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Craigslist - Experiences?

waynesun

waynesun

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 25, 2006
160
0
I came across a craigslist listing in my area for a 30'' Apple Cinema Display.. the lady wanted it out the door for less than half the price! (she stated her reason: it was no longer needed for a larger display)

The price seems a bit too good to be true. While i'm tempted by the deal, i'm still skeptical as to what craigslist sellers are like. I've read of one thread on these forums of a guy talking about how he was ambushed by a group of thugs.. and that's what i'm most afraid of. This is my first time dealing on craigslist.

I've asked for pictures and receipt scans/statements. How else should I ensure the legitimacy of this listing?

Also, how have your experiences generally been? I know craigslist is a great site to catch deals.. but it can also work the opposite way.
 
Ive sold stuff on craigslist before. I usually met people in a public place.

The one time I sold something and had someone come to my house, I kept a weapon (yes, a dreaded evil gun) hidden on myself when I opened the door, and only put the gun away once I determined there was no threat.

With a 30" cinema display itd be kind of hard to meet in a public place. I suggest bringing a buddy with you just in case.
 
glocke12 said:
Ive sold stuff on craigslist before. I usually met people in a public place.

The one time I sold something and had someone come to my house, I kept a weapon (yes, a dreaded evil gun) hidden on myself when I opened the door, and only put the gun away once I determined there was no threat.

With a 30" cinema display itd be kind of hard to meet in a public place. I suggest bringing a buddy with you just in case.
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wow, that seems really extreme, where do you live?
 
Gelfin said:
Wow. A thread with this title could have been so much more exciting.
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Haha.. do you have an experience? I'm just real curious, searched "craiglist" and there's not really a dedicated thread on complaints, recommendations, etc.. Of course, it doesn't have to be Mac..

glocke12 said:
Ive sold stuff on craigslist before. I usually met people in a public place.

The one time I sold something and had someone come to my house, I kept a weapon (yes, a dreaded evil gun) hidden on myself when I opened the door, and only put the gun away once I determined there was no threat.

With a 30" cinema display itd be kind of hard to meet in a public place. I suggest bringing a buddy with you just in case.
Click to expand...

HAHA, that sounds like something I would do. Seriously..
But yes, I intend on bringing a friend or two to scout/make sure that the deal isn't too out-of-control.
 
I am 14 and sell on Craigslist about once or twice a week. Sometimes, I meet in a public place, if my parents are willing to drive me, but they usually come to my house. I get all sorts of people, but if I'm respectful and firm, I don't get any trouble, even if I get someone who's majorly pissed.

So I have a death wish.....
 
glocke12 said:
At the time, I lived in a decent suburb an hour north of philadelphia. Not a high crime area, but there was a fair amount of crime.
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I guess living in Maine I just kinda don't think about that kind of stuff :p

anyway, I've posted a few things for my family for free, farm stuff, a goat (who was a bitch), a wood burning stove (old), and some rusted out old oriental piece of farm equipment.

I do most of my sales/trades here on macrumors or occasionally ebay.
 
I bought a 32 Ipod touch from a guy in Ottawa (about an hour and a half from where I live, but I was headed that way anyway) and at first I Was just curious so I wrote and he actually seems really nice. So I bought my bf (who kinda looks like a goon but is quite the opposite), and the guy was really nice, the ipod was still in the case and still have the wrapping on it, he had me open it in front of him so I knew what was in there and he gave me the receipts. The best part was that I saved like $100. So I've had a great experience. Although I tried to sell a gift card once and I didn't really trust many of the people contacting me so I ended up finding a buyer who I actually knew.

But yea, definately bring a friend and keep an extra friend or two in the car incase it looks like a shady deal. But good luck!
 
I always meet somewhere halfway between our respective homes. Without giving away your actual address.

Something with a parking lot and preferably a bench or chair depending on the kind of transaction.

Mostly you get people who say "im gonna be around XXX at X:XX, meet me there?"

Craigslist is the best place to hone your common sense. :cool:

edit: sounds like this could be for a "personals" ad...but I actually meant what I said for actual goods and stuff.
 
Craigslist is a lot like Ebay-if it's too good to be true it probably is.

I'd get a lot of information before you commit to a deal, and try to meet in a public place. Even for a 30in display, offer to meet in the parking lot or something.
 
question fear said:
Craigslist is a lot like Ebay-if it's too good to be true it probably is.

I'd get a lot of information before you commit to a deal, and try to meet in a public place. Even for a 30in display, offer to meet in the parking lot or something.
Click to expand...

No need to meet in a parking lot (how can you test it there anyway?) Just bring 2-3 big guys with you.
 
I've had different experiences in different cities.

In Toronto, I sold many items- a cell phone, a 30GB iPod Video, PS2 games, an mp3 player, furniture, tvs, RAM, a fishtank. I bought my car from a craigslist ad. My experiences were generally good. The people I did business with were nice and followed up when they said they would. The exchanges happened in public- at a mall or a coffee shop, and were very friendly. I didn't get many spam emails when I was selling (ie. I'll send you double the amount you're asking if you ship it to me), but they were always good for a laugh.

Now I'm in Los Angeles, and it's a whole different story. There are just so many people trying to sell stuff, that it seems like my ads get lost in the crowd.
I have been trying to sell a couple of AT&T Samsung cellphones, an 8GB iPod nano with accessories, and a PSP slim with games and accessories, and have had no luck at all. Most of the emails that I get have been spam. The few that I have received that seem genuine, I have responded with an answer (Usually it's "is your item still available?", I say "Yes it is,") and then no response back at all. The one person that seems legit that wants to buy a cell phone, wants me to drive to Inglewood to meet her (I live in Westwood- no way I'm driving there). It seems that there are more flakey people here. Surprise surprise, eh?

In Toronto, it didn't take me long at all to sell my stuff. Here, it's taking a lot longer than I expected. It's not that I need the money, I just am getting annoyed with maintaining the ads and answering the emails.

I think I may post my items in the MR Marketplace soon.

Anyone wanna buy an iPod nano, a PSP, or a cellphone or two? Let me know, I'll forward the ad to you :)
 
I bought my Macbook that I am using right now from Craigslist. I've had some good experiences on there. You just have to use common sense.
And by the way, the story you were referring to, the guy who got beat up by a bunch of thugs, it never really happened. They poster admitted later that he made the whole thing up.
 
I've used Craigslist many times without a mishap, but that might stem from the fact that I live in utah, where everyone tends to play nice with each other.
 
Craigslist is great. I've sold plenty of stuff on there. Things i've sold and how it went:

workout bench with weigths- the guy came to my house and I helped him load the bench and weights to his truck. overall it was quick and easy.

a used 30GB ipod video - i delivered the ipod to the buyer cuz he was close by. he ended up calling me the next day because his Vista laptop wouldn't detect the ipod i sold to him. I offered to come over and try to fix it for him and that was that.

used digital camera - we met @ a Best Buy parking lot. i had a friend with me and he had a friend with him. it was night time. overall it was a smooth transaction and he had a few questions.

hp printer - the guy came over to my house and picked it up. he made me show him all the stuff was there but didn't ask to see it working.

ps2 - we met at a gas station and he had a friend with him.

so all the stuff i've sold have turned out great and hopefully they keep on doing so.

Now, for the stuff I bought off of craigslist.

metroid prime corruption and resident evil 4 wii edition - we met @ Best Buy parking lot. he showed me the disks and everything and it took about 2 minutes for the whole transaction.

8gb ipod touch - i went to her and we met outside of her apartment parking lot. she showed me that everything was in working order and it took about 5 minutes.

so overall i'd say craigslist is great. :D
 
I haven't done any dealings, personally, on cragislist.

My father called me to tell me he bought a hot tub that just needed electronics off craigslist. I went home over an extended break and the thing was just like brand new! I was surprised.

My roommate purchased an ikea bed frame and a posturpedic mattress off craigslist. His purchases went very smoothly.
 
I buy and sell on there all the time. But I always meet in person in a familiar place. Bring a friend if you are dealing with something expensive.
 
I've bought and sold quite a bit on CL, both in MD and in NYC. If it's just something that's simple and inexpensive I usually meet people in a public area, generally Union Square here in NY; and if it's something I need to check out (MBP, 20D) I meet them at a Starbucks.

The people that I've met have been nice every time, even here in NYC. In NY it can be hard to get responses but it generally works out ok when the seller is legit. You also have to be aware of the scams on CL (specifically the, "I'm in the UK, let me ship it to you" scam).
 
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