Craigslist Semi-Rant

THE PILGRIM

THE PILGRIM

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any of you guys ever use Craigslist?
It free, it's easy and sometimes it gets results.
Lately, I have used it to sell real estate and to give some items away.
The give away people kind of wore me down. I put on a near new jet bathtub.
I got dozens of responses but nobody ever showed to haul it off. Probably Because it was out of town about 20 miles.
I finally gave up and put it in a roll off box.
So then I decided to buy a iPhone 5s.
I phone carry in my shirt pocket, so a tall skinny phone works for me.
The craigslist phone sellers here defy understanding.
I'm not sure if the are running scams or just what they are doing.
After peaking my frustration several times, I read an ad that says new in box.
And this guy gives his name and phone number! And tells a straight believable story.
Turns out it's a replacement company phone. Direct from ATT. And unopened.
I did meet him and I bought the phone for $300.
So you can find what you are looking for on Craigslist.
Just prepare for frustration and scenarios that make no sense!
 
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Real estate?

I just think you lack Craigslist experience to fully understand the in's and out's. You need to understand there are a lot of flakes and scammers. Others understand that and may have thought you were one.

My last Craigslist transaction was Maroon 5 tickets. Some old guy seemed very interested. I was free at 5am and he said he would "wake up" to meet me. I suggested a public place, a train station, but he wanted to meet at a Chick-fil-a instead he said he would buy me a biscuit. I get there and it's closed and the parking lot is dark. I take precautions and we end up doing the deal. If someone told me that story and said they got ripped off I would think they deserved it for being so stupid.
 
I've bought and sold several things on Craigslist, and have had great experiences each time. Maybe I'm due a routing.

The last item I sold on Craigslist was a truck. I listed it while on my lunch break at work. When I left that afternoon, there was a guy in the parking lot with a fist full of $100 bills. It doesn't get any better than that!
 
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I'm surprised no one has mentioned all of the scammer text messages you get back. I tried to sell my father's recliner and got at least a dozen people saying they would PayPal me the money sight unseen, and have a shipper come get the chair. (The clue is that they are always from another area code far away, and for some reason, just can't get away from work to come look at it...but it is just what they've ben looking for)
 
Scammers are abundant on Craigslist but so are the dumb and clueless. I've saved dozens of people from getting scammed.
I've made one Craigslist purchase, My MG in AZ last winter, practiced my due diligence. No problem handing over a large amount of cash.
 
One sheriff's office here in North Carolina, in a large metropolitan area, has begun offering buyers and sellers from Craigslist a place where they can safely come to conduct their transaction.

This was after several reports over the past few months of criminal activity occurring when people got together to do their deals -- usually when one of them had used craigslist to troll for people to steal from.
 
You need to be careful there were a couple of folks that got killed around here in GA. Getting ripped off is the least of your worries. If you're buying a car or think you're buying a car with cash in hand it makes a a target to order.
 
Being ripped off is no different whether Craigslist or newspaper or gun broker. It can happen anywhere. Fortunately I have not had a problem.
 
I've had pretty good luck on craigslist, except for anything gun related which gets flagged off pretty fast. I had an ad up looking to buy unwanted guns, mentioned I pay cash unlike the police buy-backs which give you a gift card- flagged.

I have a few rules:
Never give my phone number.
Meet in a public place that is known to have surveillance cameras.
When they ask for my phone number I tell them what kind of car I'll be driving and get theirs too. Almost everyone's phone can access email so I use email instead of calls or texts.
I'm carrying, wife is riding shotgun and carrying.
 
A few years ago I sold some furniture from my mother's house in two hours on Craigslist. Deal went smooth, guy showed up, paid cash and came back and hauled away.

This winter I list some furniture again and was besieged by scammers. People from out of state wanting me to take the furniture off the site and consider it sold. I didn't stick around for the punch line.

So mixed reaction from me.
 
I’ve sold some farm implements on Craigslist. My reasoning was why scrap the machinery when it’s still functional.

My problem is, I live far out in the country and have to be careful whom I deal with. I always try and get as much information up front as possible before giving directions to my place.

Even so, I’ve had people get lost trying to find me and call several times for more directions. I found it easier to tell prospective buyers that I would meet them at the highway intersection and they could follow me. I had one guy who wouldn’t do it, he said that he didn’t trust someone he didn’t know leading him down a single lane road into the woods.

On the whole, I’ve had good luck with Craigslist and have met a few nice fellas in the process.
 
CraigsList Rant and Rave section used to be a fun place until the 2008 election, and my God did it get mean and nasty big time.

I attempted to give away a few nice items on the C/L free stuff page. Got nothing but "I want it when can you deliver it"or I want it then never show up to get the item.
I gave up on Craigslist years ago.
 
I don't see the frustration in it, at least not in the way I read the OP. To me its just part of dealing with people. But to be honest I'm pretty straight forward. If you want it come and get it, if not I'll tell you where to put it and won't think twice about it or give it a second thought or loose sleep over it.

To me its like selling on a forum or GB. Some people get all mad about a buyer not paying. Not me,......don't want it? Done! Next! Simple as that. Don't even give it a second thought.

Two years ago when I sold my car on CL it only took a day but I had fun scamming the scammers.
 
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We've got rid of a bunch of stuff using Craigslist. Broken lawn mowers, old furniture, and the like. In the listing we're always sure to ask for some small amount of money. Then when the people show up to haul it off, we don't ask for payment. Weeds out the riff-raff.
 
I have bought and sold many items including trailers, a 1957 Chevy, and my 1997 Silverado on Craig’s List with no problems at all ever. It certainly works better than the newspaper classified or any other service I have ever tried. My Silverado was listed only a few hours before I got a full price sale on it from the first person to call.

I have heard of problems on Craig’s List, but I have been very lucky using that service in Texas. They don’t handle firearms however.
 
I know how you feel. No one ever showed up from my ad that read "Deliverance Reenactment, seeking Ned Beatty role, so much fun you will squeal like a pig. P.S. I have candy."
 
I've had pretty good results with Craig's List as I've sold a lot of items there and have a few ads running now as I'm moving and getting rid of stuff.
It's a bit of a pain to list there but after a few times when you get the hang of it not so bad. What I don't like is your ad soon drops to the bottom of the page or next page especially in popular areas. Too bad you can't refresh your ad instead of having to make a new posting.
I've dealt with the scammers too but they're easy to spot with their poor English and wanting your bank account info so you can ship to them at their expense. Some I was on the fence about whether they we legit or not I found insisting on a face-to-face meeting and cash only scared them off.
I don't always feel comfortable having people come to my home to pick things up but some were too big to haul and meet them. I've met at a superstore parking lot and made exchanges there and I'm always armed as well. Some of our local PD's have offered their lobbies for exchanges too. They do ask you call ahead to inform them of your plans.
 
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