Have to vent about Craigslist...

[mmcmdl]

Most of my CL adventures have been good for the same reasons stated above . I bought 100s of Cub Cadets off CL in the past and all were good . I would send them a text in the wee hours when on nightshift and lots of times they responded immediately . When they did , I was buying that tractor on the way home from work . When selling , I simply say no emails , I don't do emails , calls or texts ONLY .

 

[mmcmdl]

Fair enough, but apparently I ran into the opposite case, where the complete text is "Colchester lathe, runs great", with zero description other than that, two lousy pictures, and no phone number

Sounds like he was inviting a bunch of Emails so he could sell them . SPAM !

 

[cathead]

You know, some of us are buyers and some of us are sellers on Craig's list. That means we have located the enemy and it is us!
We all need to make an effort to be considerate of others here, on Craig's list and everywhere else for that matter.

 

[Aaron_W]

Fair enough, but apparently I ran into the opposite case, where the complete text is "Colchester lathe, runs great", with zero description other than that, two lousy pictures, and no phone number.

My favorite. "Nice lathe" no photos, no size, no brand, no price. Easy to go right on past that one, but there is always the fear in the back of the mind that it is the mythical Hardinge only used by a retired machinist on Sundays to make bolts for church, asking $100 if that is not too much.

 

[ThinWoodsman]

Back around the turn of the century (ain't it fun to be able to say that?), I found CL transactions pretty horrible - buying or selling. These days I find them generally pleasant. Reason: there is a world of difference between CL in an urban area, where everybody's got an angle and scammers abound, and a rural area. Also, limiting my buying to machine shop stuff has helped - half of it isn't stolen like the rest of the merchandise.

I do hear complaints from sellers in the area about "Craigslist scammers", but I don't think they know what it means. Usually they are referring to somebody who wastes their time (i.e. sets up a meeting and does not show up), or who turns around and sells the item at a profit on ebay

I have to agree. I don't even respond to texts. If they're really interested they'll take the time to call.

heh, I'm pretty much the opposite. If I cannot email or text the person, I'm not going to make the purchase. Phone calls waste a lot of time and are intrusive, especially in an area with spotty cell phone service. A text or email to set up a phone call generally works out better.

Sounds like he was inviting a bunch of Emails so he could sell them . SPAM !

My experience with CL is that it anonymizes your email address, precisely to combat that situation.

 

[markba633csi]

The words "runs great" are almost meaningless, too. Sure the motor may run great, and the lathe a rusty worn out mess

 

[Asm109]

First question to every item I post for sale is, Will you take 1/2 price?
Answer is always one word. NO.

I refuse to negotiate with anyone via text. They have no skin in the game. If they are standing in front of me with a wad of dead presidents in hand, I am quite willing to negotiate.

 

[MikeInOr]

I have also had really good luck on Craigslist, dealing with good people... but I have made eitquette mistakes myself.

Last weekend I bought a 2 hp HF dust collector for $50. The guy was showing me his upgrades to the plumbing, hoses, etc. ...and I let is slip that I was really only interested in the 2 micron cartridge filter that came with the dust collector for my dust collector(runs $200 on up depending on brand). I kind of took the wind out of his sails. I felt bad, he was a nice guy and a fellow woodworker. Now I have to wait several months before I sell the dust collector without the fancy filter for $50 and hope he doesn't see the add.

The flakey sellers... you learn to get used to them. I check the tools section on CL about once a week. I know generally what has been relisted every week for a couple years now... and I don't usually look at the older adds. I do put in my adds that if it the add is up it is still forsale and take down my adds when sold. Most all of the purchases I have made the add is removed by the time I get home.

Stuff that is over priced I don't waste my time on even contacting the seller. Some people have ridiculous ideas about the worth of their items and aren't worth the effort.

I say in my adds that I prefer texts since I get so many robo calls that I don't answer unknown numbers... so you will have to leave a message if you do call.

 

[Superburban]

heh, I'm pretty much the opposite. If I cannot email or text the person, I'm not going to make the purchase. Phone calls waste a lot of time and are intrusive, especially in an area with spotty cell phone service. A text or email to set up a phone call generally works out better.

I do not even like to text, then they have your number, and some will keep hounding me. Even weeks & months later, texting me saying "hey I have XXX for sale, you interested?"

My experience with CL is that it anonymizes your email address, precisely to combat that situation.

Exactly why I do not like calls, or texting until it gets close to a deal.

I do not even like meeting to take a look, until I have an idea on the price. I will not bother with the "come take a look, and make an offer" Of course, I live in the middle of nowhere, and most deals are an hour or more drive.

Bad people go both ways on Craigs list. About 8 years ago, I responded, and talked to a guy selling a SB heavy 10, for almost a hour, and agreed to meet him the next day. It was up in the air at the time, if I could get a trailer. The next morning, I called and talked to him that I had a uhaul trailer lined up, and would see him at the agreed time of 1PM. I picked up the trailer, and drover the two hours to his place. When I was about 15 mins out, he called me and said it was just sold. Cost me a days work, $100 or so to rent the trailer, and the gas.

After another year of watching, I ended up buying the ShopFox gun smith lathe. A lot more money, but think I did better.

 

[kb58]

I don't consider the seller "bad", just lazy. Why sellers make it hard for buyers to give them cash, I don't understand. A terrible lack of detail in the description, and no phone number predictably means a lot of text messages. I wonder if he's annoyed by that, hah.