Craigslist sellers

[RadioNate]

Do you have any tips for weeding out the crazies?

I'm getting a little annoyed by my first few ads there. I have one guy in Missouri who is trying to by my couch, one who is trying to talk me down in price (significantly) and several people who emailed about every item I posted.

I really hoped this wouldn't be this annoying as many friends suggested Craigslist based on their good experiences there.

I have lots of furniture to sell (and will have it in my garage sale tomorrow) and really thought this might help get a slightly better price.

Stupid, naive thinking on my part?

 

[Chicago526]

I'm curious too. DH and I may list a few things for sale soon, stuff to big to ship so that leaves e-bay out, but we don't have enough stuff to do a garage sale. Craigslist seems to be the answer, but I dont' want to spend all day answering stupid questions.

 

[freckles and boo]

We don't sell on Craigslist but I have given a few things away for free and had no trouble. You can't talk someone down from free. Good luck.

 

[ICF]

We've sold a fair amount on c.l. the last year or so....

It has been big stuff (TV, couch, old carpet) and little stuff like kids toys & clothes.

You should get a lot better price then on Ebay, plus it's free to use.

However...while we've not had any "crazies"...we've had lots of people express interest in stuff and say they want it and then never show up. That can get frustrating...especially if someone tells you they'll be around between 1-2 on Sunday so you plan your day to make sure you are there and then they never show, and don't even have the courtesy to respond to emails asking if they are still interested or not.

We have recommended it to people. It's like a garage sale without so much work involved and a great way to get rid of big items you might not know what to do with or kids clothes when you don't have enough to actually do a garage sale.

We only take cash as payment, and I would recommend that to anyone that sells on there.

 

[RadioNate]

I've had 4 emails now expressing interest. All different people (well email addresses at least) I answer them to set up a time to see the item etc.

ALL 4 have responded with a similar "story"
- they are out of town
- the will buy the item unseen
- please remove the ad
- provide my name, address, phone, etc
- they will arrange shipment to out of town location

Very scammy, poor grammar, etc etc.

I've told them all that I have a local buyer.

I guess I need to put "cash only" and "local pick up only" in my ads. I guess that was implied but I'm wrong!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

It doesn't matter what you put in there, you have to sift thru the scammers unfortunately.

DH does it. He only uses his email and his cell. We do not use a home phone number ever.

Right now we are selling cell phones. No shows happen and people that say they want to buy them and never call you again.

It is part of the game of selling.

Now an unnerving thing was on the news today. They released pic's of the "Craigslist Killer" they believe. That really is awful. So do be careful.

 

[raysnkaysmom]

Its hard... but just take the first legit offer... Don't 'hold' items...sometimes they dont' show. Ignore the emails you get annoyed from and just be forward in your ad. I've had much more positive than negative expereince on craigslist...

 

[RadioNate]

I guess I'm just annoyed easily today, lol.

I think I'd be happy with one legit offer even if it was for slightly less. EVERY response has been a scam and I didn't know it until after I replied to them. Bummer.

I have one woman on one of the items that I think is legit. She HAS asked if I'd be willing to lower my price but I do think she is serious and would just like the item cheaper.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I have one woman on one of the items that I think is legit. She HAS asked if I'd be willing to lower my price but I do think she is serious and would just like the item cheaper.

If you are willing to lower the price tell her you are negotiable. I wouldn't settle on a price over the phone for furniture.

The real negotiation begins when they see the furniture/item in person.

 

[RadioNate]

If you are willing to lower the price tell her you are negotiable. I wouldn't settle on a price over the phone for furniture.

The real negotiation begins when they see the furniture/item in person.

Good to know.

I'm hoping to hear back from her. We will be out at the neighborhood garage sale tomorrow so I'm hoping she comes by. It is a brand new item (baby bedding - our "boy" was a girl) so quality issues don't really come into play.

This is my first attempt at selling and so far I'm hating it! lol I guess I will like the $$ but it just seems to be much more of a hassle than I thought it would be. I'm a wimp!

 

[Bluestars]

We have sold a dining room table, china cabinet, and bar stools on CL. We have also given away small animals. We haven't had any problems.

I listed the furniture as XXX price, firm. I also stated that it was cash only. The animals were free, but I was weeding out the undesirables by the way they responded to my post.

I did not respond to any spammers. They were the ones who were out of town, wanted to buy it sight unseen, wanted me to remove my add, etc.

I also didn't respond to anyone who left a very short e-mail. I felt like if a person was interested in the item, that person would ask a couple of questions or express interest in more than 5 words. I would correspond with that person several times.

When I decided the person was legitimate, I would call them and tell them the approximate area of town where I lived. I told them to call me when they are ready to head out and I would give them the address. It worked well. I wasn't waiting around all day and I everyone showed up.

Good luck. I was a bit nervous at first, but it worked well for me.

 

[Modeltrf]

I have sold 2 vehicles and a few lesser price items with good results. Each time it felt like the wild wild west. You just don't know who will respond and what is their intent. During my first sale I learned how to discern much about the person by the way they communicated through their reply. I feel initial discussions should be handled through email. If things go well they usually offer their phone number. It helps me to feel their interest is legitimate.

Another item worth noting...I don't use one of my regular email accounts. I have several junk email accounts that I use for craigslist.

 

[ROIE01581]

The craiglist murder is going after ladies of the night. But I would make sure there is always two people at home and one of you has a cell phone at the ready. I don't like the idea of having strangers come to my home, or going to strangers homes.

We have purchased on craiglist, and we do a drive by the house to make sure we want to stop.

We also call the house after the drive by to make sure its the correct house as well. We ask them to describe the outside of the house and we ask if there is a car in the driveway or on the street.

To may nuts looking for an easy pay day.

 

[tasha99]

I've had 4 emails now expressing interest. All different people (well email addresses at least) I answer them to set up a time to see the item etc.

ALL 4 have responded with a similar "story"
- they are out of town
- the will buy the item unseen
- please remove the ad
- provide my name, address, phone, etc
- they will arrange shipment to out of town location

Very scammy, poor grammar, etc etc.

I've told them all that I have a local buyer.

I guess I need to put "cash only" and "local pick up only" in my ads. I guess that was implied but I'm wrong!

I don't even bother responding to these because they're scams. They will send a counterfeit money order for over the amount, and ask you to send them the difference for shipping. So if they send you $1000 and the item was $500 and it was $50 to ship, you send them the item and $450. Then a couple weeks later the bank calls you to say you're overdrawn because the money order you deposited was a fake.

 

[RadioNate]

I don't even bother responding to these because they're scams. They will send a counterfeit money order for over the amount, and ask you to send them the difference for shipping. So if they send you $1000 and the item was $500 and it was $50 to ship, you send them the item and $450. Then a couple weeks later the bank calls you to say you're overdrawn because the money order you deposited was a fake.

I realized it was a scam. I'm not going to reply. I was just frustrated because ALL my emails have been these scams. What is funny is that the same 2 guys replied to all 4 of my sales all with duplicate emails. Like I wouldn't notice that???

The only potentially serious one has been someone asking me if I'll take about 1/2 my asking price.

I know it was dumb of me, I just didn't expect all the scams.

I'm just hoping there is some hope for me to actually get this stuff out of my house.