Originally Posted by
pfabek1
Sorry about that...
I am selling a bike on Craigslist and I have gotten a few responses from people who want to buy it. I am a little suspicious though becasuse both of the buyers type as though that can barely speak English and that just seems very odd. I am wondering what the likelyhood is that they could be scam artists? They are both willing to pay in standard US checks, which is better than a money order or something else. Are these people trustworthy and is giving them my information address, phone number, etc. safe?
From what I've heard, there are a lot of flakes on craigslist. By "flakes," people mean flakes who say they'll come right over, but never actually show up. Meanwhile, you're standing there holding other interested buyers at bay, waiting for the flake to show up. That's not fair to the seller. The other side of that coin is I've shown up, after a long trip to get there, only to have the seller showing the bike to somebody else. That's not fair to the buyer.
I wouldn't be too suspicious about illiterates-- there are a lot of them selling things on craigslist too.
I would NEVER accept a check from anybody. Period. That is suspicious. Cash only. There are a lot of money order scams on craigslist and eBay, with the buyer giving a money order for over the amount, and asking for a cash refund on the difference. Those money orders are ALWAYS bad, and the seller is out the bike and his money. I have no idea what a "US Check" is, but if it's not cash, I wouldn't accept it. My only exception to that rule is paypal, and nobody pays with paypal in person.