Well, my first attempt at a long distance craigslist purchase just ended abruptly. Everything was proceeding smoothly when the seller changed her mind and decided not to sell her vintage bike. My disappointment was shortlived since seller already had received two personal checks from me for the bike and shipping. My comfort zone which had been established by several emails and phone conversations began to unravel, despite a promise from the seller to return the checks. While I still had confidence in the seller, I felt it was better to err on the side of caution. So this morning found me at my bank placing a stop on the checks. The lesson learned: craigslist is best used for local transactions. I'll continue to make the 'dash with the cash'.