Topic: Craigslist

[catman]

While it is an amazing tool it is really starting to drive me nuts. With the no shows,flakes,low balls that turn angry,and people who seem apathetic about actually coming to pick up what they say the REALLY WANT I'm starting to wonder if I should just donate stuff instead of trying to get a few extra bucks. Ebay's fees are just out of control so that leaves me with Craigslist.
I was advise to only post my phone number (no email) and that would weed out the tire kickers. I just don't want my phone ringing off the hook with flakes.

Anyone have horror stories to share? Tips would be appreciated as well. Rants are also welcome.

[Alan]

Seems going with the phone number is key on craigslist.  I have known quite a few folks with Craigslist success and they all go with the phone number. 

[Garry]

I have had good luck with Craigslist.  Sold 3 bikes and no problems.  A couple e-mails back and forth to answer questions, and one to haggle price.  Other than that went smooth.

[Redriderpro]

rant> I love the idiots that list every component of the build list and leave off the frame size.
 
rant> I love the ads for a bike I might really want to buy, but when you send an email or two or three, you never get an answer back if it is available or not.
* Co-worker has sent two last week for an ad for a TRANCE (Just can't get away from Giants!) in South Tampa. 

[catman]

rant> I love the idiots that list every component of the build list and leave off the frame size.
 
rant> I love the ads for a bike I might really want to buy, but when you send an email or two or three, you never get an answer back if it is available or not.
* Co-worker has sent two last week for an ad for a TRANCE (Just can't get away from Giants!) in South Tampa. 

Preach the word brother!!!!

[ClintonRH]

My personal favorite has to be when people advertise road frames with vertical dropouts as "perfect for fixie."

[catman]

My favorite is when some jack* changes his add around daily as to keep in on the top of the list. It seems like despite doing this their stuff never sells. I fall for it almost every time only to scroll down and see the same damn pics from the slightly different previous add.

[fatcamper]

I have had nothing but good luck with Craigslist. Recently I cleaned out the garage and sold my old bike, a hitch bike rack, and a truck bed cover I wasn't using. It took less than a week to unload all three and would have been faster if I had more time to meet up with the buyers. As long as things are priced reasonably they usually move quickly.

On the other hand my fiancee tried to sell her old bike with nothing but some "tire-kickers" and once bought a "new" kayak with a leak in it (which was actually hilarious to watch her panic the first time we took it out).

I think it is just luck of the draw. The part that annoys me are the random emails in broken English asking if the item is available and linking me to some random website which I'm sure involves me "helping the rightful king of Nigeria." 

[ClintonRH]

Who wouldn't want to help the rightful king of Nigeria though?

[Darrinw2001]

I have bought and sold several bikes, components, and other stuff on Craig's list. Although you will get some idiots just like any garage sale/paper add, people will low ball, no show, and the like. I have actually made money on bikes using Craig's list, but eBay has mostly been a loser. Last bike I sold on eBay to a local buyer, the idiot called 2 weeks later saying it needed a $100 repair and he wanted me to split the cost. this after fully inspecting the bike and the listing stating no refunds, he left me negative feedback overstating the repair cost by double and of course not mentioning the fact he had the bike for 2 full weeks before calling to try and extort money from me while threatening bad feedback. Of course I left positive feedback right away when he picked up the bike like an idiot...

[ProEdgeBiker.com]

Sold my wife's old car in 9hrs on craigslist, only listed Phone Number.

[amerisosite]

Sold my wife's old car in 9hrs on craigslist, only listed Phone Number.

My 1st car i ever bought was found on craiGlist:D

[RiskEverything]

I bought my first mountain bike, my kayak, my cruising sailboat, and my CRX off Craigslist. All were excellent buys.

I also sold my first mountain bike and my kayak using Craigslist, with little hassle.

It's a fun tool, but you can't be impatient with it.

[cgarolr]

Craigslist is a great tool for the informed buyer and informed seller. 

As a buyer you should:

1) Research what you are buying
2) Know typical areas that could be flawed
3) Typical/average used sales prices when making an offer


As a seller you should:

1) Never list your phone # - emails are easy to ignore/block, but having your phone # out there for the world seems foolish to me
2) Expect lowballers/no shows/etc.
3) Get personal info of potential buyer, i.e. phone number, etc...the more you get from them, the more likely they are to (a) show up and (b) not lowball
4) Have patience
5) If shipping, pay the extra for insurance and tracking...spending the extra $10 for insurance is better than losing out $1000 if you have no proof you shipped it when the buyer tries to screw you by charging back his paypal account.

I have been an ebay/yahoo auctions user since 2001 and a c-list user since 2003/2004 with no issues ever.  Had the occasional ebay scam or "no show" item, but that was back in the day when people tried to pull scams more often, mainly due to a lack of appropriate actions and security that paypal and ebay have since resolved.

[hygieneboy]

I've had awesome results on craig'slist selling bikes, parts, furniture and random junk I was just gonna throw away. One man's trash is another ones treasure as they say. I never post my phone#. I just use the anonymous e-mail to weed out the crazies.