ahhh craigslist

[guy n. cognito]

I used to sell and buy on CL but there has been to many robberies, rapes and now murders for me. I will use local stores, trades etc and stay away from CL from now on.

Meeting with people from CL just requires a little situational awareness and common sense.

Always meet in a public, well occupied and well lighted place during the day.

Talk to the person before you meet them.

Never let them in your home. If the item being sold can't be easily transported, at least move it into the garage so the person doesn't go in your house.

Take someone with you to your meet.

 

[slaps76]

I've had good luck on CL so far, and have dealt with some real nice people. Besides bass gear, I've sold motorcycles, a car, and random things. Even bought a bass from a TB'r through there!

Definitely lowballers on there. Had someone from CL recently email me an offer that could pay half of the asking price. I responded asking when they would like to pay for the rest of it.

 

[azureblue]

Back when I used to sell through the LA Recycler, I had somebody like this. Thought he could come in all bold and browbeat me into a deal. I happened to be about full up of taking BS at the time, so, when he started it, then made a lowball offer, I upped the price $25.00. "But that's more money than you posted. No, F^%&n' fair!" I told him, "That's my BS fee. I tack in on for dealing with somebody's BS. It goes up, the more BS I have to put up with."
And I found that works well in about all money situations, except I'm now up to $50.00 per BS...

 

[hdracer]

I just had a funny CL experience.

I had 3 basses listed on CL. This guy writes and sounds real interested in one and left me a #. I call the guy and we end up talking on the phone for a hour, real nice guy (so I thought). He said he had to dig up the cash for it and said he was going to swing by GC to try and sell one of his basses to pay for mine. I ask him what he had & he said he had a 09 Fender FSR P bass. I had the bass he wanted listed for $375 (a little high but I was ready to drop to $325) I told him if it is clean and not beat I would trade him even up. He agrees and we set up a meeting the next night @ 6:00 pm.
The next afternoon I get a call from this young lady that just loves my bass and has been looking for a used one that she could afford. I told her that I had a deal pending and he was to stop by that night, but it was already 3:30 and I had not heard from him. I told her to watch my ad and if it was still up in the morning he did not show and to give me a call. The guy did not call or write so when she called I said it was hers for the taking. She said she lived in Rochester (about 100 miles from me) and would be here in a few hours. She shows up plays the bass for about 1/2 hour (very good player) hands me $375 in crumpled bills and left very happy.

Four days later I see this guy pulling up in front of my business and pulling a case out of his back seat. (I sell out of my business not my home) He walks in and introduces himself and says he is here to trade basses. I look at him like he's nuts and remind him that we had a appointment 5 nights ago and never heard from him and sold it to someone else and the ad was pulled down when she walked out the door. He gets all pissy and said he just drove 30 miles to get here. I said he should have checked the ad, called or written me before he drove out. He gets all huffy and and said WE HAD A DEAL and storms out the door.

 

[RedLeg]

I always love CL in a military town. Not to say that we're all completely sane, but I always have better luck near a military post than in a big city alone.

 

[Psychotisis]

Are you in NY or OR?

 

[CodyLX450]

"Hello, is your item still available?"

Trust me, this is NEVER a legit email if you receive that single sentence as a Craigslist response.

Every legit email I've received actually referenced the item (not just the subject line of the email which is automatic) but would saying something about inquiring about the actual item if it was still available and then ask a handful of questions or if I had other pictures or more details I could provide.

The few times I responded to those 1 sentence emails, I would get messages like this:

Is your item still available?

Which item?

Your item.

Yes, which one are you referring to (even if the subject showed it)

Your ____________. Is this still available?

Yes, it is. If you can see the listing, the item is still for sale. I remove listings as soon as the item has been sold.

Can you verify this __________ is in good condition? I am currently out of the country but will have my partner handle pickup so you do not have to worry about shipping. I wish to pay with Paypal so we are both covered in this transaction.

Out of the country, eh? Well I am only accepting cash or a cashier's check drawn at a local bank that I can cash immediately. No Paypal. No Nigerian scams.

Thank you for your speedy response! I will have my partner prepare for pickup. I will need __________ information. Since there is a $900 brokerage fee involved, I will send you $2500 through Paypal right now. Once you receive the notice that funds are available, please forward the $900 fee to my partner at ___________. Once you have provided the MTCN # through Western Union, my partner will draft your check for the full amount plus $500 extra for your troubles.

(fake Paypal email appears)

At this point I just found it all laughable, so I told them that there was no "hold" on the Paypal funds they sent, and I was able to immediately cash out the funds through my bank, and now that I had $2500 - I really didn't need to sell the item anymore since the sale was to have extra money for Christmas presents. I thanked them for their generosity and for having saved Christmas this year.

I then get an email with random pictures of FBI agents, and a giant photo of whoever the head of the FBI currently is telling me all of my info has been transferred to them.

A fake FBI email comes in telling me that I have 24 hours to provide the MTCN # or they will be knocking on my door to arrest me for my fraudulent activities.

That seems to be where it all stops. :/ Whatever happened to the good ole days where they would at least mail you a bogus cashier's check you could hang on the wall?