Hot Rods Beware of Craig's List scam

I do enjoy the art of "dickering" but there is a line where it becomes insulting. some people do not know where the line is. you do not offer $200 for something when the asking price is $500. I may ask if they would be willing to take $450, or maybe $475. the seller can say no, you never know unless you ask. I know several people who always ask more than they are willing to take ,just for the reason they expect to be negotiated with. that said , if they are firm and I want the item I pay the price. there are many times though that stuff is a really good deal and then I will not try to negotiate the price. I never make any counter offer unless I have seen the item in person, and then I ask if the price is firm, or not. and you go from there.

 

Posted some '62 Corvette seatbelts on CL for $450. Get a text the following day from Florida, guy wants my address to send a check. Gave him my PO Box. Few days later, pick up a business check for $1850 with a note to send the belts and a money order for the remainder of the money to the Florida guy's shipper with a TX address. Added the check to my bad check collection.

 

I think the anonymity of CL and Ebay creates a new dimension to the age-old art of negotiation that Saxman is talking about. They are not social groups, so there's no social consequences for either buyer or seller. The development of these large digital marketplaces has created a sort of "what have I got to lose?" Attitude that face to face interactions generally don't have. (I consider places like HAMB closer to face to face dealings because the members are still somewhat accountable after a transaction.)

At a swap meet would someone with a strait face tell a proposed buyer that a clapped out 4gc carb will cost $700, when you know it's worth $20? Or would you or I contact, say, Hotrodprimer (super nice guy, well respected) and offer him $5000 for his deuce? No. But you better believe on CL and Ebay that would happen

 

Most annoying reply to an ad- "What's your best price?" - without seeing the item, how can they tell if is mint N.O.S, or a clapped out turd.
If I am selling something for $100, I reply "MY best price for this item is around $700, but you can have it for $100" They never reply. I also get "Address collectors".
When you descibe the item (over the phone), you can sense it's not right for them/wrong size/colour etc, and they have no intention of coming to see it, they still want your address.
When I get these I use the "There's someone coming this afternoon to look at this, give me a call at 5 to see if it's still here, then I will give you the address" line. Most never call back, and the rare ones who do, get the address.
I'm sure that the "address collectors" pass on all these unused addresses to their next of kin on their death beds, I cant figure what else they can do with them (besides heisting stuff when your not home)

 

Maybe I haven't sold enough on Craigslist. I can see where that could be a little more time consuming and a little more complicated. I do get the sense that that Craigslist has a tendency to attract the loony-tunes and the uninformed.

Come to think of it, I do remember getting a little pissed off one time about a guys lowball offer. It wasn't the amount of his offer that pissed me off though. It was his attitude. Acted like he was going to do me a favor. Told him to pound sand. Easy-peasy.

 

I've sold a bit of Car Audio (my other hobby) on CL. I'll never give out my address.
I always meet somewhere public, preferably with closed circuit cameras.
McDonald's work, but the best place to meet is the Police station parking lot!
Tell them that, and you know right then, if they have ill intentions, you'll never get a response!

 

That's funny... here's one I got last week, also on Craigslist.







Very odd. I humored him for a bit.


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I'm with you, I don't quite understand how the scam works either.


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There was a local incident where a guy got killed trying to sell his truck on a Canadian version of CL. I would only meet people in a very public place. The police station is even better.

 

Even Realtors at an open houses are into asking "how much do you want to spend?" My reply "as little as possible"....It's part of buying and selling anything.

 

I did sell a house on Craigslist in So. Cal. for 750K in '08 and that's what at I was asking.....easiest sale ever.....

 

I craigs list all the time for car stuff never been wronged but only do cash in hand. Mostly when i call on parts i end up over at a older guys house hanging out listening to old hot rod stories but can never squeeze the parts i want for a good price guys always have pure gold 4 speeds and such. But hey they usually good ole dudes and just want to show off thier stuff. Got stuck on the phone with this old gentle man for 4 hours once i dont think a said more than yes or uh huh the whole time

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