craigslist, grrr.....

Dan Noren

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time for me to vent (quite possibly stretch the boundaries of good taste). :mad: after i got home last night, i listed the coffee table on craigslist:type:, figuring that it would be a while before getting any replies. imagine my surprise, when i checked my email and there were 6 enquiring about the table:eek::bonkers: i then sent back email to them and 5 responded with offers.:D i went with the best one, and called my brother to let him know the table had sold, and the circumstances. he said it was a scam email, :eek:and that i should relist the table (which i did). i also sent this person another email, letting them know that they really should inspect the table prior to purchase, and if they couldn't, and since the other letters were so close to the one they sent, i would consider the sale off, and any check they sent would be returned unopened. before i reposted the listing, i added that the potential buyer should inspect the table prior to the sale, and because of running into this scam, checks of any kind would not be accepted, and payment would be cash only. thanks to this, i'm just a little less than trusting of craigslist. grrr....
 
Let me guess, "I want your item so much that you should drop the listing and wait for my certified check to arrive." Or, something close to that. Yep, same issue I recently had trying to sell a TV. I wish there were a way to get them back.:crash:
 
The inability of providers to police the sheer volume of traffic and activity makes me VERY cautious with these transactions. My dad got burned on the Creek recently and that sore is still tender. Unfortunately, I now find myself reluctant to consider private party transactions where I am not meeting face to face, cash to hand.
 
The inability of providers to police the sheer volume of traffic and activity makes me VERY cautious with these transactions. My dad got burned on the Creek recently and that sore is still tender. Unfortunately, I now find myself reluctant to consider private party transactions where I am not meeting face to face, cash to hand.
I agree, I've only done 1 transaction on craigslist and that was to sell my metal lathe so I could buy my wood lathe. The buyer came and inspected it B4 agreeing to buy it and it was strickly a cash deal.
 
I may be rocking the boat here, but why would anyone think Craigslist would be able to police people that use the site? Or post the blame on the site for the nasties that are out there? As far as I can tell there are no terms safeguarding transactions, stated or implied.

It is an anonymous venue that must be utilized with eyes wide open. I have made many transactions selling and buying power tools, stereos, furniture, BBQ grills and other stuff.

Always cash transactions, a short term "hold for pickup" and never any type of warranty (examine before purchase). I have met my share of flakes. I learned pretty quickly to post my requirements and that usually throws off the scum that are trolling to take advantage of unwary people.

My 2 cents...

Cheers,
 
the scam works usually like stating, I want your item, please remove it from the for sale section.
I will gladly send you a check, or will send my agent down to pick it up from you with a truck, and he will have a check, and I will make the check out for "whatever" over your sale amount if you wouldnt mind giving the driver his payment of "whatever", and for your troubles, Id pay you 15 or 20% above the asking price.

or something similar. Always for your troubles.

dan its been my experience that people on craigslist are looking for deals of the century, even after you agree on a price, they will come over with cash in hand, then attempt to drive the price lower, and then lower.
 
dan its been my experience that people on craigslist are looking for deals of the century, even after you agree on a price, they will come over with cash in hand, then attempt to drive the price lower, and then lower.

Yes people do that. I do that sometimes if it seems appropriate. For example, I helped a friend get a clothes washing machine - we arrive in my truck to the seller's home and go over the machine and find chips in the porcelain of the wash tub. I point out the problem and offer her $30 less and explain why. She accepted the offer. She could have said no and that would have been fine too, but we would have walked. Its called making a deal, I like the old Yankee word "dickering".

When I post some thing for sale I always specify the following after the description:

"I have described the item as accurately as I can. It is "sold as is." The price is as stated, lowball offers will be ignored. This is a cash only transaction."

Once I started placing that in my adverts I stopped dealing with the ding-dongs out in the world. Or maybe the LA crowd out here is a different kind of beast. :)
 
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I may be rocking the boat here, but why would anyone think Craigslist would be able to police people that use the site? Or post the blame on the site for the nasties that are out there? As far as I can tell there are no terms safeguarding transactions, stated or implied.

It is an anonymous venue that must be utilized with eyes wide open. I have made many transactions selling and buying power tools, stereos, furniture, BBQ grills and other stuff.

Always cash transactions, a short term "hold for pickup" and never any type of warranty (examine before purchase). I have met my share of flakes. I learned pretty quickly to post my requirements and that usually throws off the scum that are trolling to take advantage of unwary people.

My 2 cents...

Cheers,

Dan is right. Problems that come from CL contacts is not the fault of CL. It is just people. One must always be careful dealing with strangers. A sale isn't a sale until you have cash in hand.
I have been very fortunate with my experiences. The folks I met when I sold my old lathe were great people and a pleasure to deal with.
Same when I sold my old car.
As for those who want to negotiate a lower price, that should be expected. We all want to save bucks. I always try to 'hoss trade' when buying something used.
 
When I sale something on CL I try to add a "dicker" factor to my price. I'll always add a little more than I want so I can cut the price and we both feel like we got a deal.

An example: I bought an over the fridge cabinet for 15 bucks. It wouldn't work for what I was going to do so I listed it a couple months later for 30. I took 25 for it. I figured after gas for going to pick it up and time I made about 5 dollars on the deal.
 
I've never dealt with anyone on CL... matter of fact, only visited the site once out of curiosity.. so no experience there..
I did receive an email once off my website from a lady (female name - so assuming lady) that said the two lamps I had shipped her were "stolen" at the post office and wanted to know if I could replace them. They were supposedly "stolen" at a post office in west Africa... I still had one of the lamps she supposedly "bought" and I had just sold the other for cash in Knoxville.
I suppose the world has always been like this full of scams and cheats, but seems like with the internet it's now a rampant thing world wide and in our back doors. Sad commentary for the human race??
 
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