Craigslist Weirdness

[CowboyRon]

I bet he feels about as lucky as you! :thumbsup:

I hope so, of course as much fun as puppies are they are also a pain in the butt. The little guy does love us, and the really old shepherd even approves. I hope he can learn to Chase some cattle. We have already taught him to fetch, and we are working on house breaking him.

 

[beppington]

Usually if it seems to good to be true it is. A few emails or phone calls usually spell out if it's a legit deal or not.

I hit pay dirt on a multi station gym on CL. The ad was reall simple, said the unit would require assembly and to email for pictures, 350 bucks. I asked for photos and got them. Not the best but the unit appeared to be a Body Solid so I made arrangments to go look and possibly buy.

Long story short, son was away at school, folks wanted to garage space. Son was fine with selling it. They had paid retail so they knew what they had. I could not dig out the 350 soon enough.

Got a unit that sells for 2500-3500 on the net with a high retail of around 5 or 6k!

Once in a while you get lucky!

But now you have to use it

 

[California]

I hit pay dirt on a multi station gym on CL. ... Got a unit ... with a high retail of around 5 or 6k!

You did good!

Reminds me of an old post on a usenet group that discussed Ebay.

Some newbie asked what would sell well, what could he start selling on ebay and wouldn't have much competition. Immediately Don Lancaster, the group wiseass (and a longtime internet legend, at least in his own mind) replied Exercise equipment! Appliances! Ladders!!!

Don's point was that shipping made it impractical to sell those anywhere but local so nobody was selling them on Ebay. It's good we have CL now to serve the local market.

One more Lancaster story: He sold a lot of mil surplus. But he bought one item that he was stuck with for years. "You know you made a mistake when the scale model of this fire engine will sell for more than the real thing!"

 

[dmccarty]

I cut down a tree this week and cut and stacked it into 16" lengths on my parking pad, advertised on CL for free. Guy says he wants it and shows up in a compact car. He tells me he thought it would be split and now he can't take it because he doesn't own an axe. :confused2:

I have seen and heard similar things for years. I talked with a guy about clearing some land for me and as part of the conversation he mentioned he would cut trees up into 16-18 inch lengths and then leave them to take for free. People would only take the wood if it was split.

I saw some 16-18 inch rounds on a city lot with a sign saying they were free. That wood sat for weeks before someone finally picked it up.

After Hurricane Fran came though I drove though our area picking up wood that would be good for firewood. Most/all of it was in 3-4 foot lengths and stacked along the road. One lady said I could have all of the free firewood I could carry. It was in the back yard, across a very nice turf, in the form of a downed tree. She wanted me to cut up the tree and then cart it across the turf, without hurting the grass of course, by hand AND uphill! :laughing::laughing:

I was polite and said no thank you.

She was living in a $500,000 home.....

Later,
Dan

 

[Travelover]

........ People would only take the wood if it was split. ..........Later,Dan

Here in SE Michigan people will take good burning wood, like ash, if it is cut up and easy to load. I did get one guy to cut up a downed cherry tree in my front yard and haul it off. It was easy work and nice wood.

 

[grsthegreat]

The thing about exercise equipment.... its ALWAYS as good as new even if its used....cause its never used more than a few times.

 

[forgeblast]

Lol that is so true grsthegreat. I took apart a weight bench I bought in High school to make a shave horse, a firewood rack on a moving cart, and i still have some new pieces of metal left over.

 

[ttriff]

Here's one for you.....

http://denver.craigslist.org/grd/2653166196.html

The equipment shown in the cut and pasted picture is being hosted by the server for this forum
La Kausa :: Indice

Knowing it was a scam I contacted him, he replied...

Hi,

Thanks for being interested in buying my tractor. The price is 5200 dollars. The price does include shipping and insurance to your address.

Let me know if you are interested.

Thanks

I replied .....

Hi,

Yes I'm interested. I live in ******

I'd like to see the equipment and will purchase if package is as listed in ad.

Kindly call me on my cell ********** to arrange a time. I'm retired so my schedule is quite flexible

Regards
*********

He replied......

The tractor is in Minot, ND. I'm ashamed to tell you this. I can't be reached by phone due to a throat infection. Actually it's very hard for me to speak right now. Please, feel free to ask me everything you want to know about the purchasing by email. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

I want to finish this deal through eBay. eBay will keep the paid amount until you'll receive, inspect and agree with the tractor. This is their policy regarding this type of transactions.

It will be shipped from Minot and I'll pay the delivery costs. The delivery process to your location will take 5-6 days. I will start the shipping in the same day with the payment confirmation.

Tell me if you are still interested and I will contact eBay regarding our transaction. After that, they will send you the information needed to begin the process.

I just fell out laughing with his "I can't talk" statement..... :laughing:

 

[boxygen]

I sold a bunch of stuff on C list a few weeks ago and made out well. I sold an old hot water heater for 75 bucks that I thought I couldnt give away. After I took the ad off line I got a call a few days later. I thought that was weird, I was sure I removed the ad. I went online and searched by my town thinking I could easily find it. THe first ad on the screen was for a 15" JET planer for $400 :confused2:. I made contact with the guy and a few hours later the planer in my basement shop. :thumbsup:

Whether buying or selling, its always an interesting experience.

 

[beppington]

"I'm ashamed to tell you this. I can't be reached by phone due to a throat infection. Actually it's very hard for me to speak right now. Please, feel free to ask me everything you want to know about the purchasing by email. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Received this exact same response regarding a Kubota BX I called about. I appreciate them being this obvious about their scam.

 

[toppop52]

Some things just defy description and you have to see it for yourself! ARTIFICIAL LEG - 50 years old

 

[beppington]

Some things just defy description and you have to see it for yourself! ARTIFICIAL LEG - 50 years old

Hmm, I'm considering getting that just to try to avoid Murphy's Law ... i.e. if I buy it hopefully I won't ever actually need it.

 

[charlz]

Hmm, I'm considering getting that just to try to avoid Murphy's Law ... i.e. if I buy it hopefully I won't ever actually need it.

Might work, Murphy's law and Craigslist seem to work together.... every time there is a screaming deal for something on CL it is at the exact time to get me in the most trouble with the wife for dragging something 'new' home... which is just 'wrong'

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm always looking at CL for a deal or something that I need, but rarely buy anything. So far, every time that I've bought something, its worked out very well. I guess the law of averages will catch up to me, but then again, there isn't anything that I have to have.

I've also noticed that some of the deals are not all that great of a deal when comparing to new. Once I look up the item on Amazon or wherever it's sold, I find that the newer model has better features and is more what I want then what the person is selling.

Eddie

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I'm always looking at CL for a deal or something that I need, but rarely buy anything. So far, every time that I've bought something, its worked out very well. I guess the law of averages will catch up to me, but then again, there isn't anything that I have to have.

I've also noticed that some of the deals are not all that great of a deal when comparing to new. Once I look up the item on Amazon or wherever it's sold, I find that the newer model has better features and is more what I want then what the person is selling.

Eddie

Craigslist, Junkyards, and Army Surplus stores have one major thing in common. I seldom find what I want, but I often want what I find.

 

[grsthegreat]

i am not sure WHY the $5,200 price is used so much for horse trailers, boats and tractors on both ebay and craigslist. Its like a magical number for non-existent equipment.

Whn i was in the market for a horse trailer, i was finding all these ads on ebay for late 201X year 4 horse gooseneck with living quarters for $5,200 delivered. ya right.

They must sooner or later find some dummy that goes ahead and pays for it. One person emailed me that the trailers being held in an Ebay secure facility pending sale...HAHA

Then there was one advertised to be located in Spokane Wash, i emailed them that im only 40 miles away, could i go look at it. They emailed me back that if i was the willing bidder, i can go ahead and pay for it on paypal then they would let me see it. Ya right. I emailed them back that i want to see it first. Then they emailed me that there selling ot for someone else and dont have permission to show it. God some people are so stupid to think we would fall for this.

 

[grsthegreat]

...and yet so many people fall for it. Over $100 million in 15 months and escalating.

The best part is that once the victim finally figures out what is going on and shuts off the scammer, the same scammer assumes a new identity as FBI or some such and scams the victim out of more money by offering to help recover the lost money for a fee.

I guess once a sucker always a sucker.

yup. I just cant believe that people would send that much money to someone out if the blue without first at least physically seeing if the item exists in the first place.

 

[Ridgewalker]

It has something to do with being a felony if over that amount. Anything less is a misdemeanor or at least that is what I have been told. Wire fraud maybe???

i am not sure WHY the $5,200 price is used so much for horse trailers, boats and tractors on both ebay and craigslist. Its like a magical number for non-existent equipment.