scrubbedexpat097

So we recently put a motorcycle for sale on Craigslist. After just a few hours we got a reply (through craigslist generated email) I was a bit suspicous as the reply didn't really make sense so we ignored it.

Yesterday we got two more and one today. All of them are from out of state, one wanted to buy without even coming to look at it and all of them were "buying for someone else" and the messages were all very badly written. After getting 3 messages one straight after another from the one today we deleted the the sale.

Not sure if I'm paranoid but I felt like they were all scams. Shame really for M because he can only start another project if he sells this last one

Anyone else have an issues with Craigslist?

King Gimp

I use CL quite a bit - Make sure you mention in your ad that you want a phone number. Just ignore anything else that comes through without. You can usually spot the genuine folks as they will want to come and look at something like a motorcycle in person and not give you a funny check from Nigeria or such.

Good luck with the sale!

scrubbedexpat097

May re-do it next month. The replies were so odd it scared me, although there was no way we would have gone ahead without someone actually coming to look. It just annoys me that people try to scam anyone and everyone now

King Gimp

Its to be expected. I've played along with a few scammers - obviously don't reveal any personal info..

www.419eater.com

Its amazing how totally retarded most of them are

Bluegrass Lass

We tried to sell our car through CL. Just as you, we had a couple of scam messages within the first couple of hours. I've received them before when selling other items. I simply ignore them.

GeoffM

Somebody offered to buy my fridge for more than its advertised price, again without seeing it. Most involve a check that eventually bounces, long after the goods have been shipped. Even cashier/certified checks are highly questionable.

Amongst all the scams and crap on CL there are actually genuine buyers and sellers. It's just a case of wading through the chaff.

md95065

I don't use craigslist very often but the last 3 or 4 things that I have put on there have all attracted a couple of very obvious scams, usually starting out something like "I am going to be away in <name of random foreign country> for the next two weeks but will ask my "assistant" to contact you ..." and coming from obvious and ever changing throw-away email addresses ...

Karrie72

Yes, I hate it, grrr. I look for employees on there and have had many responses from folks in Nigeria as well as professions of love from old men looking for a wife.

Cuthbert Rizla

Up until a year ago I used to get regular calls on my cell phone from a fellow ringing up from Nigeria - often up to 10 times in a row.

When I first used to answer I could hear this chap,against a background of traffic noise, asking to speak to his wife.

I've no idea what the scam was as the first few times I'd simply ring off and then eventually I got to recognise the number and simply turned my phone off for a while when he rang.

As I say nothing has happened for a year until a few days ago when it rang again with the same fellow asking to speak to his wife.I informed him that his wife couldn't come to the 'phone at that moment as there was a queue of men stretching outside the door waiting to insert all manner of things into her backside and could he hurry up as I didn't want to lose my place at the head of the queue.Although obviously the language was a little coarser than that - something like Manc would use.

And he hung up !

Result.

tonrob

I've started using Craigslist recently as part of my mileage-munching game. Happens when I spot a popular item go on a really good sale at a retailer where (a) there is also a generous manufacturer rebate in place and (b) the retailer is on offer through a mileage portal (e.g. 10x bonus miles per $ or whatever). I therefore buy a few, pocket the miles and the rebate and still able to sell the item(s) for the price I actually paid for them (where, due to the sale, they're - say - 20% cheaper than everyone else is charging right now).

Pre-Christmas I sold a few nice Kitchenaid mixers quite successfully, most being snapped up within hours. I did get a few well dodgy replies of the type that have already been described, and one wanker who had already agreed to the purchase price, but turned up at a designated meeting point (car park) 15 minutes late and then without enough cash on him - expecting me to part with the thing for a further discount. Overall though I did well.

So well that I am now about to list 2 slightly larger nice Kitchenaids and 2 Dyson Dc-33s!

Poppy girl

I agree I buy and sell on there quite a bit never had a problem I also track the ip address if and when possible!

sinbad2222

I don't understand . How do you track it and what benefit do you get ?

Poppy girl

There are many IP trackers you can use, just Google if you start to converse on a 1 to 1 with a perspective buyer or seller and they use thier direct email address and chose not to use offer a phone number until they feel comfortable just track where the IP is coming from you will be surprised the amount that are coming from out of the US.

Mummy in the foothills

We've had stuff for sale on there recently with no luck. All scam replies.
So we put stuff up with just a phone number, and it cut down a lot of scammers, but there is always some who try.
We have had better luck using local facebook sale pages.
Now Dh has put his classic car up for sale, I haven't even put it on craigslist yet, I'm trying the facebook sales first as I hate having to deal with all the scam emails and now cell phone calls.
I did a google search on the few calls we got and turns out the numbers all originated in one area, even though the caller said they are in a different area, then his story changed to calling for his Dad to buy. I give up, I think I want to just donate everything and take our chances deducting it all from out taxes.
Anyone want a boat or car dirt cheap?

Bob

Mostly been a waste of time trying to flog stuff, either scams or time wasters.

Not much better luck when trying to buy stuff.

Better luck when looking for an apartment, but again, plenty of scam hassles and time wasters involved with that too.