Craigslist selling/buying

[Jambalaya]

We have sold a lot of stuff on Craigslist over the years, from household stuff to a car, other furniture, etc.

~Have met some very nice people...we typically price our stuff to sell, and it's good quality.

The not so fun part?

There is this subculture of tire-kickers, trolls, creepers, jackoffs, asshats, who must sit in their parent's basement all day and night making bogus inquiries and jerking people around. responding with low-ball offers, constantly asking 'is it still available', or offering to come see the item---then these idiots just disappear. It's fricking bizarre.


Anyone else with the same experiences? My latest involves some electronics I advertised last night (Sunday). I decided to Google and facebook search the names inquiring, since I'll have to let someone into our home for a demo prior to purchase.

One dude didn't have a facebook page, so I did a Google search on his name. There he was on the sex offender website.

~ be careful who you respond to, or let in your house

 

[jtdoyle1]

Re: Craiglist selling/buying

We have sold a lot of stuff on Craiglist over the years, from household stuff to a car, other furniture, etc.

~Have met some very nice people...we typically price our stuff to sell, and it's good quality.

The not so fun part?

There is this subculture of tire-kickers, trolls, creepers, jackoffs, asshats, who must sit in their parent's basement all day and night making bogus inquiries and jerking people around. responding with low-ball offers, constantly asking 'is it still available', or offering to come see the item---then these idiots just disappear. It's fricking bizarre.


Anyone else with the same experiences? My latest involves some electronics I advertised last night (Sunday). I decided to Google and facebook search the names inquiring, since I'll have to let someone into our home for a demo prior to purchase.

One dude didn't have a facebook page, so I did a Google search on his name. There he was on the sex offender website.

~ be careful who you respond to, or let in your house

I go to Craigslist now to sell off my extra ISU tickets. (I would rather sell them on CF but it seems that there is segment of the CF population that will berate you if try to sell tickets at market value.)

Totally agree with your take on Craigslist. I just expect to get a lot of flakes and wierdos responding. I rarely respond to anyone that just asks if it is still available and I always try to look the people up on facebook/google before I respond or meet them.

 

[Walden4Prez]

So far I have had very good luck buying and selling. Everyone has not only been very "normal", but even very friendly.

 

[zarnold56]

I always meet people at a public place, usually a Mall close by my house. I have read some local police depts encourage people to make the deals outside their buildings. Never had a problem with it yet luckily.

 

[Farnsworth]

So far I have had very good luck buying and selling. Everyone has not only been very "normal", but even very friendly.

I haven't had anything weird happen yet either, even in responses. I do however only use craiglist's once every few months.

I did let one guy into our place once because I was buying an XBOX 360 from him and wanted to make sure everything worked. He was just afraid of coming over as I was letting him in. I had a friend over, and he brought someone with him as well.

It sucks that people have to be so wary on these things.

 

[3TrueFans]

If you just go into the transaction assuming you're going to be murdered then anything short of that is a success!

 

[MeowingCows]

I always meet people at a public place, usually a Mall close by my house. I have read some local police depts encourage people to make the deals outside their buildings. Never had a problem with it yet luckily.

Ankeny's police department actually has signs up in its parking lot advertising it as a safe transaction location. I believe they consequently have that part under close 24/hr surveillance, too, as per part of that.

I'm thinking of selling something on Craigslist. Been trying to sell it on Facebook with no luck thus far. Anyone looking for a vintage boombox? :biggrin:

 

[3TrueFans]

I bought a PS3 off of Craigslist last week and met the guy at his apartment at like 11pm, it was up in Somerset so it wasn't a sketchy neighborhood or anything, you just never know though I suppose.

My wife uses various Facebook swap groups frequently, honestly the most annoying thing is just people that don't show up when they say they will, most people are generally nice though if a bit white trashy at times.

 

[Walden4Prez]

I bought a PS3 off of Craigslist last week and met the guy at his apartment at like 11pm, it was up in Somerset so it wasn't a sketchy neighborhood or anything, you just never know though I suppose.

My wife uses various Facebook swap groups frequently, honestly the most annoying thing is just people that don't show up when they say they will, most people are generally nice though if a bit white trashy at times.

Agree with the Facebook swap groups. We recently moved and my wife sold a ton of stuff via Facebook. BUT, for what we got for the stuff it almost wasn't worth it. People not showing up, showing up WAAAAY late, trying to offer us 1/2 what we asked for the item after they got to our place without any logical reason for lower price, people that looked like they lived in the vehicles they showed up in, etc etc.

 

[Gorm]

The problem with Craigslist is that it is really easy to respond or totally ignore something if you don't like what you hear.

I've sold and bought lots of things on Craigslist, and every single transaction has been great.

Part of the whole "is it still available" problem comes from that fact that many people never take down a CL ad after the item has been sold. Most Craigslist buyers have been burned by this, and thus leads into the whole "it is still available" question.

Personally, unless the phone number from a TXT is from a nearby area code, or I can find them on FB, I won't respond. Too many fakes and automated crap.

The amount of automated crap also seems to run on popular searches. I sold an old couch once and got no fakes or automated crap. However, I am currently trying to sell a pair of ElementalDesigns subs on Craigslist, the amount of fakes and automated crap has gone through the roof.

At the end of the day, its still a good place to sell things. eBay and Paypal want WAAAY to much in fees anymore to make them worthwhile. If you sell something on eBay, and the buyer uses paypal, you are hit nearly 15% in fees, and that includes shipping. Yes, they take a FEE out of a shipping price.

 

[KCCLONE712]

Re: Craiglist selling/buying

I go to Craigslist now to sell off my extra ISU tickets. (I would rather sell them on CF but it seems that there is segment of the CF population that will berate you if try to sell tickets at market value.)

Totally agree with your take on Craigslist. I just expect to get a lot of flakes and wierdos responding. I rarely respond to anyone that just asks if it is still available and I always try to look the people up on facebook/google before I respond or meet them.

I think a lot of people don't realize how much tickets really cost. There is the face value plus your donation. This is the first season I won't be able to make more than 2 games since I live in Chicago. I plan on doing a combination of giving my tickets away to charity/friends and selling a couple games. I don't over price my tickets unless it is going to a the visiting team. Even then I price them very high as I would rather give them to the Big Sisters/Big Brothers organization.

 

[besserheimerphat]

Re: Craiglist selling/buying

I go to Craigslist now to sell off my extra ISU tickets. (I would rather sell them on CF but it seems that there is segment of the CF population that will berate you if try to sell tickets at market value.)

Have you ever tried the Ticket Exchange on the ticket office website? They'll let you offer single tickets for sale and you can be pretty sure that they'll go to another Cyclone fan.

 

[isubeatle]

i always list my stuff higher then what i want because i know people will offer less.

I also had someone text me asking about the item and then sent me a copied response asking for my bank to send a check and all that. I replied "Are you kidding me," essentially calling them out on the scam and they replied with a "**** you then" :twitcy:

 

[BoxsterCy]

I always meet people at a public place, usually a Mall close by my house. I have read some local police depts encourage people to make the deals outside their buildings. Never had a problem with it yet luckily.

Golden Valley allows you to meet in the police lobby, just call them first. I figure meeting in the parking lot just outside would be good enough. Selling is more dangerous to the buyer than the seller since it is the buyers that get robbed but even as a seller I am not keen on having some of these folks come to my house.

 

[CYdTracked]

Biggest thing with CL is being able to weed out the tire kickers and scammers from legit inquiries because people are getting much more tricky these days with non-legit inquiries. If it's a small enough item best to make transactions in a public place, preferably somewhere that would have security cameras monitoring the area. Unfortunately when it comes to furniture and large items you can't always do that so I like to make sure I have those things stored in the garage and someone else is home at the time so that way you don't have to let someone into your house where they can see what else you have. I had to do that with a washer and dryer set, the guy backed up his truck to my 3rd car door, handed me the cash and he and his buddy loaded them up and drove off in a matter of just a few minutes. Always make contact via phone beforehand too, that way you have a phone number of the person too if something went awkward.

I don't sell a lot of stuff via CL anymore but it is crazy how much more scamming and predators you can find on it now compared to even just a few years ago. A lot of towns have a "For Sale" page on Facebook too, that's not a bad way to try to sell and buy because you can at least get more of a face and name behind the transaction beforehand.

 

[dosry5]

If you just go into the transaction assuming you're going to be murdered then anything short of that is a success!

A lot like our football games....

 

[somecyguy]

I sold my wife's POS car this spring and yikes. It's crazy. I posted it around 2pm on a Tuesday and by 4pm I had to take it down because people were hammering me with calls and texts. Then once I took it down, people hit me up again, 'Why did you take down your post?' I did sell it and the guy was decent, but way too many people no manners.

I've got a couple large items that I'd like to sell off, but I don't want to deal with that crap again.

 

[KCCLONE712]

I sold my wife's POS car this spring and yikes. It's crazy. I posted it around 2pm on a Tuesday and by 4pm I had to take it down because people were hammering me with calls and texts. Then once I took it down, people hit me up again, 'Why did you take down your post?' I did sell it and the guy was decent, but way too many people no manners.

I've got a couple large items that I'd like to sell off, but I don't want to deal with that crap again.

Google Voice..... Great to initially give out to girls when using Tinder and online dating too

 

[JY07]

I sold my wife's POS car this spring and yikes. It's crazy. I posted it around 2pm on a Tuesday and by 4pm I had to take it down because people were hammering me with calls and texts. Then once I took it down, people hit me up again, 'Why did you take down your post?' I did sell it and the guy was decent, but way too many people no manners.

I've got a couple large items that I'd like to sell off, but I don't want to deal with that crap again.

I wouldn't list your phone number on the ads, just say "reply with phone number and when you can pick the item up", and call them

the people who actually care will do what you ask, and you can just ignore the other emails asking about availability/bottom dollar

 

[CYdTracked]

For some reason cars seem to be the biggest targets for scams, I don't think I got more strange emails from selling a used car than I have any other item. I'd get nearly the same sounding email how they will pay you asking price for the car and pay for it with a cashier's check for an amount over the price and either want you to send the other part to someone or a driver coming to pick up the car. Those went straight to spam then you'd have the emails where someone either asks short simple questions back and the response you get next is an odd one or you answer a short 1 sentence email with a question then you get the scam email with the next response. Found the best way to find out if someone is legit is ask a very specific question that someone would have to give a legit response back to in email and always ask for a phone number on a response and call them up for any further talks after that if they provide you with a number. If someone can't talk to you over the phone and not be a creep about it they aren't worth discussing a sale any further.