Craigslist Reliablility
 

Hey

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.

The thing is the buyer says that they are going to let me wait till the check goes through until they come and pick it up.

In God we trust, everybody else - pay cash.

Why can't they pay cash?

Seriously, if the buyer has a problem with paying cash, run, don't walk from that deal.

What he said.

+100. People who buy things on Craigslist legitimately know darn well it's cash or no sale. I don't know what that person is up to, but it's nothing good.

I've sold a few bikes on Craigslist and haven't had a problem. Every one but one has not been local and what I've required is a USPS money order. I won't ship the item until I cash the money order and the USPS people tell me they can very quickly and easily tell if it's a fake one. Haven't had a problem yet. On local people, I do cash only. I also give them one day to come get it or it goes to the next buyer.

I've flipped a couple bikes & parts on CL.
I now put in my ad that-
"Cash only. Please bring correct amount".
I think that also lets them know that I'm not interested in haggling.

I also don't give them details about where I live on the first email. About "X" blocks from a local landmark/store is all they get on my initial answer. I ask them to set a time (within my quite flexible time frame) if they are still interested and I'll respond with the address.
I don't deal over the phone.

IF you do a lot of CL, I'd suggest setting up a different (free) email account, especially if your "real" name is part of your email address. Hotmail, Gmail...

Maybe you can have the buyer meet you at your bank, hand you the check, and you can hand them your bike after you cash the check.

Excellent tips. :beer:

Copy and paste the email- you can usually tell by how bad the grammar is, whether it is a scammer or just an illiterate.

I sold two biks using craigslist and I stated in the posting that it was a cash sale only and a local sale only, I would not ship. Both sales went fine with one guy driving up from Chicago and the other driving over from Milwaukee.

Don't commit yourself. Sell it to the first person that produce cash. So many scammers lurking out there to take not only your bike but your cash, you know the tircks they use, they produce a check over the price you agreed and give them change. So be very careful.

Oh yeah. I just sold an old three speed for $50. I had a dozen responses in the first few hours but it took me TWO WEEKS to finally get someone who would actually show up. It turned out some were posting from other states with no ability to get the bike at all. Weird.

Also, ditto CASH MONEY ONLY and meet at a public neutral location if possible. I usually set up meetings for near my work at lunchtime or after work.

Checks better than a MO? On what planet? A check is just a piece of paper. It has absolutely no inherent value and takes days to actually clear even if it is real (which you may find out about when the money you thought you had vanishes as the check comes up bogus). A US Postal Money order isn't quite cash money, but it's close. Much, much closer than any bank's check for sure.

I've done that, when I'm looking for a particular bike. But if it's the right bike, I'm serious about buying it, and would make arrangements to have it shipped. That's why I look at bikes in other towns. When I do it, I always make sure the seller understands that I'm out of town, and will pay for the bike and shipping, and I even let them know that I will make other arrangements if they don't want to handle shipping. I always try to make it easy and comfortable for the seller. In fact, I'm currently inquiring about two bikes in other towns.

Also, I just sold a bike a week ago. Somebody posted a "Want to Buy" ad on CL, I had just what he was looking for, so we agreed to meet, and he showed up as promised and bought the bike.

When I sold the bike last week, we met in the lobby of my building...Not quite neutral, but the buyer still didn't get to see exactly where I live, or what I own.

Not good.You are only guaranteeing the check against the amount in YOUR bank account. Your bank will cash the check and then debit your account when it bounces.

CASH ONLY, it's SOP.

Screw that. They're the ones who want something. Make them go to their bank, cash their own check, then meet you at a place that's convenient for you.

Go look the eBay answer center and type in "check scam." This is a very well-known scam there.

Don't take a check. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

CASH ONLY!!!!!!

It's this simple; If youn take a check, it mght be good. It might not be good, and you will be stuck. No bike, no dough. bk

Money talks bull**** walks. The way I deal on CL is the first person here with all the money gets it... Non-negotiable. If I wanted $125 for it I would have listed it at $125, not $150. There's a MAC machine right down the street.

From Alaska? I think people just didn't understand geography very well. And none of them really had any plan on getting it. They just shot off the email saying they wanted it. The whole experience was weird.