People will buy anything."Another local option is placing a classified ad in the Belleville News-Democrat or online at bnd.com. Items $100 or less are FREE and run 4 lines, 4 days in print and are included online at bnd.com for 4 days. Call 618-234-7000 or go to bnd.com/classified-ads to place your free ad online.