Craigslist Weirdness

[Travelover]

Here is the other side. I'm one of those guys that gives stuff away on Craigslist, including wood.

A few months ago I bought a flat screen TV, so I gave away my big CRT TV on Craigslist. It was in great condition, I just didn't want it anymore. Guy calls and says he will pick it up at 6 PM. Then he calls and says, leave it on the porch, I may be late. So at 3 AM, someone picks it up.

A week later I'm walking down the road and I see something shiny in the woods. Yep, my old TV. I still had his number, so I called him up and asked him why he did it. It wasn't me, he says.

I guess it takes all kinds. :confused2:

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I sell a lot on CraigsList. The latest winner is a lady who called telling me that she really wanted a small engine I'm selling. She called me three times to confirm that it was still available and I hadn't sold it to someone else. I even turned another guy down because I had it sold.

A week later she still hasn't come to get it, and she won't return my calls.

 

[RoyJackson]

I sell a lot on CraigsList. The latest winner is a lady who called telling me that she really wanted a small engine I'm selling. She called me three times to confirm that it was still available and I hadn't sold it to someone else. I even turned another guy down because I had it sold.

A week later she still hasn't come to get it, and she won't return my calls.

I've sold a few items on CL...gave some stuff away too. But it's always "First Come, First Served"...I won't hold anything for any body.

 

[LD1]

I've sold a few items on CL...gave some stuff away too. But it's always "First Come, First Served"...I won't hold anything for any body.

Me neither.

The ONLY exception I make is if someone lives a good bit away, and they say they are on their way. IE: guy lives an hour away. If he calls and says he is on his way, and someone else calls 15 minutes later and only lives 15 minutes away, I WONT sell it to him until the other guy shows. Common courtesy.

But If he says he cant come til tomorrow (or whenever) I always advise that they call before leaving to confirm.

I had a guy get really upset last year. Was comming after a part off an old tractor. Had called like a week prior and said he would be their next weekend. He lived ~2 hrs away. I told him to call before leaving that I would NOT hold it. Well...he called me that following weekend to get fine tuned directions as he was getting off the freeway at my exit. I told him that the Item was sold. He was not happy, but I have been burned enough to NOT hold anything for anyone I dont know.

 

[charlz]

I will write down the first 2 or 3 names/numbers. I tell the first guy to call me if he can't make the date/time we set otherwise I'll go to the next person on my list (even though I don't have a list yet). I have had more no-show's for free stuff than stuff I am selling :confused2:

I know sometimes when I am buying stuff off CL and I tell them I will be there in 20mins or whatever they are surprised when I actually show up and show up on time

 

[RoyJackson]

I will write down the first 2 or 3 names/numbers. I tell the first guy to call me if he can't make the date/time we set otherwise I'll go to the next person on my list (even though I don't have a list yet). I have had more no-show's for free stuff than stuff I am selling :confused2:

I know sometimes when I am buying stuff off CL and I tell them I will be there in 20mins or whatever they are surprised when I actually show up and show up on time

I know when I bought my chipper off CL, I was at the seller's within an hour or so...cash in hand.

 

[charlz]

I know when I bought my chipper off CL, I was at the seller's within an hour or so...cash in hand.

Yep if it is a good deal or something I really want I don't mess around, I give them an estimated arrival time, get moving and I call when I am almost there.

 

[KubotainNH]

Around here you're lucky if 50% of the people show up when wanting something on CL. Really sux. When I find something I want I'm huge on telling the seller what/when and that I'm on the way.

 

[California]

I know when I bought my chipper off CL, I was at the seller's within an hour or so...cash in hand.

Yep if it is a good deal or something I really want I don't mess around, I give them an estimated arrival time, get moving and I call when I am almost there.

Likewise. On my two highest-dollar purchases (first tractor, and backhoe) I went immediately after the ad was listed. For the tractor I got the seller's permission to stop by and look at it in his lunch hour, when he had advertised 'after 5'. When I returned at 4:30 he fielded several calls asking for directions, including one caller who said he would pay more if the seller would hold it another day - just moments after I had given him $1,000 cash to hold it until I could get to the bank. Thankfully he told that caller he was second in line after me.

For the backhoe, similar. I found a terribly nonspecific ad - maybe just 'ditcher', in a small boondocks CL far from any city. I called, asked a lot of questions, repeated some of those questions here on TBN because the seller didn't seem to know much. (turns out it was the wife answering my emails). I said I could come up Monday after getting to the bank Monday for the cash. Ok, no problem. Late Saturday he phoned back and said I needed to get up there real early Sunday. He said he had written a clearer CL ad based on all my questions and duplicated it in some larger region Craigslists. (total population several million people). Suddenly after two weeks of nothing, he had many inquiries. While I was there his wife, scowling, walked the cordless phone out to the barn 2-3 times with more callers who were pestering her for details. I'm sure she later gave him heck for selling too cheap.

Moral of the story: Selling something expensive, advertise in all the large regional CL's within a few hours drive, even if you yourself wouldn't drive that far. And of course include all the 'search words' that your target customer is likely to use. If that seller had used 'Kubota' (the trademark on the BH) he would have sold it immediately.

 

[California]

This tops anything we have seen in this thread so far ...

SF Chronicle:

Man borrows woman's car, sells it on Craigslist