What Does PPU Mean on Craigslist? | PPU Definition

Acronyms dominate Today’s world of digital media and its usage (once the meaning is known to us) comes almost naturally to us. Be it the casual “ROFL” or “LOL” when we are chatting on Facebook or the more difficult acronyms like “NUI” (Natural User Interface) or “KPI” (Key Performance Indicator) in technical articles. Thus, you must know what is ppu.

These acronyms not only save time and effort, but in the web-based world, where sometimes typing extra characters may be disallowed, or charged extra (a carry-over from the days of pay per print services) these short forms help us to pass on a lot to the readers without writing much. They also increase the general readability of the text by making it easier and faster for the readers. But, without knowing the meaning and the proper usage of acronyms, the words may come across as entirely alien when you read them.

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Meaning of PPU

If you use Craigslist, then you will find it full of these potential alien acronyms like PPU, PPD, EUC, etc. But once the meanings of these words are known, they will make your Craigslist experience much more comfortable and complete. To begin with, let’s clarify that the words mentioned above are just examples of some of the most commonly used acronyms on Craigslist, but by no means are they the only ones.

PPU means, Please Pick Up, PPD means Postage Paid and EUC means Excellent Used Condition. In this article, we will concentrate on one of these acronyms- “PPU” and see what it means and how it is used on a classified ads website like Craigslist.

PPU is an acronym that is readily used by advertisers on Craigslist to explain the item availability and also the preferred method used for transfer of the item from the seller to the buyer. Regarding item transfer, the word PPU stands for ‘Please Pick Up’ meaning that the seller of the product is not offering delivery, but wants the buyer to pick up the product from the desired location.

In this context, the word can also stand for ‘Porch Pick Up,’ implying that the seller will leave the product on their porch and expects the buyer to come and collect it. For example: In Sofa For Sale PPU classified ad on Craigslist, the seller makes it clear that the Sofa will not be shipped to the buyer’s house, but the buyer has to collect it from the given address.

Although, If you are interested in the product the PPU designation should not stop you, as often the seller is ready to ship the product provided you pay extra for the shipping.

Regarding item availability, PPU takes a whole different meaning of ‘Pending Pick Up.’ This means the item in the ad has been sold and is waiting to be picked up by the buyer. The advertiser keeps the status of the item in PPU and collects the details of other interested parties and potential buyers in case of a no-show from the original buyer.

Alternative Meaning of PPU

Another abbreviation for PPU is porch pick up. This means that the seller will keep the item outside of their front door or somewhere nearby with waterproof wrapping. The buyer simply has to pick it up and leave the money in the designated area like a small box or maybe a piggy Bank. Depends on seller really. You can choose to keep whatever you want.

Porch pick up would mean the same as pending pick up. Business that item is yet to be picked up and the buyer has to get it for themselves. These are typically done for the items which are under a small price tag, such as $10.

Acronyms are mainly used to speed things up but if they are only making you waste time searching for their identical and confusing abbreviations, it’s better to avoid them all together. Don’t you think?

Note that the only major difference between PPU in please pickup and PPU in pending pickup is that, in please pickup, it means that the item is available for anyone who would care to come and collect it. The seller has not locked it to on particular buyer and it is available for everyone to pick up, usually free of cost.

Whereas in pending pick up, it means that the seller has agreed to give it to one particular person who has already contacted the seller, and is waiting for them to come and pick up. If they failed to do so within their designated time interval, the item will be put up for sale once again on the website. It’s an automatic process quite a lot similar to other E-Commerce websites where if you are not available for the orders delivery, it will automatically go back to the warehouse and in a refund will be initiated (If you have already paid).

So, PPU could even mean that the pick up is pending, or it could also mean that the seller wants you to come pick it up from their porch. If you plan on selling on craigslist refrain from using this confusing abbreviations at all times. If you are someone who is a common customer to some seller make sure you contact them and ask them the status before deciding yourself.

Final Words

This dual meaning of the PPU can be the cause of confusion. A general method of differentiation is noticing whether there are a date and time written alongside PPU, which means it is the ‘Pending for Pick Up’ PPU. But, many times the ads are ambiguous, hence it is best you should contact the seller and clarify.

The multitude of advantages given by acronyms has seen it become an integral part of the urban dictionary. But if not used or understood correctly it can be the source of a lot of confusion. Our suggestion is, whenever in doubt, search the internet and clarify the meaning. If the use of PPU on craigslist was your doubt, we hope this article has given you an in-depth guide to the meaning and usage of the acronym in the classified ads on Craigslist.