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Ugh. I had to ban my wife from doing anymore online transactions because she always gave our address out... even to people that never even showed up. So we really had no idea who some of these people are. We live in a nice neighborhood, we have an alarm, but it's not a gated community. Anyone can drive up.
Granted, I live in TX where half the population is armed, but I'd rather not have to worry about whether someone is coming to break into our house at all.
Any time we have something to sell online we use Ebay or FB with our friends being the ones who can see the post.
I only use Cl to advertise things that are too large, too heavy or too breakable to ship USPS which is essentially the only mailing service we have within an 80 mile round trip.
CL is a good place to let people know you have a large expensive item for sale. I have successfully sold small tractors, heavy tractor equipment and a couple of POVs on CL but each time I duck, cover and cringe at the responses I get.
CL here in west Texas is pretty tricky but the truth be known, when the deal gets down to a meeting, I have met many more good folks than bad ones.
It's expecting too much that someone show up when they say they will, or at least text to cancel?
Yes, it is.
You can wish that the human race didn't suck, was respectful, valued others' time, and was otherwise noble all you want, and none of it will become true. When people have no consequences and never have to deal with a given person again, they feel free to suit themselves. You can love that or hate it, but it will occur regardless of your feelings.
Look on the bright side: if climate change makes the planet uninhabitable, and humanity dies out, it may be the best possible outcome for the galaxy.
We've sold a refrigerator and 2 cars on Craigslist...bought by local people, for cash.
I use a phone number instead of email. Also use it for our rentals. So far it has worked
for us.
Worst idea ever. NEVER give out your home address. Let me reiterate: NEVER.
Meet up at a public place, preferably somewhere close to you. Gas station, police station, Target, etc...
Use a google voice phone number. It syncs up with your smartphone so you still get all your phone calls and texts on your phone but via a different anonymous number. On Craigslist I only communicate via text because email usually ends up in spam. But with my google voice number I never give out my real phone number.
There are enough freaks out on Craigslist. No need to let them know where you live. Especially if you are selling expensive items such as camera gear (which I have in the past).
Nonsense. I've had literally hundreds of people from CL to my home to purchase things. Do I let them inside to see my valuables and see how secure my home is? Of course not. We meet on the porch or in the driveway; that's common sense. They know nothing more about my home than they could determine driving past anonymously.
Location: Earth, a nice neighborhood in the Milky Way
3,792 posts, read 2,694,775 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke
It's not craigslist. It's society in general. Americans are getting more and more self-centered. If you are inconvenienced that they don't show up, it is not their problem and they care nothing about you.
...
I suspect that a lot of callers are just bored or curious and they call with no intention of taking the item, or don't even really want it. They won't admit that they are wasting your time to entertain themselves, so they make an appointment that they have no intention of keeping.
One thing is certain, and that is that something was lost when Craigslist displaced the classified ads of the local newspaper. Some of this behavior existed in the newspaper classified ads days, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it is today.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pekemom
We've sold a refrigerator and 2 cars on Craigslist...bought by local people, for cash.
I use a phone number instead of email. Also use it for our rentals. So far it has worked
for us.
Yes. If you can get a person to talk on the phone, it gets closer to approximating the days when this type of private sale was facilitated by newspaper classified ads. Electronic communication diminishes the human interaction, and bad behavior ensues.
I preferred classified ads. I've bought several things (cars, computers, tools, building materials, etc.) via craigslist and that has been fine. But when I have sold things, it has been a headache beyond that experienced with newspaper classified ads. People not showing up has been the biggest problem, even when giving things away.
One craigslist experience which stands out: I had one guy promise me a couple of times he was coming to look at a car I had for sale, asking me to hold it for him because he guaranteed he would buy it (I had priced it to move quickly). After the second no-show, I sold it to someone else. Humorously, he later ended up buying the car from the guy I sold it to, and had the nerve to call me looking for help with some paperwork to get the vehicle registered in my state. If he had been a decent, responsible human being I would have helped, but because of his behavior I ignored that request...
One thing is certain, and that is that something was lost when Craigslist displaced the classified ads of the local newspaper. Some of this behavior existed in the newspaper classified ads days, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it is today...
mostly what was lost was a lot of ad revenue for the newspaper. For the most part, venues like CL are far superior than classifieds. There's a reason classsifieds were displaced. Good riddance.
Nonsense. I've had literally hundreds of people from CL to my home to purchase things. Do I let them inside to see my valuables and see how secure my home is? Of course not. We meet on the porch or in the driveway; that's common sense. They know nothing more about my home than they could determine driving past anonymously.
There are a lot of weirdos out there. And CL just seems to attract all of them. Let's say you have an expensive camera to sell. You give them your address.. They come and decide not to buy it (or don't show up at all). Now they have your address and know you have an expensive camera. Call me paranoid but that isn't a safe scenario for me.
Much safer to say "meet me at the gas station" and if they don't show up no worries. I move on.
I used to give out my address but that was over 10 years ago when Craigslist just started and it didn't attract the weirdos yet. But these days no way in hell I would ever give out my address.
Same thing as a buyer. I generally will not enter a home as a buyer also. Prefer to do everything at a public place. I'm sure you've all heard of the lady that was selling baby clothes here in Denver area and invited a prospective buyer into her home. That buyer cut open her stomach and stole the fetus. Sure this is extreme but more reason to be cautious
There are a lot of weirdos out there. And CL just seems to attract all of them. Let's say you have an expensive camera to sell. You give them your address.. They come and decide not to buy it (or don't show up at all). Now they have your address and know you have an expensive camera. Call me paranoid but that isn't a safe scenario for me.
Much safer to say "meet me at the gas station" and if they don't show up no worries. I move on.
I used to give out my address but that was over 10 years ago when Craigslist just started and it didn't attract the weirdos yet. But these days no way in hell I would ever give out my address.
Same thing as a buyer. I generally will not enter a home as a buyer also. Prefer to do everything at a public place. I'm sure you've all heard of the lady that was selling baby clothes here in Denver area and invited a prospective buyer into her home. That buyer cut open her stomach and stole the fetus. Sure this is extreme but more reason to be cautious
And that sounds simple enough, until you've taken time out of your day to go to the gas station 6 times because the first five "buyers" didn't show up. Yes, this happens.
I can see your point though with a high-value item, so I might make an exception in that case. But generally speaking, I wouldn't inconvenience myself in any way for a potential buyer. The reason so many people hate CL is not because of thieves, but because of the flakes who waste their time.
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