Is It For Sale?

[cabinetman]

I had a good experience with my first time selling on Craigslist. So, I tried another item. I posted a picture, description of the item, selling price, and general location.

In the four days since posting the ad, I've received 5 emails (all different responders), asking if the item is for sale. I replied to each, answering their question, and none of them have written back...even to make an offer.

It just seems weird to me. The only thing out of the ordinary is that all the emails were using "gmail".

.

[eccentrictinkerer]

The emails are probably a scam. When I place a CG ad I never post my 'real' email address or phone number. There are scammers out there who harvest email addresses.

I now require all responders to include a unique word, ie. floobydust, from the ad on their subject line to weed out the scammers.

I also will not divulge my full address until they are within a few blocks and call me from their cellphone. I give them a general idea (near Lake Harriet) to get them started.

I got tired of the 'tire-kickers' not showing up at agreed upon time. I'm known as the 'mean garage sale guy' around my neighborhood.

Also, never let these folks see your shop, garage or let them into your house.

If there is significant money involved make sure you have a friend helping you as backup.

Caution is the watchword.

Good luck!

[RAFlorida]

Mike, everything 'eccentrictinkerer' posted,

makes good common sense. Every once in a while, you'll see on the news where some low-life scum robs and or beats the seller. Paranoia? Maybe, but I'd rather be safe and live a few more years.

[woodturner]

I also will not divulge my full address until they are within a few blocks and call me from their cellphone. I give them a general idea (near Lake Harriet) to get them started.

Interesting idea, but I'm not seeing how that would help. What is to stop them from calling from far away and claiming they are near? What if they don't have a cell phone?

What is the thinking on how this helps - just so you aren't giving out your address to a lot of different people?

Another way people get around sharing their address is to meet at a nearby shopping mall, park and ride lot, etc. That way the buyer never knows your address. Obviously this works better for smaller, portable items.

Another hint - set up a Googlevoice number and don't give them your real phone number, since your name and address can be found from your phone number, cell or landline.

[eccentrictinkerer]

Interesting idea, but I'm not seeing how that would help. What is to stop them from calling from far away and claiming they are near? What if they don't have a cell phone?

What is the thinking on how this helps - just so you aren't giving out your address to a lot of different people?

Another way people get around sharing their address is to meet at a nearby shopping mall, park and ride lot, etc. That way the buyer never knows your address. Obviously this works better for smaller, portable items.

Another hint - set up a Googlevoice number and don't give them your real phone number, since your name and address can be found from your phone number, cell or landline.

I have had zero 'no-shows' since instituting this strategy.

[cabinetman]

I received this email today...

Thanks for the prompt response to my mail. I will be buying from
you so please kindly withdraw the advert from C.LIST. Please be
informed that i will be paying with a certified check from my Bank it
will be delivered to you via United Parcel Service (UPS), so I'll need
you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the
mailing of the check...

Name to be on the payment...........
Home address...........
City..............
State...........
Zip Code..............
Cell phone #................

I will make arrangements for the pick up as soon as you have your
money I am completely satisfied with the advert and the payment will
be delivered within 24hours.** I use a hearing impaired phone
# and will receive your calls via email **..I'm sorry for the late
respond to your email ...N.B UPS does not deliver to a P.O box addresses.
Thanks

.

[BigguyZ]

Yeah, there are an amazing number of scammers that respond to Craigs list. My brother posts ads for his rentals on CL, and all of them get similar emails. He sometimes responds to mess with them, and that can be funny.

What annoys me is that they try to use your sympathy against you by saying they're disabled. Really crappy.

[capncarl]

I have a state prison and a county jail/sherrifs office about 10 miles away so I use their addresses and say by appointment only. If anyone googles the address they get one of the prisons. I figure if they google it they are up to no good anyway and belong there. The phone number is on one of the photographs and not on included in the text, so whoever is interested and looks at the photos will see it there. One persistant scammer kept calling so I finally told him to pick it up at the prison address and just explain what the business was to the man at the desk. I never heard back from him after he googled it.
capncarl

[woodturner]

I have a state prison and a county jail/sherrifs office about 10 miles away so I use their addresses and say by appointment only. If anyone googles the address they get one of the prisons. I figure if they google it they are up to no good anyway and belong there.

Interesting - I always check on the address to find out if I am willing to drive that far. Ten miles is significant - and would make the difference between being interested and not. If someone gave me an address that was 10 miles away from the actual address, I'd be really annoyed and would not buy from them, assuming they are "up to no good".

Guess different people just have different ways of looking at things.

[capncarl]

woodturner, that is why I stated "call for appointment". It didn't seem to matter much because most of my inquires were emails from scammers anyway. The few serious people that called all got a good chuckle out of it because they all knew where the prisions were. I would have loved to lured a scammer into thinking that he could just drop off his bad check and wheel off with my merchandise.
capncarl

[durango dude]

The individuals reply to you through a CL agent.

They're likely using CL to harvest real e-mail addresses, which they distribute to a SPAM company for a few pennies each.

You'll end up seeing SPAM in your in-box, eventually.

You can help CL block that practice by clicking the SPAM button when CL forwards the original inquiry to you.

I've used CL a few times in the past - but there seems to be a lot of abuse. I think it would work better if they charged - say $1 to participate.

Free stuff simply invites problems.

[woodturner]

woodturner, that is why I stated "call for appointment". It didn't seem to matter much because most of my inquires were emails from scammers anyway. The few serious people that called all got a good chuckle out of it because they all knew where the prisions were. I would have loved to lured a scammer into thinking that he could just drop off his bad check and wheel off with my merchandise.
capncarl

Ahh, that makes more sense, thanks for the clarification.

[durango dude]

You can also specify what subject they should use in their response ----

That helps filter out SPAM.

[capncarl]

I suppose that it is different mentalities for different parts of the country, but if you rely and answer only the automated CL email system you will get zero replys to your CL sale here. I have tried selling not including a phone number and discussed it with others that sell regularly on CL with the same answer, it doesn't work here. I'm that way also, if it does not nave a phone number I skip it. That goes for cars and boats parked in peoples yards with for sale signs on them, no number, I'm gone.

There are a couple of local on line yard sales that have popped up here that have become quite popular and do not seem to have the problem with scammers yet. They use one local shopping center parking lot as the common meeting place to view items and for the transactions. I'll try these next.
capncarl

[cabinetman]

I suppose that it is different mentalities for different parts of the country, but if you rely and answer only the automated CL email system you will get zero replys to your CL sale here. I have tried selling not including a phone number and discussed it with others that sell regularly on CL with the same answer, it doesn't work here. I'm that way also, if it does not nave a phone number I skip it. That goes for cars and boats parked in peoples yards with for sale signs on them, no number, I'm gone.

Good idea. I'm going to edit the ad to specify include phone number when responding to the ad.

.