I love Craig's List

[MotionMan]

Craigslist is great for some things though. I just got a half price treadmill from someone who failed at their New Year's resolution.

I have been very successful using CL for buying and selling items. If you know what to look for and trust your instincts, you can avoid the scams.

BTW, the most important part of buying iDevices is to make sure they are not passcode or iCloud locked.

MotionMan

 

[blackdogdeek]

I enjoyed your OP, OP. I would never engage in this kind of entertainment but I still enjoyed it.

EDIT: without people like you I wouldn't know what P-P-P-P-Powerbook was.

 

[Grooveriding]

Sounds like you missed out on a great chance for an inception ipad. Your loss.

 

[Bob the Coder]

After he send the first one I think that was enough, for one thing you could have just checked the photo information and seen that he took the photo that day, and no need to take another one on CNN. I feel like a monkey that people want you to dance for their peanuts, and they get off on it, it's just ridiculous past a point.

You make a good point, but this was probably a scam, and the "hoop jumping" is what exposed it.

I just don't buy stuff on CL or ebay. Problems solved. However, I will sell on CL and honestly, I do exactly what you do. In fact, when people start asking me all kinds of stupid shit, I'll raise the price on them.

Ad: "$100 shipped. Firm. No trades (including your aquarium)"
Troll: "Will you take $65 cash"
Me: "Cash was a given. Now it's $100 cash + $25 Subway gift card."
Troll: "WTF?!"
Me: "Illiteracy fee."

I stole the idea from dontevenreply.com, but provides great entertainment.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

if you have facebook another good resource are the local for trade/sale groups. stuff like church in woodbridge, mothers of woodbridge, socal for sale/trade.

 

[Printer Bandit]

why didn't you call 911 and alert the police about the scammer?

 

[Ns1]

if you have facebook another good resource are the local for trade/sale groups. stuff like church in woodbridge, mothers of woodbridge, socal for sale/trade.

wow I'm pretty amazed by how active that is.

 

[holden j caufield]

the best deals are when people are moving, they simply don't care much for the price. Unfortunately I'm usually like the 10th in line to ask but I always give them their asking price and an accurate ETA. Some how they usually pick me even if I'm not the first responder.

I've been on the other end too, when moving I just give it away or for 1/2 the going rate.

I once bought a nice mid range MTB bike for the asking price and the guy was like you can have the other 2 for free if you take them now. Too bad my car could only fit one.

 

[Puppies04]

You make a good point, but this was probably a scam, and the "hoop jumping" is what exposed it.

Which part leaves you unsure LOL.

why didn't you call 911 and alert the police about the scammer?

Lolz

 

[Blackjack200]

You make a good point, but this was probably a scam, and the "hoop jumping" is what exposed it.

I just don't buy stuff on CL or ebay. Problems solved. However, I will sell on CL and honestly, I do exactly what you do. In fact, when people start asking me all kinds of stupid shit, I'll raise the price on them.

Ad: "$100 shipped. Firm. No trades (including your aquarium)"
Troll: "Will you take $65 cash"
Me: "Cash was a given. Now it's $100 cash + $25 Subway gift card."
Troll: "WTF?!"
Me: "Illiteracy fee."

I stole the idea from dontevenreply.com, but provides great entertainment.

So wait, are they mailing you cash? Or do they bring you cash in person and then you mail them the products?

WTF, who does this? Seriously, I have no idea how to Craigslist without cash and carry. Like the OP demonstrated, anyone selling something that they're going to "ship" to you is almost certainly lying. And on the other hand a seller would be foolish to try to deposit a check he got in the mail from some random buyer.

 

[Muse]

I've looked a LOT on CL but only found one listing that's done a thing for me. Bought a really awesome used lens for my DSLR.

I've been looking for a cheap used laptop, just something that will run Windows, could be as primitive as Windows 2000, but just haven't come up with anything. I contacted a guy a few weeks ago, his listings looked great but he didn't call me back.

I've also been looking for used FM receivers, looked tons, just haven't found a listing that really works for me.

 

[angminas]

OP, be careful. Something tells me this guy might not be on the up and up. Just a hunch.

 

[angminas]

You make a good point, but this was probably a scam, and the "hoop jumping" is what exposed it.

I just don't buy stuff on CL or ebay. Problems solved. However, I will sell on CL and honestly, I do exactly what you do. In fact, when people start asking me all kinds of stupid shit, I'll raise the price on them.

Ad: "$100 shipped. Firm. No trades (including your aquarium)"
Troll: "Will you take $65 cash"
Me: "Cash was a given. Now it's $100 cash + $25 Subway gift card."
Troll: "WTF?!"
Me: "Illiteracy fee."

I stole the idea from dontevenreply.com, but provides great entertainment.

Make sure you don't actually go through with these sales. That's a good way to get your ass beat, tires slashed, etc.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I'm sorry but this annoys me.

What did you expect for ANYTHING on CL that's not locally exchanged? This is like throwing a rock into a lake to see if it splashes.

I do nationwide Craigslist searches and have purchased items from people in other states. Most people intend to sell things locally, so many aren't willing to ship something. Either they think it's an inconvenience, or they think I'm trying to scam them. I've never quite understood how a seller could be ripped off by a buyer who pays before an item is even shipped, but that's their choice.

But if someone selling on Craigslist claims that they'll _only_ ship an item, yeah, that's a giant red flag.

 

[Blackjack200]

I do nationwide Craigslist searches and have purchased items from people in other states. Most people intend to sell things locally, so many aren't willing to ship something. Either they think it's an inconvenience, or they think I'm trying to scam them. I've never quite understood how a seller could be ripped off by a buyer who pays before an item is even shipped, but that's their choice.

But if someone selling on Craigslist claims that they'll _only_ ship an item, yeah, that's a giant red flag.

Really? It's incredibly simple. The buyer sends the seller a check that bounces, or a counterfeit money order or bank check.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Really? It's incredibly simple. The buyer sends the seller a check that bounces, or a counterfeit money order or bank check.

If the buyer could also somehow convince the seller to ship something before that paper payment cleared. If the seller pays using PayPal or Amazon Payments it's not much different than an eBay or Anandtech f/s transaction.

 

[CZroe]

I also like how the iCloud screen he showed does not show that it isn't iCloud locked.

 

[Bob the Coder]

So wait, are they mailing you cash? Or do they bring you cash in person and then you mail them the products?

Who said anything about the mail?

 

[Muse]

Make sure you don't actually go through with these sales. That's a good way to get your ass beat, tires slashed, etc.

That's another thing about CL. I've heard stories about people getting mugged or worse. With ebay you never meet face to face, at least I haven't, so the dangers are just getting bilked somehow, and AFAIK there's some protection there, either by Paypal or Ebay or possibly your CC company. I've done scores of Ebay transactions and never been actually burned.

CL listings, at least the way I've done them, are never near sufficiently granular. It's stuff like electronics in some broad area. I check out CL and I'm "who knows, maybe I'll find something," and if I do, it's usually a 40 mile drive or more. On ebay I can narrow down my searches, they have search algorithms that really work. CL, AFAIK practically nothing in that regard.

 

[RossMAN]

That's another thing about CL. I've heard stories about people getting mugged or worse. With ebay you never meet face to face, at least I haven't, so the dangers are just getting bilked somehow, and AFAIK there's some protection there, either by Paypal or Ebay or possibly your CC company.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0ef_1335308490

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2241791

 

[Bob the Coder]

That's another thing about CL. I've heard stories about people getting mugged or worse. With ebay you never meet face to face, at least I haven't, so the dangers are just getting bilked somehow, and AFAIK there's some protection there, either by Paypal or Ebay or possibly your CC company. I've done scores of Ebay transactions and never been actually burned.

CL listings, at least the way I've done them, are never near sufficiently granular. It's stuff like electronics in some broad area. I check out CL and I'm "who knows, maybe I'll find something," and if I do, it's usually a 40 mile drive or more. On ebay I can narrow down my searches, they have search algorithms that really work. CL, AFAIK practically nothing in that regard.

When I conduct a transaction, I always insist that it go down at a WalMart parking lot, or some place similar. I make a habit of mentioning "yeah, public parking lots work well, cameras all over the place so we can both trust one of us won't try to screw the other."

Never had a problem, though that has constituted my last email interaction with one or two thug-to-be's.

 

[SP33Demon]

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/09/30/man-selling-iphone-6s-online-assaulted

and

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/09/23/pickering-man-beaten-robbed-of-new-iphone6

Canadians using CL, beware! lol. Places with cameras don't seem to be enough now.

 

[Ichinisan]

At first, the first pic looks like a mini3, not an Air2.

On closer inspection, the bezels on the sides do look bigger than my mini 2.

 

[Carson Dyle]

When I conduct a transaction, I always insist that it go down at a WalMart parking lot, or some place similar. I make a habit of mentioning "yeah, public parking lots work well, cameras all over the place so we can both trust one of us won't try to screw the other."

Never had a problem, though that has constituted my last email interaction with one or two thug-to-be's.

Yeah, that doesn't work well when buying or selling furniture or similar large items. I've been in many people's homes when buying things. Had a few people come over to mine to drop things off.

I've never really sold anything on Craigslist. I'm not one of those people who looks at an old jacket or vacuum cleaner and says "that might be worth five or ten bucks". I just take it to Goodwill or the recycling center.

 

[Bob the Coder]

Yeah, that doesn't work well when buying or selling furniture or similar large items. I've been in many people's homes when buying things. Had a few people come over to mine to drop things off.

I've never really sold anything on Craigslist. I'm not one of those people who looks at an old jacket or vacuum cleaner and says "that might be worth five or ten bucks". I just take it to Good Will or the recycling center.

Only things I buy/sell are hobby related items.