Craigslist - The Good, the bad, and the ugly

[txjeff]

I'm sure some of you have pegged me as anti-craigslist with my last warning, but not all is gloomy (although some is).

The Good: Just bought this a few weeks ago off of Craigslist, and it went without a hitch for a great price:


The Bad was when I sold two twin sized mattresses a month ago to a local buyer and he paid with a check and it bounced. Took me three weeks to collect, but I finally did after much prodding and a threat of small claims court (the beauty of a local sale).

The Ugly:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26616005/

[ROADMAN]

the C/L users handbook clearly states..."cash only"

as for the seller insisting you meet at his desired point of exchange
...caution...red flag...caution... be careful...re-think...

[mickeydean]

i just had a really strange experience on CL. guy was selling a Les Paul Jr. then he finds out I have a MIJ Casino and thinks he wants to trade me for it. Pictures and a dozen emails go back a forth, turns out he lives less than one hour away. I said ok cool lets do it.

Then he disappeared.

[missinglinkwray]

Why is it a red flag if the seller determines the meeting point?

[reverbbb]

The story circulating today in Dallas is that some CL meetings are turning into planned robberies. The buyer calls up the seller about a high ticket item like electronics or a car. As mentioned, cash is the rule. The buyer shows up at a vacant house unsuspecting anything is suspicious. The buyer is invited into the house and the armed robbery is perpetrated. Apparently, this has happened three times this past week in the Dallas area.

[Yoni]

I bought a dishwasher from CL a few months ago and had to go to the guys house and one of the first things I noticed was his side arm protecting against little ole me.

[txjeff]

The story circulating today in Dallas is that some CL meetings are turning into planned robberies.......

Yup. That be...

The Ugly:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26616005/

[getbent]

taking a check from a buyer on craigslist? oh man.
On the robberies in Big D.... the part of the story that is the tip off for me is the person was getting a "really good deal" on 'big ticket items'... greed on both sides always leads to trouble... even in deals where I've felt like I got a really good deal... I've disclosed to the seller what I think he could get for the item etc... in each case they have been okay with our deal even with the disclosure...

I've gone into some houses in rough neighborhoods... but each time I've had a 'sense' of what is going on and with whom...

I think that if a person doesn't have very good sense to begin with... using Craigslist will present the same perils as regular life but without the regulation to protect them...

[txjeff]

Originally Posted by getbent

taking a check from a buyer on craigslist? oh man.

Yup. Agreed. The longer story is the buyer was a daughter of a lady I work with at a nuclear plant (coincidently). And they were a very Christian couple with kids, via our initial email chat. And, the price was only around $50, so it was relatively small bucks. But, regardless, they were getting a super deal from me, so the least I expected was a clean sale. Instead it turned into ping-pong phone calls, emails, etc. I even had to drive up to their house and leave a note in their door.

My lesson is, "If it's not DIRECT FAMILY or DIRECT FRIEND, cash only."

The guy that sold me the motorcycle said in a prior sale, he had a person show up too with a phony cashiers check. So even those can be risky.
And when I paid him for the bike, part of my payment was with cashiers check, which made his wife really nervous (don't blame her). But when they dropped the bike off at my home, 5 miles from theirs, they weren't that worried.

I think, though, Craigslist can be more perilous only because it is so simple to post an ad with no scrutiny or tracking involved. It's like putting a worm out on a hook. I always think it's nice too of the media to 'advertise' the 'how to do it' of a crime so others can get the idea.

I wonder if this adds new meaning to the phrase, "Never give a sucker an even break."

[reverbbb]

Well, I JUST got home from a CL transaction. Yes, I went to the guy's house. But he lived near me. I bought a SM58 for $80 - not exactly a big ticket item or a steal of a deal. But the mic had never been used - still in the plastic bag. It turns out, the guy owns a recording studio in Wylie. He had several other items for sale as well. Then he mentioned that he has a good association with Andy Timmons. Just at that moment when I started to smile and open my mouth, he pulled out a .44 and stuck in my face.

NOTTTT! The story was getting boring so I thought I would spice up the ending. It was all true up until sentence after Andy Timmons. We got on the topic about Andy Timmons using an Ebow. Andy proved to him that the Ebow Plus does not have a setting that matches the original Ebow. The Plus has a Low and High intensity. The original Ebow has a Medium intensity.

[getbent]

I thought texans pulled their .44's as a sign of solidarity....

txjeff, your post is priceless.... on many many fronts.... I have decided that craigslist threads are my new favorites...

just promise me you'll stay out of the erotic services and casual encounters section... I have a feeling (pun) that there are lots of people misrepresenting themselves there... especially in the t4m section!

as they say in the nucular bidness! Keep'er glowin!

[txjeff]

You know (Reverbb) your story reminded me of a news story I read around 12 years ago (pre Craigslist?) where guys would place multiple orders for Pizza from Pizza Hut to be delivered to an empty set of homes, and while the deliverer was knocking on the door for one, the guys would rob the vehicle of the other pies. I think they got caught though. (true story) As we're getting off subject, maybe later I'll talk about the Weed Whacker assault.

[txjeff]

Originally Posted by getbent

just promise me you'll stay out of the erotic services and casual encounters section... I have a feeling (pun) that there are lots of people misrepresenting themselves there... especially in the t4m section!

Now that I'm mostly broke, thanks to CL and Ebay, I guess I'll have to stick with home erotica. Now where's that air pump....

[ROADMAN]

if you can't find your pump ...try C/L

[getbent]

Originally Posted by ROADMAN

if you can't find your pump ...try C/L

and pay with a check... and then post about it in rants n raves.

[ROADMAN]

Originally Posted by getbent

and pay with a check... and then post about it in rants n raves.

[txjeff]

Nothing like plenty of replies and posts to keep bumping my message to the top.

GBent

just promise me you'll stay out of the erotic services and casual encounters section... I have a feeling (pun) that there are lots of people misrepresenting themselves there... especially in the t4m section!

Er, by the way GB, I forgot to ask. What does t4m mean in the erotica section? I never heard of it but you seem to know all about it, so, do tell.

[BlackBelt]

I'm not sure either. If I'm guessing right I might have a spare evening dress to offer.
LOLs

[getbent]

Originally Posted by txjeff

Nothing like plenty of replies and posts to keep bumping my message to the top.



Er, by the way GB, I forgot to ask. What does t4m mean in the erotica section? I never heard of it but you seem to know all about it, so, do tell.

it is a section for texans who are looking for musicians..

[vjf1968]

Originally Posted by txjeff

You know (Reverbb) your story reminded me of a news story I read around 12 years ago (pre Craigslist?) where guys would place multiple orders for Pizza from Pizza Hut to be delivered to an empty set of homes, and while the deliverer was knocking on the door for one, the guys would rob the vehicle of the other pies. I think they got caught though. (true story) As we're getting off subject, maybe later I'll talk about the Weed Whacker assault.

That guy should get a medal. I don't know much but I do know that whatever that stuff Pizza Hut sells it sure ain't pizza.