Post your Craigslist experiences here

[Quantum]

I'd like to hear your experiences while trying to sell an item on Craigslist.
 

Here are my two encounters:

First Story: 
I was selling my xbox game collection and accessories for cheap on to switch over to PC.  I had a buyer who was willing to pay $120 for all of my games and accessories and we both agreed on a certain time to meet.  Well, I didn't get enough sleep the night before (I stayed up until 4 am) and I was extremely tired. I decided to just lay down until the time came to meet and guess what happened? I fell asleep... Boy was the buyer NOT happy at all because he wasn't in the area anymore. SO I apologized to him multiple times and he just blew up over text.  Eventually he cooled down and agreed to meet again, so I just decided to give it to him for $60 to make up for gas since I wanted to get rid of it.  He sure did get a great deal. Oh well, my mistake .    On another note, I had another buyer for a DSi, but he was very nice and said it was completely fine.

Second Story:
So I got a new phone, so I decided to sell my S3.  Within 2 hours I had a potential buyer... Here's how the texts went:
Buyer - Is this item still up for sale ? Get back to me with yourfinal asking price.

Me - Yes it's still up for sale at $175

Buyer - Great,I am buying the package as a birth day gift for my pastor's son who was transferred to West Africa.  I'll add an extra 200 toyour final price for the package which will be for the shipment of it via the Local Post Office and other expenses.  I'll be payingyou through PayPal.  I will forward his residential address to you immediately i hear from you again.  Thanks

 

Me - So just to clarify, that means you're paying 375 all together

Buyer - Yes... Kindly get back to me with your paypal email address so that i can arrange for the payment asap!

Me - Before that, I would like to know where I am shipping it to and the reason you can't purchase it in person and ship it yourself.

No reply after that  .  Well, at least I have someone to buy it now  .  
 
 

[ixiboneheadixi]

i was trying to buy a certain service on craigslist once, turns out photo shop hides a lot and i got an extra 100 pounds more than what i wanted

[CCap]

i was trying to buy a certain service on craigslist once, turns out photo shop hides a lot and i got an extra 100 pounds more than what i wanted

did you just.. but... :I

 

I bought a treehouse once. The guy came over and reassembled it for us and everything. Probably the best $50 I have ever spent thus far in life. 

[Worth]

My dad and I both got our bikes off Craigslist.

[JAKEBAB]

i was trying to buy a certain service on craigslist once, turns out photo shop hides a lot and i got an extra 100 pounds more than what i wanted

i have no idea what u are talking about are u saying u bought a hooker service and she was so ugly u got service for free?

 

Edit: we dont have craigslist in australia so no experiences for me

[Fred Castellum]

i have no idea what u are talking about are u saying u bought a hooker service and she was so ugly u got service for free?

lol close but that's not it exactly...

 

Never used craigslist and I don't plan on using it so no experiences to share, sorry

[jbr]

I've sold easily a couple thousand items through Craigslist and got my dealings on there down to an art form.

 

 

- Require a phone number from people.  No number = no reply

Lowballers and time wasters don't like you having their number.

 

- Avoid giving out your number until you are 100% someone is a serious buyer.

 

- No texting, if they are too lazy to pick up the phone, chances are they won't show, will dick around...etc.

"Sent from my iPhone" is a red flag for time wasters, at least in Vancouver.

 

- Pickup only from a location close to my house.

People who expect delivery of a $10 item will screw you over, try to lowball you even further, expect tech support...etc

if they don't show, at least you don't have to travel far.

 

The further you travel to a buyer, the bigger the chance that they will use that to beat you down to a lower price

by wasting as much of your time as possible until you give in so you can get the sale over with.

 

 

- Call cell phone number replies first before landline.  

Landliner's tend to be further away aren't into any hurry to set a time or place and will expect you to deliver a item regardless of how low the price is.

 

 

"NO LOWBALLERS" in bold print. cuts those replies down pretty good.

 

- Set a firm price, high enough to be worth it and low enough to attract a decent amount of replies don't bother with OBO, it just invites morons who want charity.

 

- If they don't answer their phone in 2 calls spread apart by a few hours, chances are they won't answer at all, or bother showing up even after you agree to a time.

 

- Don't hold items, people who ask you to do that are either broke or shopping around..

 

- With electronics,  deal with men first.,  Women tend to think Craigslist is a place they can go window shopping and

waste your time because the item doesn't match their shoes.

 

- Men who show up with their wives to buy electronics.   He brought her to try and get you to lower your price.

stick to your guns with these types, don't let them waste your time.

 

- Avoid having people come to your home if there is no good reason for it.

 

Reasons:

 

1) Some people will come back claiming something is wrong if they find something cheaper or change their mind.

 

2) Some people will show up at your house looking for tech support.

 

3) Some people have the idea that other items in your house are open to bidding and have no qualms about taking a look around.

at your stuff.

 

4) There are some people who will, given a chance take a little extra off your porch on the way out after the buy something from you.

 

 

Setting up rules when dealing with Craigslist buyers will save you a lot of headache.

 

 

 

EDIT:   iMPORTANT if you are selling CPU's, RAM or GPU's...

 

Write down any serial numbers or any other numbers that are UNIQUE to that particular item.

There are people on Craigslist who will buy CPU's and then come back with a dead one claiming

you sold them a dud and demand their money back.

 

That's another reason you only meet buyers in a public place.

[Aphexx]

great list jbr. a list acquired through tonnes of pain it seems. 

 

my biggest cragslist piece of advice is to arrange the meeting place next to or across the street from an instant teller machine or bank. I love being able to tell people to go across the street to the bank when they show up and give the... I know it said $100 but I only have $80 is that ok?

[Quantum]

great list jbr. a list acquired through tonnes of pain it seems. 

 

my biggest cragslist piece of advice is to arrange the meeting place next to or across the street from an instant teller machine or bank. I love being able to tell people to go across the street to the bank when they show up and give the... I know it said $100 but I only have $80 is that ok?

LOL that's a good idea.  I'll have to do that someday as well 

[Cwazywazy]

Well once I got a free gamepad wheel off Craigslist so that was nice. (One of the paddles didn't work and I broke the gas pedal right off by driving too fast.)

 

I sold an old Compaq Armada laptop several years ago on there but my dad took care of the whole meeting up thing for me.

 

I guess that's it. I've sold and bought everything else off eBay and Amazon I guess. My dad got his old Virago motorcycle off there too..

[jbr]

great list jbr. a list acquired through tonnes of pain it seems. 

 

my biggest cragslist piece of advice is to arrange the meeting place next to or across the street from an instant teller machine or bank. I love being able to tell people to go across the street to the bank when they show up and give the... I know it said $100 but I only have $80 is that ok?

 

Lot's and lot's until a figured out their games and how to prevent them.

 

I still get the odd moron who tries to get me to deliver a $5 item to their house an hour away.

and the ones who show up with the less then agreed amount, but I spot them pretty quick because they are acting twitchy

like a guy asking out a girl for the first time LOL!

 

If you agree to a price and then try to lowball me at the meeting, I just turn and walk away without saying a word.

 

I've been selling stuff on on Craigslist since it first got Canadian city listings,  Usenet before that and BBS's before that.

 

 

 

People say I look like an under cover cop, that helps a bit too. haha

[Quantum]

Lot's and lot's until a figured out their games and how to prevent them.

 

I still get the odd moron who tries to get me to deliver a $5 item to their house an hour away.

and the ones who show up with the less then agreed amount, but I spot them pretty quick because they are acting twitchy

like a guy asking out a girl for the first time LOL!

 

If you agree to a price and then try to lowball me at the meeting, I just turn and walk away without saying a word.

 

I've been selling stuff on on Craigslist since it first got Canadian city listings,  Usenet before that and BBS's before that.

 

 

 

People say I look like an under cover cop, that helps a bit too. haha

LOL I wouldn't even bother with people like that.  Why would you agree on a price and not have enough when we meet.  That's just silly  .  

[jbr]

LOL I wouldn't even bother with people like that.  Why would you agree on a price and not have enough when we meet.  That's just silly  .  

 

Because cheap bastards like that have no shame. They will spend a lot of time and effort to save a penny at the expense of others.

some people just have a sense of entitlement and anything they offer you is a generous gift you should be ashamed to reject.

 

Sometimes when I'm bored and get a ridiculous lowball offer, I'll agree to it and send them to an address as far away as possible from them

usually a Salvation Army thrift store.   When they email me back saying the address was wrong, I send them to another bad one.

 

Feels so good.

[Norwegiantweaker]

Lot's and lot's until a figured out their games and how to prevent them.

 

I still get the odd moron who tries to get me to deliver a $5 item to their house an hour away.

and the ones who show up with the less then agreed amount, but I spot them pretty quick because they are acting twitchy

like a guy asking out a girl for the first time LOL!

 

If you agree to a price and then try to lowball me at the meeting, I just turn and walk away without saying a word.

 

I've been selling stuff on on Craigslist since it first got Canadian city listings,  Usenet before that and BBS's before that.

 

 

 

People say I look like an under cover cop, that helps a bit too. haha

am i the only one who brings a gun when selling stuff ?.

granted the prices i deal with is over 1000$

[Aphexx]

Because cheap bastards like that have no shame. They will spend a lot of time and effort to save a penny at the expense of others.

some people just have a sense of entitlement and anything they offer you is a generous gift you should be ashamed to reject.

 

Sometimes when I'm bored and get a ridiculous lowball offer, I'll agree to it and send them to an address as far away as possible from them

usually a Salvation Army thrift store.   When they email me back saying the address was wrong, I send them to another bad one.

 

Feels so good.

google streetview FTW I'm bad with directions and operate by landmark rather than street numbers would be a good piece of advice to always streetview a meeting place 

[Quantum]

am i the only one who brings a gun when selling stuff ?.

granted the prices i deal with is over 1000$

I usually go to a public location with a good number of people around, but I've never sold an item over $1,000 before.

 

google streetview FTW I'm bad with directions and operate by landmark rather than street numbers would be a good piece of advice to always streetview a meeting place 

I do the same thing too. I'm terrible with streets.   

[jbr]

google streetview FTW I'm bad with directions and operate by landmark rather than street numbers would be a good piece of advice to always streetview a meeting place 

 

No, I sent them to a fake address deliberately.

 

I do that to the worst of the worst lowballers.

[jbr]

am i the only one who brings a gun when selling stuff ?.

granted the prices i deal with is over 1000$

 

No, but I do pack a knife all the time.

 

I've never had any serious issues with people other then the ones who started making offers on stuff in my place

or showing up at all hours of the day and night thinking because I sold them something it's my job to provide tech support

back when I was allowing people to pick things up.

 

The place I sell all my items that are portable on foot is in front of a store with tons of people

and no way in or out without climbing several stairs and heavy traffic blocking any fast routes

if they take something and run.

 

When I do trips across the country on out of the way places where I may encounter shady people

I carry a hunting/survival knife that puts Rambo's knife to shame.  Her name is "Scary"

[GamerPatriot]

Went to the naughty section and got a date. She used her sisters picture as if no one was going to find out. She had a cute face, but was faaar heavier than the picture showed. I drove several miles to her house so I got what came there for anyways.  

[Kerplex]

I've only sold a GPU on there for 50  bucks like a year ago (7850 2Gb) worked great and all that jazz. Talked to the guy and i figure he was in his 20-30's. Met him at the Grocery store near my place,  i hear " Are you "My Name" ? I turn around and see this large 60+ year old man on one of those scooters.. he turned out to a be a huge fan of World of Tanks  was giddy to get the card.

[lukeptba]

My dad and I both got our bikes off Craigslist.

It was probably someone's bike stolen from a shopping center or train station.

If you're lucky, you can find your own stolen stuff on CL/ebay/gumtree.

[Kerplex]

It was probably someone's bike stolen from a shopping center or train station.

If you're lucky, you can find your own stolen stuff on CL/ebay/gumtree.

 My Sister found her  dog that was stolen...

[lukeptba]

 My Sister found her  dog that was stolen...

...Who steals a dog?

[Kerplex]

...Who steals a dog?

Scumbags lol and it's pretty crazy how often it happens.

[Quantum]

 My Sister found her  dog that was stolen...

lolwut. That poor dog  .