craigslist

I did. Except that it was not a pc, but a fridge and I was the buyer, not seller

But the experience was good.

 

i love craigslist and use it all the time. Its just a free local classifieds, so you typically meet people in person to do the exchange.

 

I don't use it, but I've heard great things.

 

It is also a magent for scammers, so I would insist on face-to-face only and refuse all inquiries from out of area.

 

Duff-Man says...CanadaRam has it spot on - it is indeed a great resourse for local sales but be *very* wary of anything not in your area.

I've bought and sold off Craigs locally with pretty good success, as with ebay though just be careful...oh yeah!

 

I've sold a couple of things through craigslist... it has a few advantages over eBay, namely (1) it's free, (2) there's never going to be shipping involved, since you're going to be dealing with people who are local to you, and (3) pretty much all dealings are in cash.

That said, just make sure you act safely: No meeting in dark alleys, that sort of thing. If you're selling anything of value, you will likely get mail from Nigerian/moronic scammers trying to get you to ship your item to wherever; make sure you report them if they contact you.

 

That's the kind of crap I was talking about. This is a scam mail. Report it using the system.

 

nothing wrong with haggling ... it usually works.

 

You're kidding about negotiating with a scammer, right?

And as far as getting mugged goes, that's why you meet in a public place. When I sold my G4 Cube a couple of weeks ago, I met the buyer in a Starbucks... we were never alone together.

 

Derajfast.

I'm sorry, but you are a bambi in the headlights. I advise you to cancel your sale and discontinue all conversation with potential buyers.

The examples you posted are full of scam signatures.

#1 no legitimate buyer says they need it urgently or 'seriously'... it undermines their own bargaining postition. The only purpose to pushing for an urgent sale is to get you to skip doing your own due diligence on the sale.

#2 the "Bank of America" or "Western Union" secure payment scam is well known - the scammer tries to convince you that there is a secure way you will get the money. When a prospective seller tries to dictate the means of payment and the means of transport, that is a warning sign, especially if they provide too many details about how you cannot be cheated. Sometimes they attempt to send you a phoney email transfer email to trick you into sending the goods; sometimes they are not after the goods at all but send you a phoney email that leads you to a phishing site where they will steal your ID and passwords.

#3 A buyer who rapidly increases their bid for an item, offers more than the asking price, and/or does not display curiosity as to the condition and configuration of the item, is to be treated with suspicion.

#4 A buyer who arranges their own freight is also arranging that you cannot trace who and where they are -- once the payment bounces.

#5 A buyer with a "whitebread" name who types in grammatically broken English is suspect - especially if their name is a combination of 'American' first names, or an improbable combination of names, reversal of first and last names, all CAPS last name, or if they use a middle initial or misuse a honorific like "Mr." or "Engineer" -- "Ashley Arnold" "Charles PETER" "Engineer Smith William" "Mr. John W. Smith"

I could go on -- but you are NOT ready to sell to an unknown buyer if you can't see what is wrong with your correspondents. If you are afraid of a face to face, then sell it to a used computer shop and settle for a wholesale price.

 

I sold an iMac to a guy, it was broken, for 20 bucks. He picked up fast and was a very nice person.

 

I posted my laptop yesterday on craigslist and within a few hours I had six scam emails that pretty much fit all the criteria that has already has been discussed here (I was just coming to MR to post about the humor in getting so many so quickly).

Just remember you are the one selling the item so you must be in control of the sale. If you aren't then you are just setting yourself up.

With that said... I've sold and given away lots of stuff on craigslist. I've also gotten a fair amount of free or cheap stuff on it as well without any problems. If I meet the person, I don't meet them alone or at night--has to be in a public place. If it can't be moved in a public place (like a couch) then that's when I bring the hubby and possibly other reinforcements along.

 

I'd say for local sales it's great, but it is a magnet for scam. I once posted on there looking to BUY an 20" ACD (ended up getting it off MR) and I had 2 or 3 e-mails from people offering to buy it from me. Even though I had posted in the wanted section.

 

I've never bought or sold anything via craigslist, but my GF has purchased a TV, a futon frame, a chair + ottoman, our dinning room set, a night stand, and mattress + box-springs (new from a small retailer) all from craigslist.

I would get up in the morning and she'd be on craigslist. I'd come home from work and she'd be on craigslist. I swear the first few months she was out in LA all she did was work and surf craigslist. That's it. But we did save a lot of money furnishing our apartment.


Lethal