Craig's List experiences

[msefren]

Has anyone had any overt positive or negative experiences purchasing or selling items using Craig's List assuming you have taken the usual precautions using this format?

 

[COcheesehead]

We've sold tons of stuff on Craigslist. Yes, there are people who don't show up and you'll get emails from people who aren't really serious, but it's a good way to unload things. Meet in a public place and not your residence, if at all possible. Cash only. First one gets it. Those are our rules.

 

[robnplunder]

I bought some stuff and my experience has been mixed at best. I now buy only from Ebay, Amazon, and other credible websites.

 

[COcheesehead]

I bought some stuff and my experience has been mixed at best. I now buy only from Ebay, Amazon, and other credible websites.

Just curious about your response. So seeing an item first hand on Craigslist is worse than not seeing it until it arrives?

 

[RobbieB]

Craig's list works, I've bought and sold stuff. All used of course and you do get the "clueless" people that are just fishing and offers to trade for whatever they have.

I like to have fun with the "fishers" Ex;

Them "Your price is too high"

Me "Then don't buy it"

Really, it's that bad. No offer, just a statement that my price is too high and no interest in seeing the item either. Jam on down the road!

 

[FANOFJESUS]

I am a seller and I find many of the people on Craig's List are too cheap. We all want a bargain but I find many of their offers are almost stealing.

 

[CaliKid]

I have bought and sold a lot on CL. Pretty much all good experiences. A couple no-shows for items but nothing major. It's great for bigger things that don's ship efficiently.

 

[skibum]

Side note, there is a local "yard sale" facebook page in my small town where people can post items for sale. Since the buyers/sellers are local and not totally anonymous given the facebook visibility, I am very comfortable buying in this format and have found many values from local folks.

I would be very comfortable selling on this FB site as well, if I can ever manage to part with anything.

To the OPs point, I have bought several items from craig's list with no issue. I am hesitant and have not sold items on CL.

 

[aja8888]

I've bought and sold a couple of cars using Craigslist. No issues.

 

[calico1597]

I buy and sell items on Craig's List and thru Facebook. Never had any problems

 

[38Chevy454]

Mostly sold stuff, but have bought a few things on CL. Selling on CL you get a bunch of stupid people and low-ballers. Just delete all the crap. I only set up an ad to use CL email so any of my personal info is not in the ad. It works, but there are way too many flakes on CL. Just expect it and you will not be disappointed.

You can find some good deals, or on the other side get rid of an item and cash in pocket. The old saying holds true: "cash talks, BS walks" and this holds true for both buying and selling on CL. Have cash ready if buying, or you could miss out on that item you have selected.

 

[harley]

When we bought our second home in FL I needed a lot of tools, since I wasn't going to haul all mine back and forth with me. I used CL a lot, and was pretty satisfied with it. No rip-offs, and only a couple of serial killers. Makes me wish I'd done it with the original tools instead of buying most of them retail. I've never sold anything on CL, but I'm thinking about it as part of our downsizing exercise.

 

[calmloki]

Advertise all the rentals on CL. only. it works. Have bought all the cars and some other stuff from CL. Sold a few cars on CL and other stuff - rolls of barbed wire, boxes of nails, skylights - sometimes stuff sells, sometimes not, I find the sellers and buyers pretty much like people anywhere.

 

[GravitySucks]

Bought RVs and a few household items and sold lots of things without incident.


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[old woman]

I sold stuff like old rototiller or wood chipper that needed work but the people still wanted them. Never an issue. I bought a huge stainless steel sink for $75 used to make a fish cleaning station. Met the woman in a parking lot no problem. Several times I have gotten free firewood sometimes whole trees sometimes they didn't know what kind it was and it was cottonwood and not worth taking. I gave away a cottonwood tree that fell with just a sign on the driveway. We cut and split it but I could have given it away on craigs list even not cut or split.

 

[sheldon cornped]

No actual buying or selling on craigslist. However I have sold alot of stuff during 2 downsizings in the last year. I highly recommend OfferUp first and Letgo second. You can link to your phone as well and makes it very easy. Also you can check the history of the buyer or seller with ratings etc....

 

[UpAnchor]

I've bought/sold/traded photography equipment on multiple occasions with nothing but positive results so far.

Furniture? Pretty much the opposite experience. Not sure what to attribute this to but I've lost interest in continuing the practice.

 

[robnplunder]

Just curious about your response. So seeing an item first hand on Craigslist is worse than not seeing it until it arrives?

Craig list pictures and actual item sometimes don't match. I also have to drive to a place to buy. Gas it takes to get there and back sometimes make it not worth buying a small item. Buying EBay items from highly rated seller rarely goes bad. Even if it does, I get refunded/repaid by the seller or EBay.

 

[2035]

I sold gardening tools two years ago and a dining room set two weeks ago...no problems. The buyers were women which made it less nerve wracking.


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[misshathaway]

Side note, there is a local "yard sale" facebook page in my small town where people can post items for sale. Since the buyers/sellers are local and not totally anonymous given the facebook visibility, I am very comfortable buying in this format and have found many values from local folks.
.

There are a couple for my area. They are populated by flippers too, who I guess, use the addresses of friends who are residents. Or the moderators just don't really check. If the buyer has no FB picture and no FB account info besides their name, and posts every day, and sometimes posts weird stuff for sale like 50 packs of disposable razors, the buyer is probably a flipper.

In the case of my local FB group it's actually worse than craigslist b/c they have a rule that if a buyer tags your post you have to sell to them and you have to wait 48 hours for them to come get it before offering it to the next person. So a flipper will just sit on the list and tag everything, then decide later what they will actually pick up. For me, craigslist is easier for selling.

This may be particular to my local FB group.

 

[frayne]

Have bought and sold musical equipment, photo equipment, motorcycles and a car on CL without any problems. I do always exchange e-mails and talk on the phone prior to meeting anyone for a transaction just to make sure the person is legit. It takes a little due diligence but really no big deal.

 

[kcowan]

We have sold some used furniture on CL - sofa and loveseat to 2 guys furnishing their school pad. $100 for both (asking $200). Just sold 6 DR chairs. Some wear on the cloth. $20 for the set. The junk guy was going to charge us $150!

Not as much luck buying. Well-priced stuff moves quickly. Did buy an iPhone 4S a few years ago. No probs.

 

[Koogie]

In Canada the ebay version (Kijiji) is more popular than Craigslist. I personally don't like it as much but when the herd moves, you gotta keep up...

Bought a bandsaw and a scroll saw off of Kijiji last week. Both older Delta models in good running condition. The bandsaw was really good, heavy cast iron and it was all I and the guy selling it could do to get it into my Rav4 (and neither of us were exactly puny)

I paid 80$ for the bandsaw and 60$ for the scrollsaw. Equivalent to Delta quality at Lowes would have cost me over 400$, tax included. And they would have been cast aluminum and plastic instead of cast iron.

 

[Pscott2019]

We are having more luck buying and selling items using Facebook garage sale sites. I had a television listed on Craigslist for over a month and was only getting lowball offers. Put it on a garage sale site and sold it for full price the same day. Awesome.


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[RockyMtn]

Craig's is great for giving stuff away. Just list it...put it on the street and watch it disappear!