[NA]Craig's List[NA]

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Feb 23, 2005
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west Texas
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Dave Taylor
I have some things that are apparently best sold via this medium + I've never used it before. Familiar with ebay only.
Any insider tips on what to watch out for, how to best use?
 
Cash. Or another verifiable form of payment.

It's just old newspaper classified ads moved to an online database. People can type anything they want into the ads, replies, whatever... no repercussions.

Post what you have, use pictures (one benefit of it not being a newspaper) and await phone calls, just like the good ol' days.
 
If you are rural west Texas, then you can probably sniff out trouble and not worry about serial killers.

But if you are selling small, valuable items in an urban environment, meet prospective buyers in a public place with video cameras (Starbucks, McDonalds, etc.).
 
These are large, immovable objects worth a couple grand each. They are too far away for me to meet the buyer. I figure buyer goes, sees, if they like, I accept payment (what form?), arrange tfr of paperwork.
Why would a buyer trust me with their $$?
 
These are large, immovable objects worth a couple grand each. They are too far away for me to meet the buyer. I figure buyer goes, sees, if they like, I accept payment (what form?), arrange tfr of paperwork.
Why would a buyer trust me with their $$?

CASH! Give him a bill of sale. You could use a REPUTABLE escrow service if you're never going to meet the buyer face to face. Paypal might be an option too, since that gives the buyer some leverage, but you're going to pay for either of these services.
 
Craigslist is a local, cash venue. Works great for that. I've sold cars and a few other things through it. Long distance, not so much.
 
How will I get cash from someone I will never meet unless we use escrow? I suspect the users of this product will not be familiar with wire transfers or paypal.
 
How will I get cash from someone I will never meet unless we use escrow? I suspect the users of this product will not be familiar with wire transfers or paypal.

Don't sell things long distance via Craigslist. You're begging for trouble there. Post local, meet up, get cash, depart.

eBay for long-distance stuff.
 
How will I get cash from someone I will never meet unless we use escrow? I suspect the users of this product will not be familiar with wire transfers or paypal.

Don't do wire transfer, well the buyer shouldn't unless he's an idiot (Not saying I don't trust you, but if I were the buyer, I wouldn't trust you especially if you suggested wire transfer) . PayPal is pretty simple to use and they have a good/bad (depending on your role) reputation of being very buyer friendly but, the seller pays the fees and there's more than one seller ****ed off at them. I've used an escrow service before for large purchases but the buyer should do their due diligence to insure the escrow is legit. Phony escrow services, used to be at least, a good way to scam people. If a seller suggested to me escrow, I'd be suspicious. If he suggested one I'd never heard of, I'd run).

Personal check, mailed, wait till it clears the bank is a good option too, he'll have documentation even if you don't provide a bill of sale. I'd have no issues doing that as a buyer, but I'd write what the check was FOR on the FOR line.

I buy 99% of my crap on the internet, most is from individuals or small companies.
 
Don't sell things long distance via Craigslist. You're begging for trouble there. Post local, meet up, get cash, depart.

eBay for long-distance stuff.

Except that I'm assuming it's too large to ship. eBay buyers love the UPS man, Craigslist buyers love instant gratification.
 
I have some things that are apparently best sold via this medium + I've never used it before. Familiar with ebay only.
Any insider tips on what to watch out for, how to best use?

I bought a sofabed, the monitor I'm using right now, and a couple of VCRs on Craig's List. All were in locations that I could drive to. I didn't have any problems with any of them.

Do not use Craig's List without reading this first:

http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams
 
My favorite use for Craigslist is to set something out for the trash guys the next day and then post it. I have yet to see something NOT get picked up that was posted as being free. The stuff doesn't hit the landfill and someone's happy to come get it.

I post that it'll be picked up the next morning if not claimed by then.

I give a phone number on free stuff and stick around to give reports on whether or not the item is still here and once it's gone I put that on the voice mail message temporarily and stop answering.
 
We had a student create a listing for some free goats and chickens on Craigslist and then list the contact number as one of our teacher's office lines. :rofl::rofl::rofl:

He was not amused.
 
I've sold a car, a bike, and the bike's saddlebags, all on Craigslist, all with not trouble at all. I bought two bikes while I was at it, both from the sellers at the seller's houses. Write a good add, take some good photos and post them.
 
Photos are critical.

Ads without photos are summarily skipped until the second "pass" when I'm looking for something in particular.
 
Photos are critical.

Ads without photos are summarily skipped until the second "pass" when I'm looking for something in particular.

Interesting to see how people operate. I've bought plenty off craigslist, not having a picture has never concerned me, being able to see it in person is the appeal to CL for me, I couldn't care less if there's a picture or not. Missoula is small enough that stopping by to check anything out is always on my way to where I'm going. That may be because I'm usually on CL shopping for a specific item and not just browsing to see if there's anything I like.

I bought my plane from an already expired but still google cached version of a craigslist ad in a city 500NM away... No pictures. He had a buyer wanting to go on a payment plan with him and was probably going to do it since the buyer had enough cash to make the ends meet on the simulator he wanted, one cash payment took it home :)

We've bought a house, 3 trucks, a raft, a plane and some high end mountaineering gear from CL amongst other things. All of it was worth going to check out.

My neighbor must have a craislist app planted in his brain, anytime i post something on there for free, he's over here to get it in about 3.5 seconds. I've literally made the post and deleted it in under 5 minutes. We get tons of free firewood off CL.
 
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I've bought and sold lots of stuff off Craigslist. Good pictures will help a sale and so will timely replies and responses. I would only deal in cash in a public place. One time a local business was giving away used cell phones for free. I got three Rubbermaid storage bins full of 2 or 3 yearold cell phones, some of them with the original retail box.

I tested and sold all of the good ones on Craigslist individually and I sold the broken ones as a lot on Ebay. There is a strong demand for used cell phones from people who have lost/broken theirs and need a new one, but are between upgrade cycles and don't want to pay out the nose for a brand new phone. I kept the Rubbermaid bins, they are really good for storage and moving. :)

Craig's paid for all of my flying in 2011. :D
 
I post many of my newly acquired auto parts (aka the inventoried vehicles I've purchased) on CL. It's free advertising, and brings in a respectable amount of sales.
 
Well I can't be there in person and thought a buyer would not want to send a stranger thousands in cash, so I included escrow in the ad. Expecting it would protect me and provide buyer with some peace of mind. But right there at the top of the ad, CL has put in 'Escrow Bad, Escrow=scam'!!
grr. And I also see no option to change the ad.
 
Well I can't be there in person and thought a buyer would not want to send a stranger thousands in cash, so I included escrow in the ad. Expecting it would protect me and provide buyer with some peace of mind. But right there at the top of the ad, CL has put in 'Escrow Bad, Escrow=scam'!!
grr. And I also see no option to change the ad.

The link to edit or delete your ad will be in the email they sent you after you posted it.
 
I actually bought my car off of Craigslist. I really like CL and you can find a good deal on there if you're diligent.

The trick is to just be wary of bots and stuff when selling. Treat it as if it's the sketchiest person you know. Usually, when I make an ad, I ask the person to put something in the subject line or at the end of the message like, "Rubber baby buggy bumpers." This way I know they aren't a bot.

Also, bonus points if you can guess the movie I quoted in my previous paragraph.
 
Is there a way for the prospective buyer to verify that the escrow service is legit?

I have googled and first glance appears that at least licensing is required or available. That, perhaps combined with word of mouth, and the presence of a long-standing brick and mortar presence?
 
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