Craigslists for sale

[64 f100]

I've had a few items on craigslist from time to time, and get some very strange replies. Some have garbled English and some I get say something about paying for the item with a check. I usually ignore most of these and let it go without response. I'm thinking these are some sort of scam. I find it odd that I get questins about my address and phone number when both are listed with the adds. Anyone else have these kind of results?

Rich

[ICEMAN6166]

had loads of interesting replies a few years back when i sold an econoline on cl

first off i only take phone calls, if your interested call, otherwise forget it

several calls wanting me to drive it to Anchorage (100 miles)
told them its like this, you interested you come here to look
several wanting to do payments on a $400 used van, never laughed so hard
a couple cursers that i dont do email or text, they got a return curse

in addition i mentioned the faults of the van in the add , one of the issues being 3rd gear gone in the trans. al the rest worked fine but a few people wanted this fixed for buying the van, your nuts i said its an old $400 van fix it yourself

not to mention the ones who wanted to pay by check and ship the van to some remote (not in Alaska) locations

never was so happy to sell a van and delete an add

[LM14]

I do a lot of CL stuff. Buying and selling.

I always put in my ads "no help selling needed, NO TEXTS (I don't have a text plan, I receive them but can't respond to them).

You always get the "I want to buy it for my dad but I'm in the Army/Navy/etc but can't come and get it so could you ship....". Playing on your patriotism to rip you off.

You will always get the barely English speaking wanting to help sell it.

I usually get emails (which I actually prefer as a first contact) and you can scan them quickly and delete the flakes with no response to them.

I am always amazed at how somebody that wants to buy a part I have for sale has so many stupid questions about the item. What all does it fit, how big is it, what does it weigh, is it new (even though my ad tells all about it) and my favorite is will this fit my car/truck? I think they should know these answers if they are interested enough to call in the first place.

Selling cars is worse than selling parts. Everyone wants to trade their Harley/4 wheeler/conversion van/big screen TV for your car/truck. I always put in my ad what I am willing to trade for and am very specific.

I have found that the vast majority of "buyers" never read the ad. The read the title an look at a couple pictures then call to ask questions. I now ask "have you read the entire ad?". If they say no, I tell them to read it and call back if still interested. I then hang up.

I find that serious buyers ask serious questions and don't want to waste their time any more than yours. Their questions will be to the point and specific. I like those people.

When buying I try to be specific in my questions, respectful and polite. I also meet with them on their time frame and choice of location. I will drive all night to be at their door at 8:00AM. Done it a bunch of times. I always have the cash ready to hand to them. I have had buyers that came to the house to get something, looked it over then asked where the closest ATM was. At first I thought that was odd but decided they didn't want to travel with the cash and I can respect that. I have done similar things since then if I am unsure of the person.

I've done this a lot. Only twice have I driven past the address and decided I would not stop due to the location and/or circumstances. If I'm not comfortable, I call and tell them I can't make it.

I've met some great car people. Actually made a couple friends with some similar interests that I stay in touch with.

Use your best judgment, if they offer additional money, want you to ship, or want to pay with a check or wire transfer, I walk away. I've met at McDonalds, Walmart, Menards and the local Police Station with people. I want them to feel safe with me as I do with them.

Common sense, keep your eyes open and realize there are idiots and scammers every place you go to deal on car stuff. We tend to buy with our hearts, not with our heads at times.

Got some great deals on CL in the past. Got burned few times.

SPark

[Truckrat]

Called about a 66 in Corsicana, Texas last week a guy had for $2500.
It was a drivable truck. He kept saying he would not go a penny less
even though we agreed on the price. Kept saying it was a great deal
and then said he was going to prime the entire truck. Why? That is
not necessary we told him. We will take it as is. He got mad and said
he was tired of people arguing with him and was taking down his ad.
Said he knew what the truck was worth and decided not to sell it.
2 days later the truck is back on C/L for the same price only now with
a new primer job all over, even inside the bed. Do you think he has
something to hide? We do since he did that. Dude sounded like a total
nut job and we shined him on. TR

[ICEMAN6166]

Do you think he has something to hide? We do since he did that.

definitely sounds like it.

[ThinLizzy13]

Do you think he has something to hide? We do since he did that.

definitely sounds like it.

x2. I drove a couple hours to look at truck that the seller told me on the phone "was really solid." He had painted over everything and you could see the rust coming through. The missing floorboards were a big indicator too

Sometimes people selling stuff on craigslist boggle me as well. I was recently searching around for a plow truck and found a decent sounding one on craigslist. The seller said call/text. I texted him and asked if it was for sale and if it was carbed. He said yes to both. I told him I was pretty interested and wanted to come look at it, he asked when I could look at it, then he never responded. I called him a couple days later and left a message. Never heard back from him. Saw it was still up a couple weeks later so I texted him and said I was still interested. He said it was still for sale but again wouldn't reply to set up a time. Don't see the point in posting something for sale if you aren't actually going to sell it...

[LM14]

I drove to Mississippi (4:30PM to 6:00AM) to look at a "really solid, rust free" '61 uni. It was 100% taken apart so we would be able to see everything. When we got there, the first thing I notice was the front cab mounts were completely gone. When I asked about it, he said "what are they supposed to look like?"

It was at that point I decided some people don't necessarily lie to you, they are sometimes ignorant on what something 50+ years old really should look like. They've seen so many patched and repaired things they don't have a clue what they looked like originally. A lot of people selling these things are a lot younger than the truck is.

SPark

[bruceandersson]

There are a lot of interesting people everywhere. I recently sold our 2003 Escape via CL. Had one guy who offered me 1/2 what I asked and insisted I could not tell the future, well yeah...but it was worth more than the almost new set of tires. Another texted me that her husband knew this truck and offered me even less. I never responded since I could not figure out what the text meant. If they knew the truck, they knew me. I'd give the vehicle to someone I knew who needed it. Did sell it to a young single mom who needed something reliable. I think there are always a lot of flippers out there just looking to snag a deal. There are also people who don't know much about communicating or negotiating.

[The Big M]

When I'm selling, emails with vague or incomprehensible questions get soundly ignored, particularly if the ad has been up for some time. I'll usually state "If the ad is still up then the item is still for sale" in the ad to screen out people who just ask if you still have it, without any further info. Then when you reply you never hear anything back.

I haven't used craigslist, but on kijiji (Canadian equivalent) you can email the seller via the site but your address isn't displayed. So I believe low-level scammers ask these stupid questions in order to get you to reply and see your email address. Then they add you to spam lists.

[orangeRcode]

The guy TR was talking about was a flake. It all worked out as I found a great truck much closer. I've got half a mind to send him a text of my new truck and tell him his stupidity cost him a sale. However, I've gained some wisdom with age and choose to let sleeping dogs lie. Better to not have to deal with drama like that.

Like was said, CL is an awesome resource. Just have to wade through the BS sometimes.