Got hosed on a Craigslist deal again!!

[Longroof79]

Wouldn't that be similar to someone selling an item on the site, or any other forum?
A guy contacts you and claims he wants the item, and is serious about it. Wouldn't you have given him first preference? Then, for instance, another guy contacts you and is also interested in the same item. Wouldn't you tell him that the sale is pending, but if it falls thru he's the next in line?
That's generally what I do when I'm trying to sell an item. That's the way I operate.
I know...the old adage, "money talks and bullshit walks", but I try to be fair.

On the other hand, there is a vast amount of flakes out there that like keep you hanging. It's a game to some of them. I've experienced that type as well.

 

[pontiacgp]

I think you meant seller in the first line but I get what you're saying. If I get a call and a buyer says they're an hour away but headed my way then I certainly wouldn't sell it out from under them. I've had a seller do that to me so I understand how rude it is. However, if I get a call from a buyer who says they want it but can't make it over for a couple days, I let them know it's for sale until it's sold and tell them to call me back when they're ready to make the trip.

I did mean seller.....thanks

 

[DRIVEN]

Apples and oranges to me. In a forum setting you kind of "know" who you're dealing with and it's more likely to be a paypal/shipping transaction. I would absolutely honor "dibs" as long as it was immediately followed by some logistical details.
Craigslist, on the other hand, is a very different animal. I can't count how many times I waited around for "serious" buyers that never showed. I used to hold items for people that never came through and I'm positive it cost me sales. I've also had people get my address and say they were on their way, not show up, then show up unannounced days later.
If it was a situation where unreliable weirdos were a rarity I'd probably be more accommodating. Unfortunately, it seems that polite and dependable people are becoming the exception.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Craigslist is a crapshoot even on the best of days. Ever drive for hours only to find a clapped out POS that was totally misrepresented? Or have someone BS for days how bad they need it then they never show? It makes you want to swear off Craigslist forever. Then there are the great buyers that even become friends. This Summer I sold a bunch of second gen Firebird parts to several guys that were totally cool. They bought even more stuff than I posted and I threw them freebies just because they could use them. Thus, I don't expect a whole lot from Craigslist, so I am delighted when it works well.

 

[Longroof79]

I agree that Craigslist does bring out the scammers, flakes, and nuts. However, I usually have a good experience dealing with people on the forum. You do get the occasional, unreliable flake job periodically, but for the most part you kind of know who you're dealing with.
But even that's not an accurate gage.

 

[565bbchevy]

I have sold quite a bit on CL and really have not had any issues with the buyers themselves but like most sellers I have plenty of people that say they are coming but don't which is why I will give out the intersection first and wait for a response and work out a time before giving them my address and usually I give them a window of time to show up and they will have to work around that.
And it seems more common over the last few years is that people want instant gratification where if they call on something they should be able to look at right now, they seem to be under the impression everybody selling something is sitting at home waiting for a buyer to call or text and offer them half of their asking price.

 

[pontiacgp]

I'm from the old school when handshake via the internet seals the deal I stick to it. I was the seller and made a deal with a guy for a price lower than the asking price. I was contacted shortly after that and some other guy offered me full asking price. I told him I have a tentative deal and if it didn't sell I would contact him, he then offered me more than the asking price but I kept it for the first guy. Making a few extra $$$$ is not going help me sleep better.

 

[DRIVEN]

Instant gratification is right. I once got a barrage of irrate texts from, I assume, a kid who was pissed that he couldn't find my "store". He never contacted me about my items beforehand. He saw the ad and just drove to the spot where the arrow on the map was. He ended up in the parking lot of a little strip mall on the other side of my fence somehow assuming I was a business. When he couldn't locate anything automotive related the angry texts started flying including threats of property damage because I had sent him on a wild goose chase. Wow.

 

[565bbchevy]

Instant gratification is right. I once got a barrage of irrate texts from, I assume, a kid who was pissed that he couldn't find my "store". He never contacted me about my items beforehand. He saw the ad and just drove to the spot where the arrow on the map was. He ended up in the parking lot of a little strip mall on the other side of my fence somehow assuming I was a business. When he couldn't locate anything automotive related the angry texts started flying including threats of property damage because I had sent him on a wild goose chase. Wow.

You should have told them you hid his parts at the bottom of the dumpster so no one would steal them before he got there.

 

[DRIVEN]

I'm from the old school when handshake via the internet seals the deal I stick to it. I was the seller and made a deal with a guy for a price lower than the asking price. I was contacted shortly after that and some other guy offered me full asking price. I told him I have a tentative deal and if it didn't sell I would contact him, he then offered me more than the asking price but I kept it for the first guy. Making a few extra $$$$ is not going help me sleep better.

That's our prerogative as a seller. I would have done the same thing. Once a deal is struck, its a deal. I just prefer to make my deals in person. Typically I encourage people to see my item in person before we start making offers. I also try my best to price fairly in the first place.