Buying & Selling on Craigslist

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  • Micahroni84
    Micahroni84 Posts: 452 Member
    all of my purchases/sales on craigslist have been great except for my very first one. I bought a bassinet from a couple and when I got there it was rank with cigarette smoke but when I saw the living conditions they were in I gave them the money and tossed the bassinet. They definitely needed the money.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    I started on Amazon way back in 1997 and also ebay around 1998. Almost all my experiences were good except one through Ebay. We had bought and paid for a $3500 video camera for our prodcution company and ended up never receiving it. Long story short, after several months I tracked down the father of the person who was the seller and turns out he was a retired police cheif and his son was having some issues. He agreed to pay us back the money and we did eventually get every dime of it. Another few months after that we were contacted by the FBI as part of an on-going fraud case against the person who eventually ended-up in prison. But that was just one extreme.

    I have done Craigslist and such as well and everything has been positive since. With Craigslist, everyone seems to want to offer you pennies on the dollar, but if you sift through the BS there are good buyers out there.
  • ChapinaGrande
    ChapinaGrande Posts: 289 Member
    My husband buys and sells cars on CL all the time and I'm the official phone\text answerer\sender. One time, someone texted me to inquire about a car and we communicated by text a few minutes. The next morning, I realized I had accidentally sent him a romantic message in the middle of the night intended for my husband. Oops. :( FYI--this did not make him want the car more.
  • jbutterflye
    jbutterflye Posts: 1,914 Member
    I never post my address & phone # on the ad, that way they can't just show up & it reduces chance of spam or nasty calls. They have to respond by email first & if we arrange for them to see the item then I give address & phone #. I also only hold it for an hour from arranged appointment time, and after that it's available again. I've learned that I'd rather pass up a sale then deal with a hassle. I also don't try to reason with unreasonable people. I tend to be nice but don't suffer fools gladly & have a pretty sensitive BS detector.
  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
    I love Amazon.
  • Reinventing_Joi
    Reinventing_Joi Posts: 10
    I lost my ipod! How much did you buy it for on ebay? I can't find a good deal on CL lately.
  • IamBorg
    IamBorg Posts: 49 Member
    I bought my current car for $500 on Craigslist last summer. I've put another $500 into it since then for repairs, but since my mechanic said I could sell it easily for $2000, I'm happy :)

    Through the years I've sold & bought stuff on CL without any problems. I listen to my gut instincts, avoid scams, and so far haven't had any issues. If I'm selling or buying a small item, I always meet in public. When buying or selling a car, I'll meet either in public or at my/someone's house.

    Right now I've got a car I need to list (my cousin's) and a few other items. 1/4 violin, small older digital camcorder, and a couple portable DVD players. Moving this month, and it's time to sell stuff we don't use/need!
  • bugaha1
    bugaha1 Posts: 602 Member
    <---- I bought this 1860+/- restaurant type whine cabinet for $20 at a thrift store and sold it on CL for $450 to someone two states away.
  • jbutterflye
    jbutterflye Posts: 1,914 Member
    <---- I bought this 1860+/- restaurant type whine cabinet for $20 at a thrift store and sold it on CL for $450 to someone two states away.

    That's awesome!
  • bugaha1
    bugaha1 Posts: 602 Member
    I never post my address & phone # on the ad, that way they can't just show up & it reduces chance of spam or nasty calls. They have to respond by email first & if we arrange for them to see the item then I give address & phone #. I also only hold it for an hour from arranged appointment time, and after that it's available again. I've learned that I'd rather pass up a sale then deal with a hassle. I also don't try to reason with unreasonable people. I tend to be nice but don't suffer fools gladly & have a pretty sensitive BS detector.

    I'm like you but I do say, call me at Local Area Code 85o-0215, I use leters for numbers. I usually always sell my stuff outside my house and I just tell them I have a mean dog. lol

    I did have two guys interested in an old radio and after they left with out buying it I noticed the nobs on the radio were missing. lol That was a garage sale though.
  • Cinflo58
    Cinflo58 Posts: 326 Member
    I never had a bad experience on CL. When my son was 19 I sold all his leggos, I must've paid $1500 for them over the years for $200. They guy came to my house with his son and packed them all up.
    I also use CL to get rid of old furniture and books. Free stuff will go in < 24 hours. I give more stuff away than I sell. I always let buyers or takers come to my home and I lived to talk about it

    When I was younger I used CL for roommates and never had a bad one.
  • jbutterflye
    jbutterflye Posts: 1,914 Member
    A pet peeve I have when selling on Craigslist is when people respond with questions that are already addressed in the ad. Read people, geez!

    Then you have those who offer ridiculous amounts, like half what you're asking for, or even less. Had people requesting I just donate to them.. pricey items like furniture. :huh:

    Had a lady give me about $50 in quarters once.

    I like using Craigslist though, despite the occasional hassle, because I like to recycle items rather than throw them away, and donate what I don't sell. We've moved cross-country a few times and it's easier to sell off a bunch of stuff than moving it. A good time to purge, which we like to do regularly as we're definitely not hoarders.

    People are interesting though, and it's good to learn what your boundaries are when buying & selling. One thing I've learned too is to only deal in cash, directly with the buyer in person. I was doing that from the start though, never had to learn the hard way. Was sellling a persian rug once and a lady offered me a "company" check and then got all indignant when I didn't accept it. I just know where my boundaries lie and I won't accept a check... it's not as if the fiscal integrity of companies are so trustworthy these days anyway.
  • InnerConflict
    InnerConflict Posts: 1,592 Member
    I buy & sell on both eBay and Craigslist. I use eBay for small shippable items and CL for items that would be too difficult or expensive to ship. Most of my CL sales have taken place in a mall parking lot, but had a guy come to the house to buy a piece of heavy equipment.

    I bought a piece of exercise equipment from CL last year for a steal. Currently looking for something else.
  • InnerConflict
    InnerConflict Posts: 1,592 Member
    Last year I did a search for an item I wanted to buy for my child. The search included a FREE ad that was a couple weeks old for an item that looked brand new. Surprisingly it was still available and I make arrangements to go pick it up. It couldn't have been used more than 2 or 3 times at best. $100 brand new, cost me $0.

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