DiggersList.com takes its local clutter-cutting classifieds nationwide

If you can shop all over the country for cars and apartments, why not for used carpeting, tiles, and other stuff that can slice the price of a home remodel? Check out the new nationwide version of DiggersList.com—a free classifieds network for buying, selling and donating home improvement items that also works closely with Habitat for Humanity. While local listings can still be sparse outside the western states, where many of its roughly 10,000 listings remain concentrated, a little digging on its site yielded low-cost tiles and a batch of old barn siding even in the wilds of New York City.

The site's search-by-zip-code function also unearthed rolls of carpeting at $5.00 per square yard in Chicago. "Building materials is a huge category for us, and tiles and lumber are popular items. They're very easy to check out, and you can see what you're getting," said Matt Knox, DiggersList's CEO. Many of DiggerList's best listings come from Habitat for Humanity's ReStores, which resell many new or nearly new items donated by retailers, contractors, and homeowners. "Since a lot of builders budget an extra 10 percent for materials on a big project, those leftovers often end up at a ReStore and then listed on our site," Knox added.

Want to supply rather than buy? An online form lets you donate items to over 100 Habitat for Humanity stores across the U.S. Sellers can also opt to have their ads automatically convert to an offer to donate the item to a ReStore. Knox said many ReStores will even send a truck to pick up bulky items like furniture and provide a receipt for tax purposes, letting you jettison your clutter while keeping it out of a landfill.

DiggersList does require a free registration to post classifieds and wanted notices for specific items, and their Privacy Policy says it will not share user information for with outsides parties. Nor does the site's Terms of Use make any warranties or representations about its ads or vendors. "We basically just try to put together the buyer and seller and don't warehouse items," said Knox. "We're only attracting people who are interested in home improvement. And that's a different crowd that seems to give less problem than a general classifieds site that offers things like dating services as well as merchandise."

—Reporting by Gian Trotta

More clutter-busting help: Also consider Consumer Reports' own list of responsible ways and places to dispose of unwanted household goods and building materials.

—Aaron Bailey