Is selling stuff on Craigslist dangerous?

[Trus'Me]

I've recently posted a musical instrument for sale on CL and have had a few emails about it, one of which was threatening to me as the idiot felt I was 'trying to rip people off' with all sorts of profanity and insults.

It got me thinking about a story a few years ago about a guy that was murdered in his own apartment after posting an ad for some diamonds worth several thousand dollars.

This instrument I'm selling is well under a thousand dollars, but now I'm thinking the last thing I want is any of these jackasses coming to my house to check out all the other stuff I've got and/or scream and yell at me because they cant afford it.

Would meeting in a public place be a better idea? Or am I thinking too much about it? SP's have strangers over all the time, this must make me look like a pussy compared to what they have to face daily.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[bcneil]

Just part of craigslist. I use to sell some of my Canuck season tickets using it. Now I use Stubhub.
Almost everytime I would list tickets, I would get emails people swearing at me about something.
Even for shitty games like Columbus that I sold at a loss, I was still an asshole for basically not giving them away free.

I think its just par for the course on craigslist. When I listed a sofa in the free section, still got rude emails.
"did you fuck on it?" "does your sofa smell like shit?"

 

[twoblues]

Always go to a public place. I don't want these Craigslisters to see my house.

Having said that, I've sold a ton and never felt nervous or encountered a problem.

Also, this:

Just part of craigslist. I use to sell some of my Canuck season tickets using it. Now I use Stubhub.
Almost everytime I would list tickets, I would get emails people swearing at me about something.
Even for shitty games like Columbus that I sold at a loss, I was still an asshole for basically not giving them away free.

I think its just par for the course on craigslist. When I listed a sofa in the free section, still got rude emails.
"did you fuck on it?" "does your sofa smell like shit?"

So many cheap idiots on the service.

 

[badbadboy]

I've recently posted a musical instrument for sale on CL and have had a few emails about it, one of which was threatening to me as the idiot felt I was 'trying to rip people off' with all sorts of profanity and insults.

It got me thinking about a story a few years ago about a guy that was murdered in his own apartment after posting an ad for some diamonds worth several thousand dollars.

This instrument I'm selling is well under a thousand dollars, but now I'm thinking the last thing I want is any of these jackasses coming to my house to check out all the other stuff I've got and/or scream and yell at me because they cant afford it.

Would meeting in a public place be a better idea? Or am I thinking too much about it? SP's have strangers over all the time, this must make me look like a pussy compared to what they have to face daily.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Definitely meet in a public place of your choosing. Good idea to go with a friend just in case something goes wrong too.

Beware of runners too. IIRC a guy is being deported now who specialized in meeting to buy Cell Phones at Starbucks and running away with the phones.

I also got the abusive emails from these brave internet souls too. I was selling concert tickets for face value ie zero profit and got a string of profane emails from one idiot.

 

[Trus'Me]

Thanks for the replies.

I still cant believe what this fucker wrote to me. Some miserable wastes of oxygen out there. I've got his full name and email and I think I found him on Facebook. Are there any 'spam machines' I can plug his email into to give him a real pain? Thousands of gay porn sites to his inbox would be nice.

 

[ReluctantPooner]

I've done it twice, and both times met in public. Once outside the Costco downtown and once next to the Boathouse in the west end.

 

[vancity_cowboy]

I think its just par for the course on craigslist. When I listed a sofa in the free section, still got rude emails.
"did you fuck on it?" "does your sofa smell like shit?"

well... did you? ...does it?

but seriously, it depends a bit on the value of what you're selling. if you're selling an expensive specialized set of tools or instruments, something in the 2 to 3 grand range, you are going to have to be very careful. if you take a cheque, it should be at the fucker's bank so you can cash it right there. if you take cash make sure it's daylight at a busy mall or right outside your bank so the asshat doesn't follow you with a couple of homeboys and rip you off for it later

 

[87112]

If its small item meet them in the casino, every corner has a camera on it. Just say in the ad its not personal. For Stuff like expensive TVs etc might be worth your time to hire security. Hey, this is not a Mary Poppins world. When people go hungry or about to lose the house they will do anything to get at money.

 

[bcneil]

Thanks for the replies.

I still cant believe what this fucker wrote to me. Some miserable wastes of oxygen out there. I've got his full name and email and I think I found him on Facebook. Are there any 'spam machines' I can plug his email into to give him a real pain? Thousands of gay porn sites to his inbox would be nice.

With all the nasty emails I got over time. I have to say out of maybe 100 times I met people in person to sell tickets to in the last 3-4 years.
I have never felt at danger when meeting them. A few times that act like cheap idiots, or pretend I agreed to a much cheaper price over email. But I never felt personally threatened. I am huge though.
I would have them come to my condo, and meet them in the lobby, they never knew my floor or unit. Plus we have a camera there.

I always found it too much of a hassle to drive around town meeting people.

 

[Horse99]

I buy and sell all the time...never had any problems. I am selling some stuff on behalf of some female friends, because single women definitely don't want strangers coming to their place.....

If you are feeling lonely, and haven't gotten any emails lately....just post something, anything, under the "free" section........they must be thousands trolling that subsection all day.

 

[storm rider]

Dont let them come to your residence if you are concearned....I dont bother with craigslist but use Kijiji instead and I have never got any nasty emails...though I did have a gal who wanted to buy the left over hardwood from a renovation be a pain in the ass...fisrt she lowballed me and I accepted it...then she wanted delivery...I said no...then when she wanted to arrange pick up it was in the middle of the day....I said no as I was working...she then suggested I could leave it outside and that she would leave a cheque in my mailbox...I told her what I thought about that and then she got terse and told me I was rude......my reply to that was the harshest most assholish email I have ever written and it was well deserved....the end statement of it was that I would rather burn the stuff and piss on the ashes than to sell it to her....never got a reply to that though LOL


Be smart and only take cash for what you are selling....ignore hostile emails as those are not serious buyers but only douchebags trying to get a response from you.

SR

 

[DavidMR]

I have gotten rid of many unwanted items on CL, especially the free section. Given the nature of some of the things, like old building materials, people come to my place to pick the stuff up and it's never a problem.

 

[LittleAsianGuy]

I think it was honda who said he met people at the casino to sell something. Most of the stuff i sold on craigslist i didnt even want. The value was for less than 100 and happy the person took it off my hands(usually old cellphones). But if i had something more than 100.00 id definately meet them in public place.

 

[badbadboy]

Dont let them come to your residence if you are concearned....I dont bother with craigslist but use Kijiji instead and I have never got any nasty emails...though I did have a gal who wanted to buy the left over hardwood from a renovation be a pain in the ass...fisrt she lowballed me and I accepted it...then she wanted delivery...I said no...then when she wanted to arrange pick up it was in the middle of the day....I said no as I was working...she then suggested I could leave it outside and that she would leave a cheque in my mailbox...I told her what I thought about that and then she got terse and told me I was rude......my reply to that was the harshest most assholish email I have ever written and it was well deserved....the end statement of it was that I would rather burn the stuff and piss on the ashes than to sell it to her....never got a reply to that though LOL


Be smart and only take cash for what you are selling....ignore hostile emails as those are not serious buyers but only douchebags trying to get a response from you.

SR

That made me laugh out loud - thanks!

I gave away a solid maple Dining Room Set "free". Nice in its day and was a hand me down but was dated.

The first woman who 'claimed it' also wanted free delivery. NO I said, you come pick it up.

Then she asked me to reimburse her for the truck rental.

It went horribly wrong after that request.

I have never ever spoken to a woman like that before or since.

 

[LittleAsianGuy]

I never had a weirdo but tons of cheap fuckers who did nonstop begging for discounts. After awhile i didnt want them anywhere near where i lived.

Not once a weirdo or crazy contacting me and was not worried when they came to door to view or pick up items.

 

[storm rider]

That made me laugh out loud - thanks!

I gave away a solid maple Dining Room Set "free". Nice in its day and was a hand me down but was dated.

The first woman who 'claimed it' also wanted free delivery. NO I said, you come pick it up.

Then she asked me to reimburse her for the truck rental.

It went horribly wrong after that request.

I have never ever spoken to a woman like that before or since.

Well that is totally fucked with regards to that woman....she gets a Dining set for free...yeah maybe it is a bit out dated but I hear of families that fight over stuff like that when an ancient grand mother dies...not that they WANT it....they just want to GET it.....and you offer something like that for FREE and some nasty bitch figures you should pay for it to get delivered as well....cripes if I had that pt to me I would have said "yeah sure" and had her show up with the dining table & chairs etc outside.....and before they could be moved I would have chopped them up with an axe in front of her or I would have ripped them apart with a chainsaw and then tell the gal to fuck off....something for free = you dont bitch about the cost of getting it.

SR

 

[Trus'Me]

Well I sold the item.

The guy who emailed me used his company email so I googled him and he seemed legit.

He came over and gave me my full asking price and even said I could have asked for more as it was in such good shape. I made a bit on it anyway so we're both happy.

I guess it was some good karma (I dont believe in that shit but what the hell) for the abuse I took earlier.

Good people out there after all... Although I'm still a suspicious mother fucker

Now to resist pooning with the cash! doh!