Craigslist Transaction - WDYT?

[HLAuburn]

Why can't I ever get the "normal" CL deals!?

I'm selling an item and a girl contacted me and made an offer I told her I could take. She emailed me back and said she was in another city (several hours away), but she has a friend in my town who is willing to pick it up for her within the next week or so. She is going to PayPal me the full amount now with the understanding that I'll remove the listing and keep it until the friend can come get it.

I don't have any other serious buyers right now, so I want to tell her OK, but I know there are so many scams out there. So what would you do?

 

[lovetoscrap]

Can you file a complaint with Paypal for Craigslist transactions like with Ebay? If you can then I would worry that she would tell Paypal she never got the item.

How big is the item? Can you tell her that she can pay for shipping and you will send it to her? At the very least I would have her actual signature on something authorizing you to give the item to the other person (have her fax or mail a release to you), and that persons signature on a receipt that you gave them the item.

 

[Anewman]

I would ask her to paypal her friend the money and have the friend pay you cash asap, as long as item has not sold you will honer her offer.

Remember, even if funds show up in your account they can still be reversed if fraud was committed.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

As a Craigslist seller IT IS CASH ONLY!!!!

Treat it like a "garage sale" if that makes any sense.

I would not do the deal, no way. This is a SCAM btw.....

 

[okeydokey]

I would tell her cash only. Sounds like she is scamming you.

 

[DrCavin]

First person with CASH gets the item. No paypal, no money orders, no checks!!!

 

[disneyfreakk]

I would ask her to paypal her friend the money and have the friend pay you cash asap, as long as item has not sold you will honer her offer.

Remember, even if funds show up in your account they can still be reversed if fraud was committed.

This is a great idea!

 

[HLAuburn]

Thanks everyone. I emailed her to let her know I need cash when the "friend" picks it up. Hopefully that'll work out...

I have another crazy buyer (different item) who just keeps emailing "call me, call me" but frankly I'm a little scared to! Her emails are weird and rambling and when I initially offered to meet her in a well-known area nearby, she said she gets lost there and could we meet "somewhere else". I didn't know CL involved delivery to a location of your choice too!

I think CL is a little too crazy for me!

 

[scrapquitler]

I would ask her to paypal her friend the money and have the friend pay you cash asap, as long as item has not sold you will honer her offer.

Remember, even if funds show up in your account they can still be reversed if fraud was committed.

This.

If you take the paypal payment, she can say that she never got it, and you won't have any tracking number to prove that she got it. Have the friend bring CASH.

 

[Imzadi]

I would ask her to paypal her friend the money and have the friend pay you cash asap, as long as item has not sold you will honer her offer.

Remember, even if funds show up in your account they can still be reversed if fraud was committed.

Yes, you will have no proof that PayPal will accept that she received the item. Even if a "friend' signs for the item, she can later say, she has no idea who that person is.

I have another crazy buyer (different item) who just keeps emailing "call me, call me" but frankly I'm a little scared to! Her emails are weird and rambling and when I initially offered to meet her in a well-known area nearby, she said she gets lost there and could we meet "somewhere else". I didn't know CL involved delivery to a location of your choice too!

I think CL is a little too crazy for me!

As for the second person, Rule #1 is: NEVER allow yourself to be moved from crime scene location #1 to crime scene location #2.

Crime scene location #1 is where you make first contact with an assailant. Crime scene location #2 is where they want to take you. It will always be some remote location in which THEY have the upperhand, and you will most likely never be found, or found in time for help to arrive.

Making it convenient for them by meeting right at crime scene location #2 would be just as bad. Don't even bother replying to that person.

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

When we do CL transaction we only meet in the parking lot of the police station. I highly doubt any whackos would come there!

 

[katesorad]

Thanks everyone. I emailed her to let her know I need cash when the "friend" picks it up. Hopefully that'll work out...

I have another crazy buyer (different item) who just keeps emailing "call me, call me" but frankly I'm a little scared to! Her emails are weird and rambling and when I initially offered to meet her in a well-known area nearby, she said she gets lost there and could we meet "somewhere else". I didn't know CL involved delivery to a location of your choice too!

I think CL is a little too crazy for me!

Some people on Craigslist are crazy. But honestly, not everyone is. Some people are awful with writing e-mails/typing anything online. Not that long ago, I had a lady writing me e-mails, telling me to call her, with lots of "......"s and even an "um". I called her and it turned out she was from Tijuana, which is just 30-45 minutes south of me. She just didn't speak the best English. They drove all the way up to San Diego from TJ and purchased an old cell phone from me with legit money. They were very nice

 

[Revulkcor]

If you're going to meet someone, always meet them in a public area, and never at your home unless it's a piece of furniture or something heavy, then you should have someone there with you as a back up person just in case. That's what I've learned. I sold Dark Horse Tour tickets last year (Nickleback, Breaking Benjamin & Sick Puppies) and met up with the family at Downtown Disney to sell them the tickets so we were in a public setting.