anyone ever purchase a high-end item from someone on craigslist?

[purbeast0]

i'm looking at getting a macbook from someone on craigslist. i've never dealt with high ticket items in a cash transaction like this so i'm just wondering for those of you who have done it, how you did it in a way that protected yourself and the owner. i obviously don't want to meet him somewhere in a dark alley with $1450 in my pocket.

i was thinking maybe meeting at a public place with wifi like starbucks so i could test out the laptop there. then if all goes well and everything checks out, just having him go with me to my bank where i can just withdraw the cash, and we can exchange product/money while in the bank, then both go on our merry ways. only thing is i'm not sure if this will be doable with the hours that banks are open.

that sound like a decent plan? anyone want to share how they did a higher ticket item like this price range and how you made sure to cover your ass?

 

[Rage187]

do it at the Apple store and have them confirm it isn't stolen?

 

[repoman0]

I've bought and sold expensive (~$2k) guitar amplifiers on craigslist probably 5+ times. As a buyer, always had the cash in my car glove box, and as a seller, other buyers have always had cash on them. Just meet in a parking lot or a store or something during the day and have someone come with you if you're concerned. Maybe meet near a police station, friends of mine have done that.

 

[slag]

Meet at a neutral location or apple store for sure, as suggested above.

 

[purbeast0]

do it at the Apple store and have them confirm it isn't stolen?

he already gave me the serial number and i verified that the applecare does go until he said it goes. i didn't think about having them verify that though. know if there is a database somewhere that i can check it myself?

i did try to add that device to my apple ID (to see what it would say there) and it says i can't because it's already registered to another apple ID.

apple store is a good idea i believe there is one right by where he lives too in the mall.

 

[Rage187]

most police departments allow you to meet there as well.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

Done several $500+ transactions through CL, including 2 MBPs. For those I met at a Starbucks in a busy area of town and had no issue.

As a buyer, I keep the cash in a secondary compartment in my glovebox and only go back to get it when I've checked out the item. I also typically have a folding knife somewhere nearby (make sure you're not breaking any laws or anything if you do this).

For the MBP you're buying - make sure it's not linked with an iCloud account. First thing I look for when buying Apple used.

 

[smackababy]

I actually bought a rMBP off craigslist. I met the guy at a Starbucks, checked it out, and logged in. I only didn't use a police station because I wanted wifi.

 

[WT]

Bought two 4k+ ATVs via CL. Both sellers were fun to chat with, first guy had me follow him on a trail system on his property to test ride the ATV. Second guy lived in a huge McMansion community on Leesburg, VA. We chatted about his Porsche and custom Harley for a while.

Laptops, ATVS ... stuff like that has a LOT of things to check out before you hand over the cash. I'm surprised that people would buy a car offa CL without having it looked at by at least a shadetree mechanic.

 

[purbeast0]

I actually bought a rMBP off craigslist. I met the guy at a Starbucks, checked it out, and logged in. I only didn't use a police station because I wanted wifi.

yeah i wonder if apple stores have wifi for public. apple store so they could verify that it isn't stolen does seem like the best idea. they could probably also transfer the apple care right there. plus it's inside a mall so i wouldn't be worried about carrying money with me since it's so public, just gotta make sure it's secure on me.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

you could use your phone as a hotspot

bought a motorcycle off craigslist before. guy was a lawyer and a client paid him with a motorcycle.

 

[Elixer]

That is a nice chunk of change, so, you really need to verify that the system works (and isn't stolen--perhaps the police can run a trace on the serial #?), and I am unsure if at the apple store, they would check it out to see if all is OK or not.

Lots of things can go wrong, so, good luck!

 

[dud]

I've purchased a MB (at my house) and a Lexus (at the seller's house). If you are concerned do the deal in public. The Apple store sounds good but weird. Would they even allow the transaction to occur in-store?

 

[artemicion]

Plan isn't terrible, but the idea of moving from one location (Starbucks) to another (bank) might be kind of a hassle unless they are literally right next to each other. Keep in mind, assuming this guy's a legit seller, he's got his own security fears about YOU, so asking him to do anything weird might set off red flags for him.

(TBH, if I were the seller and you asked me to follow you to another location, I'd be a little worried that you were leading me into some kind of mugging. I'd probably tell you that I'm just going to sit at this table in Starbucks until you came back with the money.)

 

[cronos]

I've sold my MBP and car (both around ~$600 each) on Craigslist and asked the buyers to come over to my building. Transactions were in the lobby (well in the parking lot, for the car).

The guy who bought my macbook did mention in his text that he thinks it's 'shady' that I asked him to come to where I live instead of meeting in a public place. I told him to Google Map the address and see for himself the kind of boring area my building is located (and the giant government office building right across the street). I also told him that if he doesn't want to come, I'm okay with it, but I'm not going anywhere to sell it. He didn't say anything else after that and just said that he'll be over soon

 

[Imp]

I've done over a dozen Craigslist deals in the past few months but everything was $100 or less. The most expensive thing I ever sold was a Playstation 3 for $150 and I kept a flashlight handy near the door... to "shine" them away in case of trouble.

I listed a camera for $250 recently but took it down because it didn't seem worth it. Getting mugged over an item I don't want for money I don't need don't sit well. Might put it back up.

 

[artemicion]

I've sold my MBP and car (both around ~$600 each) on Craigslist and asked the buyers to come over to my building. Transactions were in the lobby (well in the parking lot, for the car).

The guy who bought my macbook did mention in his text that he thinks it's 'shady' that I asked him to come to where I live instead of meeting in a public place. I told him to Google Map the address and see for himself the kind of boring area my building is located (and the giant government office building right across the street). I also told him that if he doesn't want to come, I'm okay with it, but I'm not going anywhere to sell it. He didn't say anything else after that and just said that he'll be over soon

Meeting somewhere outside your home is more for your protection than theirs. Not hard for a malicious person to feign interest in buying, meet you at your home, tell you he's not interested, then suddenly you got robbed the next day.

Obviously, not as big a concern if you live in an apartment building with multiple units, but still not a great idea, IMO. They could use a second person to trail you to your specific apartment, if the item you're selling is worth it (or provided indication that you own a lot of expensive electronics. Selling a PS4 game tells a malicious person that you own a PS4 that they could steal.)

Once they know where you live, they can find out when you're not home by calling asking about the item and asking to meet at various times in the day. Times you're not available usually means times when you're not home, which means times for you to get robbed.

 

[SKORPI0]

I've bought items over the years ($20-$500) via Craigslist and picked them up from the sellers home.
Some worth the drive (25 miles) since item was about 70% off. Got a XFX Radeon R9 290X for $185 last April nearby town but waited 6 months to assemble it into a LGA 2011 system.

 

[emperus]

You should meet the individual in a mall with access to a Apple Store (if you care to check if it is stolen) and maybe an ATM. If not just do the transaction in the food court or a coffee shop so you can check out the device. Tell him/her exactly what you plan on doing. Explain that you want to look over the device at the coffee shop and that you will get money from the ATM. If they are trying to scam you they'll think more about it or decide not to show up.

 

[cronos]

Meeting somewhere outside your home is more for your protection than theirs. Not hard for a malicious person to feign interest in buying, meet you at your home, tell you he's not interested, then suddenly you got robbed the next day.

Obviously, not as big a concern if you live in an apartment building with multiple units, but still not a great idea, IMO. They could use a second person to trail you to your specific apartment, if the item you're selling is worth it (or provided indication that you own a lot of expensive electronics. Selling a PS4 game tells a malicious person that you own a PS4 that they could steal.)

Once they know where you live, they can find out when you're not home by calling asking about the item and asking to meet at various times in the day. Times you're not available usually means times when you're not home, which means times for you to get robbed.

Yeah, of course I've considered all those. They never knew my exact address (or if I really live in that building at all, for that matter). Well besides the car, of course. There's no getting away from that because I have to sign away the title with my full name and address on it.

 

[Platypus]

yeah, a few 2k+ guitar amplifiers.. never had a problem and easy to tell based on serial numbers/pics what you're getting into before hand. It's hard to test guitar gear in a public place so I've had friends go with me to their place in those cases... plus it's mostly their risk in that situation anyway.

 

[twinrider1]

Guitars.
I make it a point to speak to the person on the phone. I assume nothing. I don't accept descriptions that are open to interpretation. "It's in really good condition" doesn't tell me anything. I ask a lot of questions. If I'm not comfortable with the answers, I move on.

It's hard to test guitar gear in a public place
-Playpus

lol, that reminded me of a guitar I sold. The guy was two hours away and I met him halfway in a McDonalds parking lot. He pulls up in an old Triumph convertible. He has an inverter and a little combo amp. Plugs it all into his cigarette lighter, plays for a minute, and we make the deal. Off he goes, into the sunset, top down, guitar case sticking up in the passenger seat.

 

[Platypus]

Guitars.
I make it a point to speak to the person on the phone. I assume nothing. I don't accept descriptions that are open to interpretation. "It's in really good condition" doesn't tell me anything. I ask a lot of questions. If I'm not comfortable with the answers, I move on.

It's hard to test guitar gear in a public place
-Playpus

lol, that reminded me of a guitar I sold. The guy was two hours away and I met him halfway in a McDonalds parking lot. He pulls up in an old Triumph convertible. He has an inverter and a little combo amp. Plugs it all into his cigarette lighter, plays for a minute, and we make the deal. Off he goes, into the sunset, top down, guitar case sticking up in the passenger seat.

that's fucking awesome :thumbsup:

 

[holden j caufield]

I'm not an apple guy at all but someone in my family wanted an ipad. Met the guy and he showed me the thing was factory restored to default. It's at the default start screen so I think everything is ok. I get home connect to wifi, try and set it up and it's associated with another email. So I'm screwed out of $175ish and a long ass drive both ways.

I want a rMBP but those are pretty steep and I get different results when asking in the everything apple forum. Some say I can buy it without transferring the applecare and that the warranty follows the machine.

Bought and sold my motorcycle for $5k each. I paid the guy his asking price, then when I sold it someone tried to lowball me on my perfect bike still under warranty. Next guy comes and says he'll give me my asking price I say ok, lowballer is like I'll give you $100 more, I say no I already told the guy who met my asking price yes.

Lowballer is now offering me 200, 300, 400, 500 more. $500 is nice but my integrity is worth more since I already said yes and the non haggling guy who was going to give me the cash the next day. Felt pretty awesome to really stick it to lowballers.

 

[pete6032]

I usually just go to starbucks, grab a coffee and a table, set the item on the table, and then lay my pistol next to it. Just so the guy know's I'm not F* around.