Frustrations selling on Craigslist/has this happened to anyone else?

[Hikin' Mama]

I listed some items on Craigslist yesterday. Someone e-mailed me about one of the items and wanted to meet somewhere to pick it up. I suggested a place and gave them my phone no. (again, it was in the ad), and then I never heard back.

 

Almost immediately after I had posted another item, someone texted me about it and asked if I would hold it. I asked when they could pick it up, and they said that evening. I said okay. They never showed. The thing is, I got another phone call after the text about the same item and told that person it was taken. Would you call the second person back and see if they wanted it?

 

Do all Craigslist transactions go this way? Aargh!

[Tess in the Burbs]

I don't like Craigslist for this reason. We tried to sell some things on Craigslist and i got a lot of emails and calls but no one ever came. I basically told the third person who contacted me to email back the next day and it was theirs if the first two never showed. well they never emailed back either!

 

if I had to sell on Craigslist again I would say first come and if you don't want people coming to your house then be in a parking lot at a specific time window and maybe then someone would come.

 

I gave up on Craigslist

[creekland]

I've learned not to hold anything without significant money down. It's very common for buyers not to show up or to change their mind for one reason or another.

 

I'd call the second person back and tell them the first person didn't show up, so the item is still for sale. It can't hurt.

[Berta]

I listed a bunch of HS books for sale on CL and had someone say she wanted the entire lot. Never showed. I also listed a bunch of stuff HS boards, and would get an email saying "I want xxx", but then never follow up. I don't know why people want to waste their time and mine.

[Hikin' Mama]

Some people called and actually showed up to buy two of my items. Different people, not the ones from yesterday. I might have a third item sold as well. (Coming tonight after work; we'll see...) Maybe just some people are flaky.

[Samiam]

Yep, common and highly annoying!

 

I got so that I did not hold it for anyone, and would explain to do many no-shows, it was sold to the first person who showed up with the money. And advise them to please call before they left to come, to verify that it was still available.

 

Seemed to get the people there quicker, with the money.

[Night Elf]

I had the same frustrations using Freecyle, and that's giving away stuff for FREE!

 

Oh, and I set the time for pickup to be sure DH was home with me, made sure the item was outside and met them as they drove up the driveway. I didn't want strangers in my home looking at things. I gave up on Freecyle though after getting so many 'I WANT' emails and then no follow-ups.

[Annie Anne]

 

I gave up on Craigslist

Tess,

Did you go to anything else? I have a ton of stuff I need to sell.

[Anita in NC]

It isn't just CL. I've had the same problem with selling curriculum/homeschool items on the local group.

 

I posted about an incubator I had and someone really wanted it and asked if I would hold it two weeks until they got paid. When I emailed her back two weeks later, she said something came up and wouldn't be able to buy the incubator.

 

I emailed the next person who had wanted it and met them.

 

No more holding stuff.

 

No driving around all over the place either just to make a few bucks.

[Hikin' Mama]

Some guy called today and wanted me to leave an item outside and he'd just leave the money out there. :lol: I told him no, and he said that he wouldn't cheat me 'cause he was an orthodontist with a reputation to uphold. :lol::lol::lol: It was only a $10 item, but come on:lol::lol::lol::lol:

[CalicoKat]

We've been selling a lot of furniture on CL this month. If someone wants it they'll come and get it soon.

 

I won't hold an item for someone unless they pay at least half the cost -- this is for picking up an item and needing to arrange a truck.

 

If someone wants to come on the weekend, I tell them to call back to make sure the item is still here because I will sell it to the person who can get here first. Usually that changes their schedule and they come if they're really motivated.

 

If someone doesn't come at the appointed time then I move onto the next in line. No apologies, no explanation. I had one person show up a day late and want their item.....so sorry, it's gone.

 

My personal hate with CL is folks who come, say they want it, but want to haggle on the price. I don't haggle. They wouldn't have come if they didn't think it a good price. If they don't have the money....sorry, come back with the money or it's offered to the next on the list.

 

DH & I always arrange to both be home for these transactions. I don't like having strangers come into the house to see the furniture when I'm alone.

[black_midori]

I just politely tell anyone nowadays that I absolutely cannot hold an item - the first person who shows up where the item is with money to buy it gets it. Otherwise even the sweetest, saddest sob story will blow you off!

 

Once I was selling a large amount of fencing for several thousand dollars and had a lady who was "desperate" to get it and was "leaving in 10 minutes" to drive to my place & give me money. She had me completely, totally convinced, over the course of several phone calls, that she was on her way. While waiting for her to show up, another lady called and wanted it - I told her where it was located, but that someone was "on the way" to buy & I'd have to call back later if it was still available. Anyhow, 40 minutes later lady #2 shows up - and lady #1 still hasn't arrived!! So, I call lady #1 and she tells me "oh, yeah - we decided we weren't sure after all. We'll have to think about it more... sorry I didn't call." <rolleyes> Thank goodness lady #2 came anyway, with money in hand!

[laundrycrisis]

I make my conditions clear and non-negotiable: cash only, pickup at our home only, no returns, and we will not hold anything or accept any partial payments.

[Aubrey]

I listed some items on Craigslist yesterday. Someone e-mailed me about one of the items and wanted to meet somewhere to pick it up. I suggested a place and gave them my phone no. (again' date=' it was in the ad), and then I never heard back.

 

Almost immediately after I had posted another item, someone texted me about it and asked if I would hold it. I asked when they could pick it up, and they said that evening. I said okay. They never showed. The thing is, I got another phone call after the text about the same item and told that person it was taken. Would you call the second person back and see if they wanted it?

 

[b']Do all Craigslist transactions go this way? Aargh![/b]

 

Not all, but most. I never say something is taken until it's actually, physically TAKEN. :lol: I would have told the 2nd person that I'd already had a call about it, *but* I'd let her know if that person didn't show up.

 

And yes--call #2 back. They might be delighted. They might have bought something else.

 

I've had people call me this week on Mon & ask me to hold stuff until Fri. I've played email tag w/ people for 2 weeks only to have them back out. I've also been offered 10x what I'm asking, if I'll just ship it Fed Ex--gigantic pieces of cheap, used furniture. :lol:

 

No axe murderers, though. That's where I draw the line. ;)

[Word Nerd]

I used to have the same problem on Freecycle until I started giving a deadline time in my email to the "winner" of the item. I just let the person know that if it wasn't picked up by X, I would contact the next person on the list.

[Aubrey]

My personal hate with CL is folks who come, say they want it, but want to haggle on the price. I don't haggle. They wouldn't have come if they didn't think it a good price. If they don't have the money....sorry, come back with the money or it's offered to the next on the list.

 

Oh, the haggling KILLS me! I hate it anyway, but I can accept it when it's done politely. But rudeness & sob stories bug the bejeebers out of me. If I agree to a lower price, don't try to come down *again.* Don't tell me you're $10 short & a single parent & IF you can convince your xh to give you that last. ten. dollars. THEN you'll be able to buy your poor son a bed.

 

Just be straight. Being a single parent does not *automatically* mean poverty: how do you know I'm not one, too? Being a *teacher* does not have anything to do with poverty: again, I could be one, too. These pieces of information are all COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT & as such ANNOY ME.

 

So read a logic book & call me back. Haggle LOGICALLY if you must do so at all. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH. :lol:

[scrappyhappymama]

I have a love-hate relationship with Craigslist, but mostly love. It's usually a hassle to buy or sell and it takes a few tries to get a non-flaky buyer or seller, but I've gotten SO many great bargains there.

 

We bought a nice Pier 1 bunk bed set off CL. It took several tries because the ones listed kept selling before we saw them, and we ended up driving several hours to get the one we did, but we saved over $1200 off the new price of the set. So totally worth the effort!

 

Last week I bought my toddler one of the Step 2 Roller Coasters that sell for $125 new. I had arranged to buy one several months ago, and was supposed to meet the seller in the afternoon after she got home from a birthday party. I piddled around town doing other errands waiting for the appointed time, and she called me 30 minutes before we were supposed to meet to see if I had already come to get it! I said "No, I've been waiting for the time you asked me to come by" and she said someone else came by while she was out and her husband sold it to them. I was SO upset because I could have easily come earlier and I was planning it to be my son's birthday present. So then, last week, I made arrangements to buy another one, and the seller asked me to call her the next night to agree on a time to meet the following day. I called, and she was out to dinner and said she'd call me back. She never called back. So I called again the next day and left a message, and still she never called back. Again, this was planned a birthday gift (for another young son), and I was really frustrated. But that night, someone posted the same toy again, and I made arrangements to pick it up first thing the next morning, and ended up paying less $$ for it and not having to drive so far. So again, a hassle, but overall worthwhile.

[BakersDozen]

Oh boy, do I have a craigslist nightmare to share! I put a very nice stroller on and immediately got a response but the person asked if I would meet them halfway. No big deal...I figured I would take $25 from the sale and buy some cute baby stuff at the outlet mall where we were to meet. 60 miles later I was sitting at the mall waiting for the buyer when I got a text saying that meeting that day wasn't convenient for her and could I come back the next week? 60 mile drive back home gave me a lot of time to stew over that especially as I watched my gas gauge go lower.

 

The buyer backed out even after I agreed to drive another 120 miles round trip to meet her. :glare:

 

I've had good luck with local buyers, not so much with buyers who live anything more than a few miles from me.

[HeidiKC]

I have sold tons of stuff on Craigslist and have been very happy. What I do is say in my ad: "the first person who can get here gets it. Please tell me specifically when you can be here". If I have several responders, I keep the e-mails in case the sale falls through - so that works great. I also don't give my address out until they give me a specific time they will be here. I don't want someone showing up at my door whenever to see if I still have it.

 

I don't give my address out more than about 24 hours in advance. And then I've usually had a couple of e-mail exchanges with them. When I've done it that way I've never had a no-show. If I did, it wouldn't be a big deal because I've got other e-mails from other people who want them item and then I just respond to them.

 

Also, I have only ever had one person request that I meet them somewhere and the only reason I did it (highly inconvenient to leave my house with 3 young kids) was because it was cloth diapers I was selling to a pregnant woman and the poor thing must have read some scary articles about pregnant woman being lured by a nutcase who was not able to have a baby of her own! That's all I could figure out! It was funny because she brought her husband, too.

[gardenmom5]

I listed some items on Craigslist yesterday. Someone e-mailed me about one of the items and wanted to meet somewhere to pick it up. I suggested a place and gave them my phone no. (again' date=' it was in the ad), and then I never heard back.

 

Almost immediately after I had posted another item, someone texted me about it and asked if I would hold it. I asked when they could pick it up, and they said that evening. I said okay. They never showed. The thing is, I got another phone call after the text about the same item and told that person it was taken. Would you call the second person back and see if they wanted it?

 

Do all Craigslist transactions go this way? Aargh![/quote']

 

flakes are certainly not unprecedented. how flaky a person is also depends upon what you are selling. I've had people expect me to deliver (only for a price ugarte). I had one seller raise the price 150% after making an agreement to sell to me. I had the e-mail with me, and that was all I was willing to pay. (could have been a car dealer doing a bait and switch)

I don't consider something sold until I have their money in my hot little hands and they have taken the item away. I will let potential buyers know I have a pending, and I will contact them if it's still available. Sometimes I sell it to the next person on the list. Once I even sold a very large ticket item to the first person because it was clear if he came back in three hours (which he wanted to do), it would be gone. (I was willing to hold it for 30 minutes while he went and got his money - which he didn't bring with him. hello.)

 

It can be helpful to include "serious enquires include a phone number".

 

If you have the information on the second caller, do call and let them know the item is still available and ask if they want it?

[gardenmom5]

I've also been offered 10x what I'm asking, if I'll just ship it Fed Ex--gigantic pieces of cheap, used furniture. :lol:

 

 

generally flags for scams and should be avoided. they have a computer troll for keywords, and don't actually look at the itme.

[CalicoKat]

Oh, the haggling KILLS me! I hate it anyway, but I can accept it when it's done politely. But rudeness & sob stories bug the bejeebers out of me. If I agree to a lower price, don't try to come down *again.* Don't tell me you're $10 short & a single parent & IF you can convince your xh to give you that last. ten. dollars. THEN you'll be able to buy your poor son a bed.

 

Just be straight. Being a single parent does not *automatically* mean poverty: how do you know I'm not one, too? Being a *teacher* does not have anything to do with poverty: again, I could be one, too. These pieces of information are all COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT & as such ANNOY ME.

 

So read a logic book & call me back. Haggle LOGICALLY if you must do so at all. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH. :lol:

:D I listen to their sob story, smile and say, "Yes its hard times. My husband lost his job and now we're losing our home. Just trying to sell a few things..."

 

The polite ones just hand over the cash and apologize. The rude ones close their mouth and stop making excuses.

 

My dh caves and gives them the $20 off.

[BatmansWife]

Craigs List scares me. :001_unsure: Well, for one thing...I think it's terribly user unfriendly. My dh has sold a few items on it (well, he tells me what to list and how much...I take the pictures, put the ads on, etc). You go through all that work and then someone flags your ad (probably someone who is selling something similar and doesn't want your competition). The other thing that I do.not feel comfortable about is having to give our home address to a potential buyer and having them come to our home. I don't know....this just does not seem safe.

[CalicoKat]

:lol: I got my first scam email from a craigslist ad.

 

They said to delete the ad because they really wanted the item. But they couldn't call me because they had a stammer. And to please give them the following information for them to make out the certified check. 1. my full name

2. My address

3. My postal code

4. my cell and land line

 

AND their mover would come pick up the item for them.

 

My response. No cash, no carry. Oh yes, you have to call me and get the directions. I don't just put those in email. :001_smile: