Good craigslist experiences?

[bonzo4880]

I've surely experienced some grief and wasted time with CL, but has anyone had any good experiences with it? I managed to pick up my Qtron on there for cheap. A guy posted an ad wanting to trade the Q for a guitar amp. I had an old beat-to-death Peavey Bandit 65 that I used as a practice amp, not good for much else. But he seemed really interested in it, so we met up at GC and made the trade. I was stoked - Q's go for 150 bucks new, and I figured that my amp couldn't be worth anywhere near that much. A week later, the amp was back up on craigslist. For 120 bucks. I was shocked. The guy made it seem that he wanted the amp to PLAY, not to sell. I wouldn't have cared what he was doing with it, I just didn't think he would be able to sell it. If he needed some cash, I would think the Qtron would sell quicker than a beatup Peavey guitar amp. Anyways, the amp doesn't sell. He posts new ads every week, with the price dropping ten dollars at a time. 110. 100. 90. He goes out and buys a footswitch and tries to mark it up 20 bucks. No dice. 80. 70. And it keeps falling. At this point, I kinda want to get the amp back. I missed it, somehow. An old guitarist friend of mine had left it at my house for dead, and I "resurrected" it as a bass practice amp. It had some kind of irrational sentimental value. So the price keeps dropping - when it hits 40, I bite. The guy was surprised to hear from me, but at that point I guess he was really desperate for cash. I didn't take the footswitch though. So I got a Qtron in the box with power supply for 40 bucks. Not bad, eh? And I got my beloved Bandit back. I even managed to get the knobs right - Peavey uses weird names for their knobs and I could never get a decent bass tone - granted, it is a guitar amp. But now it sounds bassy and really smooth - it even breaks up nicely and gets a little gritty when I turn my bass up. And its easier to move than my 410 cab and SVT3 for those times when you don't need the volume. All in all a good deal. Anyone else?

[tycobb73]

I got a GK 1001RBII for $450 shipped. And he sent it to me before he got the money order based on my promise to him that I would send it.

[sarcastro83]

got my Nemesis 410 combo for 600 instead of buying it for like 1000 in store...

[winston]

Some of the best CL deals I've gotten were a Conklin/Groove Tools 7 for $500 w/case, a Messenger Deluxe electric upright for $1700, and an MXR EVH Phase 90 for $60.

I've had better luck selling more expensive gear on Craigslist (a Pedulla ThunderBolt 6, Fender Jaguar Baritone Custom, Stambaugh fretless 4) than I have with cheaper stuff (stompboxes, Casio keyboards). IME there are more browsers/tire-kickers for inexpensive gear. I got my asking price for all 3 basses, no haggling. In each case I sold on the spot to the first person who checked it out.

As a seller I make an effort to provide as much info as possible--links to manufacturers' sites, description of condition/control functions, good pictures. State your terms (firm price or OBO, trades, shipping, etc.) up front, and tell people to respond with a phone # and the time/s they want to check out the item.

If you do a little research (as a buyer or seller) you can see actual market values and are much more likely to get a fair price. I tend to price things I'm selling a little bit below eBay/TB value--people will get a good deal, but it won't be worth it for them to flip it for profit. I don't understand people who keep posting the same items for weeks or months at a time--it always means they're asking too much.

[Taylor Livingston]

I got a mint Mesa MPulse 600 for 600 bucks on CL. Couldn't afford to keep it, so I flipped it on ebay and got $850 for it - I was happy about that. I think that was a fluke, though, because in general, people seem to way overprice their stuff on CL.

[rfclef]

Found the guys in my band on CL... Traded a Tuba for a Bass clarinet on CL... Sold a euphonium... Sold a bass... no bad experiences yet...

[Hookus]

I have always ended up dealing with people that would make me reach for a gun had I met them on the street.

Seriously, every single CL experience I have had was stranger than fiction. I could write a book.

[steve21]

I've used CL very well to my advantage.

[bonzo4880]

yeah for sure, it can be very handy. how about really good / really bad experiences on CL with other musicians, in addition to buying and selling gear? there have been some funny posts regarding some of the ridiculous ads that people have found on CL - has anyone actually met any of these people? any good stories to share?

[ikkim12]

everytime i try to by something from craigslist, the sellers all tell me that the products are all sold.. making me really angry

[neurotictim]

I'm addicted to Craigslist. By far, the best deal so far involved trading some video game stuff + cash for an Alembic Epic 5 string, but I've also bought a Schecter Stiletto with the tags still on it for $350, a couple of heads, a cab, and various other non-music related things. Great for good finds on pets/pet stuff.

I've sold a bunch of stuff on CL, too. It's awesome because someone out there is looking for what you've got, and you'll get what you want out of the deal.

In fact, I've never (so far) had a bad experience with CL. Just take the bad ones as they come, IMO, and keep your eyes peeled for the deals.