I always meet Craigslisters/Freecyclers for ANYTHING in a public place that I know has a camera. Then I lurk under said camera till they show up. The last two bikes I sold...it was outside of a local college student center. Lots of foot traffic, cameras, and dorks in bright yellow campus cop uniforms.

I also use a Google number. Really, any VOIP number would do. They can't be traced and let you block spammers easy.