Have to vent about Craigslist...

Asm109 said:
In my case, every item has a price and "or best offer" So you know the ball park before you get in the car.
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I find "or best offer" to often be meaningless, or a deal breaker, with many sales. I go look at the item, and make a lower than posted price on the item. If he takes it, then it has nothing to do with "best offer." If he says, "well, it does say best offer, and I will give you a call if your bid is best by next Saturday", then often he has wasted my drive to look at the item, depending on my interest , what it is, the driving distance, and whatever else. I insist on a done deal while I am present, take it or leave it, after negotiating the price. In reality, most sellers understand that issue as well. Just take "best" out of the equation in your ad. It is mostly fluff, and can be a possible red flag. Try "or make offer", or better yet, just start out at a fair price you can live with and say "price is firm, don't ask." If they start to bargain anyway, remind them the price is firm, and if they still try to negotiate, tell them that the ad clearly said firm price, and if they want to haggle the price will go up, not down, this is a fair price and I won't waste my time haggling, take it or leave it. A lower posted price also tends to bring out more buyers. Try to change the transaction from a game into a finished sale.
 
RJSakowski said:
I haven't bought on CL nor have I sold anything but I have given things away on CL.
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Funny enough, doing that is what turned me off to CL originally. People will argue with you about the value of something, even when it's free.
When I last did a big move and had a bunch of stuff to get rid of, I put it on FreeCycle. Unlike the CL types in the area, the FreeCycle people were punctual, friendly, and grateful to be getting something for nothing. It was a real eye-opener to how full CL is of grabby opportunists.
 
RJSakowski said:
I am always surprised by the rapid responses. Those buyers must sit on CL like I do on HM.
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CL has a save search and receive notifications feature. I usually get notices within minutes of the ad being posted.

I got a Bridgeport like that. Paid $1300 for it. When I went there to look at it the guy had to pull the ad down he got so many calls.

I've also had my share of flakes. I've waited a full day for a guy. He called 4 times and said he was delayed. I sold it (the Bridgeport) to another guy. He showed up in 30 minutes with cash in hand.

Then there are people that don't answer your emails, and those that leave the ad up after it's sold. To me it's common courtesy to respond in a timely manner, and delete the ad after it's sold.
 
Well I guess I'm old school. I will never lower myself to not extend courtesy to anyone.

But, if they prove they don't deserve it by their actions I'll just not have any more dealings with them. Fool me once......
 
ThinWoodsman said:
My experience with CL is that it anonymizes your email address, precisely to combat that situation.
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Facebook Marketplace solves this by letting you know exactly who you are dealing with, which tends to push people to behave well. However, you are basically dealing with the person mostly via text, so only downside for me so far is the text culture.
 
Pretty amusing how it all breaks down. I don't mind texting or email, but have an aversion to using the phone ever since cellphones became the norm and made phone calls unreliable and uncomfortable. Most of the sellers of machinery are in their 60s or 70s and feel the opposite.

Never saw the point of FB or any of those - always struck me as both a huge timewaste, and problematic as you're giving an untrusted third party direct access to your communications. So I've missed out on Marketplace. I guess that makes me the equivalent of those old guys that refuse to use that darn new-fangled internets for what should be a simple, straightforward business.
 
I've had pretty good luck on CL. Bought my Tennsmith 37" stomp shear from a seller about 60 miles away for $700. Bought my DiAcro 24" break for $400 from a seller about 100 miles away. Bought my Bridgeport for $4000 from a seller about 35 miles away. Bought my Oliver Die Filer for $100 from a seller around 120 miles away.

I haven't sold too much on CL. Did sell my really nice Rockwell 10 x 36 lathe a couple of years ago. I listed it at a really good price and got a call within minutes (seriously, hit LIST and got a call within 2 minutes). Buyer lived about 2 hours away, PayPal'd my $50 to hold it as it would be a week before he could come pick it up. I waited 4 weeks, sent him his money back and relisted it. Sold it later that day.

Sold my Atlas 7" shaper too. No issues at all, buyer showed up on time and I made a new friend.

Bruce
 
I can't remember a time when I did not have something for sale on CL. I also turn to CL every time that I look for something odd or expensive. Bought my pick up from a guy in FL while I was still living in VA. I was willing to tolerate the fact that 90% of the calls I was getting on stuff I had for sale came from scammers. If got a little frustrating so I put together a bit of a narrative which I use in every listing I post:

" Scammers, read the entire ad listing."



Then there is the listing with my contact information which I give out freely. Going on, I say,

"Scammers read the rest of the listing.

I am very good at spotting scammers. I am also very good at stringing scammers along and wasting your time.

Don't ask for an email address. You already know how to communicate with me.
Don’t ask me to contact a third party. If they are interested let them contact me.
Don't offer to pay more for the item. If I wanted more, I'd ask for more.
Don't offer to pay with anything but cash. You know darned well that CL is a cash or trade only venue.
Don't say that you are traveling and can't come personally to pick up the item. It is a dead give-away.
Don't ask for info that is already in the ad. It means you didn't read the ad only that you want to add me to your list of victims.
Don’t send me some code to ensure I am a real person. If you are talking to me I am real."

Since I began using this additional narrative, I have not had any calls, emails, or texts from scammers. Absolutely zero. Anyone who wants to use it, you are more than welcome to it.
 
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