Last week I posted my Trek 420L mixte frameset and crankset on the Seattle Craigslist. Nary a call for 5 days and then suddenly within 9 minutes this morning I get a call from Chicago and one from Vermont wanting to know if I'll ship the frame. Am I paranoid to think that it feels a little suspect?

as long as the money is there first, and it's legit it should be ok. i sometimes search craigslist and find stuff far away. some folks are shady about shipping, which is understandable. but as long as the m/o or whatever clears i dont see a problem.

No problem unless you ship it COD

The timing of the two calls would send up a red flag for me too, I usually get the typical scam messages in a group around same time.

In this case though, I wouldn't be as concerned since they're calling you, but that would depend on the way the conversation went. You'd expect some bicycle-related questions from a legit buyer rather than assurances that the caller's "shipping agent" will be there to pick up "the item."

It may have been posted on another forum or listserv, or somewhere else. Just get a phone number and speak to the potential buyer directly. This not only gives you a chance to evaluate the buyer, but gives the buyer a chance to ask any pertinent questions that may not be included in your ad.

I purposely left off the link to email me and had the phone number only to stop some of the scam emails that come through. I suppose I can call each back and feel out the situation.

someone may have posted a "thinking about buying this" on a forum and 2 people decided to grb it for themselves instead. maybe.

as long as the check clears first

For what it's worth, I created a .jpg image of my phone number for my CL ads, rather than entering it as text. That reduces the likelihood that my number will get harvested and fed to the low-life telemarketer's robo-dialer.

I don't believe the cash advance scammers are harvesting numbers, just a friendly tip.

+1

I need to learn to read better. I realize now you mentioned being called in your initial post. Usually, I provide email then give phone number after initial email contact. If the buyer is serious, they usually call, so that saves some time and avoids email tennis.

or you could create a google voice number for use with CL and never worry about having your personal number mis-used

Google? Please....Google archives everything you do through them. Forever.

In regards to the OP's question, its not going to hurt to retrun a call. As long as the money's in your hands before its shipped wht difference does it make? Quote $25 for shipping plus another $10 for the hassle.

+1 Google Voice is great for that, plus you can opt to just receive those voicemails as Email and call them back at your lesiure.

Some people set up google searches for terms like 'Centurion Turbo' so they get emails whenever Google spots those words in any new posting, with CL ads being the most fruitful. I wouldn't be surprised if there are several people around the country who think a 'Trek mixte' would be a nice bike and would be doing a similar search for one, which could turn up anywhere in the country. If you're willing to ship, this broadens your marketing reach way beyond your local CL range.