Craigslist Flakes

[California]

A wealthy guy kept sending me the same unreasonably low offer on my tractor. He wanted it, but at 25% less than I sold it for a week later. This went back and forth for a week. I kept replying 'I can't hear you, raise your offer and we'll talk' and he would counter with the same $ and 'I'M SHOUTING, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?!'


This cartoon was my last reply to him.

 

[teg]

I do more buying than selling... today was good. Bought a set of step rails for my Tacoma for $50. Guy left them on his front porch and I left $60 between his screen door and front door. One of the few times, I did not have to "fix" anything. Just mounted right up.

 

[zzvyb6]

I buy a lot of stuff from Craigslist locally. Usually only from ads where they list a name and a phone number. You can usually tell from the ad whether they are flakey on not. I've sold quite a few things too. Common to get "Do you still have it?" emails. These are web bots just looking for valid email addresses. Don't even bother to reply. I sell my old tires, hay and some farm equipment. Latest big ticket items have been 1/2 of a windmill fan for decorating to the gals who watch Home & Garden TV. Half the fan brings more that the fan, motor and tail vane. Some buyers just want someone to talk to. They reply with an email describing their daily calender entries for the next month as if I give a crap. Had a few who asked a question about an item come by a week later and are mad as **** because I sold it a week ago. (I told you I might be interested in it !")

In buying, I use searchtempest.com to look around the state for cool stuff. I also just search for items spelled wrong. Bought a VERY nice Peter Wright "anvel" for $200 well worth 2-3 times that on the open market when I fix the spelling error. I stay away from ads listing latters, traylors and hydrolick stuff.

WORST buyers have been people looking for horse hay. Never show, no money, brought car instead of truck or trailer, insulted when I insist on cash money, can't count out 25 bales, can't load a pickup bed with more than 11 without directions from Google, return moldy bales that are a different twine color than I sell (as in they're not from me, lady).

Now we sell a lot of large industrial types of items (factory and old barn lights, wire baskets, work benches, other decorator things) we buy at estate sales. "Industrial Look" is hot right now. These buyers don't care what it costs, they just WANT it. So I give in and sell it to them at my asking price.

I'm gonna sell my 1960's juke box soon with 10 pictures and can't wait to tangle with the crowd likely to ask: "does it play DVDs?", "Blue Tooth enabled"? "wireless?", "can you deliver to the South Pole?" "will it fit in my Prius?" "What color is it ?" You get the idea. Still fun to tangle with them. Life is tough. Its tougher if you're stupid....

 

[TomSeller]

I buy a lot of stuff from Craigslist locally. Usually only from ads where they list a name and a phone number. You can usually tell from the ad whether they are flakey on not. I've sold quite a few things too. Common to get "Do you still have it?" emails. These are web bots just looking for valid email addresses. Don't even bother to reply. I sell my old tires, hay and some farm equipment. Latest big ticket items have been 1/2 of a windmill fan for decorating to the gals who watch Home & Garden TV. Half the fan brings more that the fan, motor and tail vane. Some buyers just want someone to talk to. They reply with an email describing their daily calender entries for the next month as if I give a crap. Had a few who asked a question about an item come by a week later and are mad as **** because I sold it a week ago. (I told you I might be interested in it !")

In buying, I use searchtempest.com to look around the state for cool stuff. I also just search for items spelled wrong. Bought a VERY nice Peter Wright "anvel" for $200 well worth 2-3 times that on the open market when I fix the spelling error. I stay away from ads listing latters, traylors and hydrolick stuff.

WORST buyers have been people looking for horse hay. Never show, no money, brought car instead of truck or trailer, insulted when I insist on cash money, can't count out 25 bales, can't load a pickup bed with more than 11 without directions from Google, return moldy bales that are a different twine color than I sell (as in they're not from me, lady).

Now we sell a lot of large industrial types of items (factory and old barn lights, wire baskets, work benches, other decorator things) we buy at estate sales. "Industrial Look" is hot right now. These buyers don't care what it costs, they just WANT it. So I give in and sell it to them at my asking price.

I'm gonna sell my 1960's juke box soon with 10 pictures and can't wait to tangle with the crowd likely to ask: "does it play DVDs?", "Blue Tooth enabled"? "wireless?", "can you deliver to the South Pole?" "will it fit in my Prius?" "What color is it ?" You get the idea. Still fun to tangle with them. Life is tough. Its tougher if you're stupid....

Sounds like you have mastered CL. Nice!

 

[Texas Dawg]

Lots of crazies out there. A friend who restored old wooden boats (think old Chris Craft runabouts) for a hobby would list them on Craig's List when he was finished. He had one caller that offered "the services of his wife" (number of times to be negotiated) in exchange for the boat. He politely countered with the asking price in U.S. $$$ for the boat and that ended that conversation.

 

[California]

I think you just won the thread! :applause:

 

[TomSeller]

I wonder how many times that poor wife has had to pay his bills. That guy isn't a CL Flake, he's a CL Freak.

 

[farm boy00]

I buy a lot of stuff from Craigslist locally. Usually only from ads where they list a name and a phone number. You can usually tell from the ad whether they are flakey on not. I've sold quite a few things too. Common to get "Do you still have it?" emails. These are web bots just looking for valid email addresses. Don't even bother to reply. I sell my old tires, hay and some farm equipment. Latest big ticket items have been 1/2 of a windmill fan for decorating to the gals who watch Home & Garden TV. Half the fan brings more that the fan, motor and tail vane. Some buyers just want someone to talk to. They reply with an email describing their daily calender entries for the next month as if I give a crap. Had a few who asked a question about an item come by a week later and are mad as **** because I sold it a week ago. (I told you I might be interested in it !")

In buying, I use searchtempest.com to look around the state for cool stuff. I also just search for items spelled wrong. Bought a VERY nice Peter Wright "anvel" for $200 well worth 2-3 times that on the open market when I fix the spelling error. I stay away from ads listing latters, traylors and hydrolick stuff.

WORST buyers have been people looking for horse hay. Never show, no money, brought car instead of truck or trailer, insulted when I insist on cash money, can't count out 25 bales, can't load a pickup bed with more than 11 without directions from Google, return moldy bales that are a different twine color than I sell (as in they're not from me, lady).

Now we sell a lot of large industrial types of items (factory and old barn lights, wire baskets, work benches, other decorator things) we buy at estate sales. "Industrial Look" is hot right now. These buyers don't care what it costs, they just WANT it. So I give in and sell it to them at my asking price.

I'm gonna sell my 1960's juke box soon with 10 pictures and can't wait to tangle with the crowd likely to ask: "does it play DVDs?", "Blue Tooth enabled"? "wireless?", "can you deliver to the South Pole?" "will it fit in my Prius?" "What color is it ?" You get the idea. Still fun to tangle with them. Life is tough. Its tougher if you're stupid....

About the same here. Although I have replied to the people with the "still got it" and sold the items. Another thing different is I always play games on those people with stupid questions

 

[davesl708]

Lots of crazies out there. A friend who restored old wooden boats (think old Chris Craft runabouts) for a hobby would list them on Craig's List when he was finished. He had one caller that offered "the services of his wife" (number of times to be negotiated) in exchange for the boat. He politely countered with the asking price in U.S. $$$ for the boat and that ended that conversation.

Did he send pictures of his wife:devil:

 

[California]

Similar to gaming the CL stupid inquiries - last evening I got a phone call from India: "Microsoft has detected a problem in your computer, do you have it running now?"

I replied it was wonderful of them to send me a new computer, when can I expect it to arrive, how soon, I've been looking forward to this .... etc until the idiot finally broke away from the script he was reading and indicated minimal comprehension of what I was saying. His English in conversation was much poorer than his script reading but he kept returning to insisting I fire up the computer and do what he said, while I kept up my enthusiasm he was sending me a new computer. I was surprised how long he kept going when it was obvious to both of us he wasn't making any headway. Darn scammers! :irked:

 

[davesl708]

Similar to gaming the CL stupid inquiries - last evening I got a phone call from India: "Microsoft has detected a problem in your computer, do you have it running now?"

I replied it was wonderful of them to send me a new computer, when can I expect it to arrive, how soon, I've been looking forward to this .... etc until the idiot finally broke away from the script he was reading and indicted minimal comprehension of what I was saying. His English in conversation was much poorer than his script reading but he kept returning to insisting I fire up the computer and do what he said, while I kept up my enthusiasm he was sending me a new computer. I was surprised how long he kept going when it was obvious to both of us he wasn't making any headway. Darn scammers! :irked:

Yes but you kept him busy so he was not calling someone else. :thumbsup:

 

[TomSeller]

Yes but you kept him busy so he was not calling someone else. :thumbsup:

Every now and then I will answer a solicitor's call. When my Mother in Law was alive I always picked up on solicitors at her house to see what scams they were up to with the elderly. I tried to waste as much of their time as I could before asking to opt out. Not that it did any good to ask but if I kept them for 5 minutes from calling someone else, I figured it was worth it. We cancelled subscription to the local newspaper 10 years ago and still get robo calls. But at least the caller ID says who they are, unlike most.

 

[California]

For anyone who wants to dive into the deep end of baiting scammers, see 419eater.com. Its a hobby for some people to play elaborate games with the scammers.

Here's an example of 'trophies' that scam-fighters have talked the scammers in to doing for them, mostly signs to hold up at the airport so the 'mark' will recognize the scammer when he arrives there, bringing his money. (nobody actually travels, the point is to make the scammer waste his time and look silly). Lots more examples on that site.

i don't know where to find it again but my favorite was the Brit who sent a 3-ring binder and a brick - COD - when the scammer mailed him a bogus money order for an Apple 'notebook'. He figured it cost the scammer over $50 to get the package through Customs and learn what was in it.

 

[CobyRupert]

I wonder how many times that poor wife has had to pay his bills. That guy isn't a CL Flake, he's a CL Freak.

There's a whole separate personals section on CL for those too!

 

[teg]

Young Male 24 years old Kidney for sale 285,000 obo cash only need money for bills..Text only no low ballers...

Kidney

 

[farm boy00]

Young Male 24 years old Kidney for sale 285,000 obo cash only need money for bills..Text only no low ballers...

Kidney

Man that's almost to tempting to play games with

 

[Texas Dawg]

Did he send pictures of his wife:devil:

Nope. That could have been scary

 

[zzvyb6]

The "You owe the IRS $6,000 and we will come with warrant if you don't give credit card right now" is going around the county here. I wasn't home, but They left a message and phone number to call back on: 646-593-7695. I want to let them know I have only cash, no credit cards and am disabled. They will have to come to the house to get the money.

I also just put the backhoe on the tractor and some wad cutters in the .38 Police. What are my chances ?

 

[farm boy00]

The "You owe the IRS $6,000 and we will come with warrant if you don't give credit card right now" is going around the county here. I wasn't home, but They left a message and phone number to call back on: 646-593-7695. I want to let them know I have only cash, no credit cards and am disabled. They will have to come to the house to get the money.

I also just put the backhoe on the tractor and some wad cutters in the .38 Police. What are my chances ?

You have to keep us updated on this one. Maybe cask them back in a few days? ?

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Ive gotten several of the IRS calls. I ignore them, i dont even answer my phone unless i recognize the voice.

My dad got the microsoft call while i was there. I told them we didnt have a computer.