Craigslist Unreasonables

[Rich Riddle]

Hello,

I thought you folks might like to air your Craigslist unreasonable human stories. Today mine is a seller who wants me to travel two hours with no address and no telephone number and to write for the address thirty minutes prior to the meet. The seller will give a general area. Also the seller provided no name. Yeah, like that is going to happen. I simply wrote back that finding Waldo and cloak and dagger games held no interest on my part.

So what are your stories.

[Wade Lippman]

Mine isn't that bad, but a buyer 300 miles away wanted me to meet him half way to buy a $900 kayak. And what if he either doesn't show up or decides he doesn't like it?

I expect the person who drove 600 miles to buy a $1,500 sailboat from me will complain that when he got to the sailboat I wasn't there and didn't answer my phone for 3 hours.
It's not my fault he he left at midnight instead of the agreed 6am without emailing me.

[Chris Padilla]

I had a similar one like you, Rich, for a piano I was selling. First, he asked if I could deliver it because I did say in my ad that I would deliver WITHIN REASONABLE DISTANCE. I guess he thought 150 miles was reasonable distance. I then pointed out that he could refuse to buy it after I drove all that way. I told him I would deliver it but it would cost him a hundred bucks. I never heard from him again.

I did have a fist fight nearly break out in my front yard on some oak cabinets I was giving away for free many years ago. That was the last time I posted anything in the free ads. Now I post stuff I want to give away for like a dollar and then say in the ad that you can simply take it for free.

[Erik Loza]

Was selling a Bose stereo setup once. Ad included clear photos of unit plugged in and powered up, LED's displaying and everything. Guy messaged me, wants to buy it. Agreed to meet at local Target parking lot for the transaction. Arrived, met guy, college student-type. He looks it over in the back of my SUV and then asks, "Where can we plug it in? I want to listen to it". I was a little dumbfounded. "We can go into target and maybe they have an outlet or something". Guy asks me, "Can we drive over to your house and listen to it?" Again, a little dumbfounded. "Well, nothing personal but I'm not willing to have people into my house for something like this. Did you do any research about the unit beforehand? I gave all that info in the listing and you can see it powered up in the photos. You can find reviews and so forth online. I can probably plug it in somewhere in Target if you really want".

Now, dude seems dumbfounded: "How could I buy something without knowing if I like it or not?". I wanted to reply, "This is Craigslist, not Best Buy", but just asked him point blank if he wanted it or not. No, he didn't.

Told my wife that I would text her that all was OK, since she worries about stuff like Craigslist ambushes. I texted "Tire kicker" but accidentally sent it to the dude rather then her. Whoops.

Erik Loza
Minimax

[Wade Lippman]

Now, dude seems dumbfounded: "How could I buy something without knowing if I like it or not?". I wanted to reply, "This is Craigslist, not Best Buy", but just asked him point blank if he wanted it or not. No, he didn't.

I agree with the buyer; I wouldn't have bought it without verifying it worked first. But I would not have agreed to meet you in a parking lot to look at it.

Actually I met a guy in a parking lot to buy a domino many years ago. We went into a gas station to run it. I am sure I had a good reason for agreeing to the parking lot, but I sure can't remember what it was.

[Erik Loza]

I see your point and agree: Wish he would have said that it was important to him to hear it in person. Then, neither of us would have wasted our time. On the other hand, folks buy electronics on Ebay all the time without hearing it run so I sort of feel like you cannot expect to get a retail shopping experience when you are buying a piece of used electronics equipment on a free site. Just my thoughts of course,

Erik Loza
Minimax

[Wes Mitchell]

Sort of on topic. One local police department opened up their parking lot and lobby to help facilitate safe Craigslist transactions:

http://www.shakopeemn.gov/Home/Compo...ments%2fpolice

I'm sure there are more cities doing it, but I saw someone mention this and thought it sounded like a great idea.

Told my wife that I would text her that all was OK, since she worries about stuff like Craigslist ambushes. I texted "Tire kicker" but accidentally sent it to the dude rather then her. Whoops.

Erik Loza
Minimax

[glenn bradley]

Invite a lookee-loo into my house so he can see if he and his buddies want to come back at night in a few months? Nope. Parking lot for sure.

[Erik Loza]

Wes, I just remembered this story: I was at the local Starbucks once. Cops arrive and detain this suspect while taking a statement from another gentleman. I eavesdropped and from what I could hear, the gentleman had his laptop stolen, saw it for sale on CL , then posed as a buyer and called the cops in order to bust the seller. Cops released the suspect but the other man did get his laptop back.

Erik Loza
Minimax

[Chris Padilla]

I guess it depends on the item you're selling but y'all opened my eyes regardless. I wasn't going to haul a piano to a parking lot to meet someone who was interested to buy it but good points nonetheless. I guess I've had good luck thus far but I'll be more cautious moving forward.

I recently sold my car via CL. We actually met the first time in a parking lot where she took it for a test drive. She left me her keys (older Mercedes) and her 2-year old son in the backseat and took off to test drive my car. I don't know what a kid is worth these days (or the Mercedes) but I think it would have covered the cost of the car had she decided to not come back! LOL Anyway, she did come to my house a couple days later to deliver the cash to buy my car so all went very well.

[Ken Shea]

Ha Ha, yes Craig List people can be a strange, no, make that a very strange bunch, on second thought make that just flat out weird.
Thankfully, there are the normal human beings selling as well, else it'd be visited just for laughs.

[Pat Barry]

My motto for craigslist is - don't ever buy anything expensive there and if the deal sounds to cheap to be true then it is and its because its stolen property.

[John Coloccia]

I've given up on Craigslist. The last straw was when I tried giving away a few things for free. I don't really want to get into it here, but I'll never use Craigslist again. Just a bunch of morons out there. I just donate stuff to my local Salvation Army, or if I don't think it's nice enough for them, I chop it up and toss it in the trash.

[Mike Lassiter]

everybody's saw the videos of the people of Wal-Mart I suppose. Reading this reminded me of some of those pictures. Just really wonder sometime what makes people do the things they do. But then, maybe normal to them seems as messed up to them as they seem to normal people.....

[ken masoumi]

I saw an ad for a V drum sander "near new" condition (according to the seller) so I emailed the guy and asked if he could send me a couple of pictures of the actual sander.
He first ignored me ,then sends me a nice picture taken from the manufacturer's site ,I insisted on the actual picture of the item for sale ,he got all upset ,he said:,it is the same as the manufacturer's photo except it has some saw dust on it!!he then called me a dreamer,I guess for not wanting to drive for 4 hours and buy a $500 sander sight unseen.