Craigslist Flakes

[Dadnatron]

I have been looking for an old dump trailer for a while.

Found one that I was really interested. Priced reasonably, close by, etc.

I texted the guy, as this was his preferred contact method. Asked him if he still had the trailer (2 days after posting). No response. I repeated the text the following day, and received a 'Yep'. That was the limit of ALL communication. I replied that I'd like to look at it, and gave him a few times I could come out or asked for his schedule.... Nothing. Repeated the text the following day... Nothing. Texted a final time saying, "If you want to sell the trailer, I'm interested, but I need some interaction. Otherwise, I'll leave you alone."... Nothing.

The trailer was 'updated/reposted' the last day, seemingly showing he still had it and wished to sell.

I don't know why he would go to the trouble of trying to sell something, then not reply to contact. I just deleted his phone number and moved on. But given I've only used CL one other time, to give away a TV and had no issues, this entire situation was odd.

There didn't appear to be any scam. He didn't reply more than a simply 'Yep' to the entire contact. The trailer is old, and priced appropriately. But... I would definitely consider him a 'flake'.

16 Foot Gooseneck Dump Trailer

 

[MF283]

I've been on the odd wild goose chase, driving considerable distances to find that the seller blatantly misrepresented the object in question.

Other than that, my experiences both buying and selling have been pain free.

I think two things contribute to that:

1. Virtually all of my transactions have been with rural folk. I don't live in or near anything that could reasonably be called a city, never have, never will.

2. 90% or more of what I'm buying/selling is farming-related. Farm folk, in my admittedly limited experience, tend to be pretty honest. My other interest is motorcycles, I'm 2 for 3 on that. Drove a LONG way to look at a bike once. When I got there, the "needs a little work to be rideable" bike was in a half-dozen boxes...

I've never felt the least bit uncomfortable with the people or surroundings on my transactions.

YEP, same here, had the usual "flake" replies that i ignore & i tell them what works with my schedule, not theirs & that other's are interested, first come first serve.
You can normally tell through a phone conversation pretty quick who is the real deal.

Ronnie

 

[Gem99ultra]

His ad sure seems legit to me. I'd first suspect that he either didn't receive your text messages, or got so many that he elected to ignore them. He did however, post his phone number. If you were really interested, a phone call would have probably been the best way to go. Otherwise the trailer would have been sold by the time the both of you got down to a buy/sell situation.

It may still not be too late to snag this deal if you're interested...

 

[EddieWalker]

I've found that some people are texting challenged and if I'm serious about wanting something, I talk to them on the phone. In every case that I've spoken to the person beforehand, everything has worked out perfectly. When replying by text or email, nothing ever happens.

 

[Dadnatron]

You guys are right.

I guess some people might not be 'texting' folk, and I can't blame them. I wouldn't be if I didn't have 20-something kids.

I'll give him a call and see what happens.

 

[prichard]

There's a local ad that I was interested in that says will not answer text or email. There's no phone number so I don't know how they think they're going to sell. They just keep re posting every couple weeks.

 

[aczlan]

There's a local ad that I was interested in that says will not answer text or email. There's no phone number so I don't know how they think they're going to sell. They just keep re posting every couple weeks.

Yep. There is a ad around the corner from me that says the same thing but has no phone number...

Aaron Z

 

[Travelover]

There's a local ad that I was interested in that says will not answer text or email. There's no phone number so I don't know how they think they're going to sell. They just keep re posting every couple weeks.

I think they appeal to the telepathic market.

 

[sld]

You guys are right.

I guess some people might not be 'texting' folk, and I can't blame them. I wouldn't be if I didn't have 20-something kids.

I'll give him a call and see what happens.

That is a LOT of kids!

 

[California]

Sometimes the weird ads are worth pursuing. I found this Yanmar with loader and power steering - just what I had wanted to upgrade to from my basic one - listed locally as "Tractor $1".

I had seen the photo going through the local listing but the $4,500 in the text of the ad was more than I wanted to pay. I bookmarked it for later.

A few days later the same ad now said $3,500. I phoned and ran down there with some $100 bills as a deposit, and brought home his back blade and scraper box worth about that, to make sure he wouldn't back out of the deal. He said I was the only call he had received.

Well duh, "Tractor $1" isn't going to reach the few people who appreciate these top-quality but orphaned 80's Yanmars. Without 'Yanmar' somewhere in the ad no search is going to find it.

It has run flawless for three years now, it didn't need a thing. I think the seller was honest in saying he just needed money to fix his work truck and otherwise he never would have sold it.