I am new to Craigslist...It has not been good so far.

[90wreck]

I put a high dollar rare item on CL for sale.(as an option "I thought" to Ebay) Less than 2K-
I was shocked by some of the juvenile replies/insults I got.
I made some short/quick replies and put them on my blocked senders list on my Outlook Express.
Is this typical?
I would almost compare it to Harmony Central.
Anybody else experience these type replies/inquiries from there?
I am tired of the Ebay fees/some of the new policy changes and thought that CL might be another option/venue.

What has been your experience with CL?
After listing my item in detail..I was called a scammer and everything else in the book.
I have let my ad run, but I will think long and hard before doing it again considering some of these emails I have gotten.
TBH...I really like the idea of a local sale, but some of these characters are guys I would NEVER want to meet after what they said, especially after they were tring to beat me up on the price, questioning authenticity and then agreed to it later.
I just relpied.."No thanks".......Kinda scared me to even think to meet these guys in neutral(sp?) place after our exchange and then expect them to pony up.
Unbelievable.

[Drew68]

What has been your experience with CL?


I bought a Fender Tele off of CL. I called the guy twenty minutes after he placed the ad. I was his first caller. I drove right over, made small talk for a few minutes, handed him a fistful of $20s, shook his hand and walked away happy with a slightly used Telecaster. I didn't even try and haggle him down. He was asking a fair price and I respected that.

After reading so many CL scam stories, I'm guessing that my experience (and his) is a rarity.

[QRSS]

they're all green.
you'll know when you get someone who is seriously interested.

don't respond to insulting "offers".

[90wreck]

they're all green.
you'll know when you get someone who is seriously interested.

don't respond to insulting "offers".
Good advice...I let my emotions get the best of me, they were so rude and insulting.

[tubaman5150]

I get tired of the tire kickers.

[Dave Orban]

The few times I've tried CL, I was hit with scam attempts... needless to say, I don't like to use it at all now.

[big mike]

I've sold a few things, got lots of assinine offers. I recall 300 bucks for my digital Adat which was worth 1100 at the time...funny stuff.

it is what it is. I buy more than i sell off Craigs.

[QRSS]

....and don't reply with an email account that contains your actual name.
might not even be a guitar player. just someone who scopes out high priced merchandise.

that said, i've had relatively good luck by exchanging phone numbers and talking to the person, just like the old days. still get my share of freaks but that's the price you pay for free advertising.

[drjordan]

I've bought and sold a few thing on Craigslist. I must have been blessed/lucky because I've had great experiences. I sold an amp not that long ago and a car very recently. All cash, no fees, and dealing with locals. The people who were seriously interested in my items all left phone numbers. I called them and worked out the details. Sorry to hear it's not worked out for you.

[Bradd]

Lots of tire kickers on craigslist but I've never been insulted.

[aleclee]

You'll get tire kickers and lowballers on any internet sales system, TGP included.

[TBoneDeluxe]

The first thing to do is set up a separate email account only for CL. Use gmail or something similar. This will save a lot of headaches.

A few years ago, my mom was moving...and wanted to get rid of her piano. So I put it on CL for FREE. I got more asinine questions about it than I would have if I listed it for $2,000!

[lionambience]

Like most folks who have responded, I would rather buy from CL than sell.

I tried selling things and people were asking to buy em for at least $50 bucks under my bottom line selling price.

But i've learned not to let the bad side of me get ther best of me.
I just simply respond with a simple "I hope you're kidding. Otherwise... Don't respond"
LOL

[Droptop]

I tried selling things and people were asking to buy em for at least $50 bucks under my bottom line selling price.

LOL

You get that here too though. People like to haggle.

[denver.p]

I find that you can tell if it's a scam right off the bat when they do not mention what you're selling in the email.
Example: "Hey, still got that item? I'm super interested."
Other than those emails, I've made some great buys, and a couple ok sells.
I find I just don't wait long enough, put it up on ebay, sell it lolw there, then get offers for the full price. But I think I'm done with ebay.

[americananalog]

People viewing Craigslist are bargain hunters looking for a deal. If your price is firm then you need to say so in boldface type. This will cut down on low-ballers, tire-kickers and other jokers. If your asking full retail on a used item, expect to catch hell.

[twinrider1]

I've had better experiences buying over selling. But I have found you can eliminate a lot of the BS when selling by advertising your price as FIRM, CASH ONLY.

[JoeB63]

I've sold 3 amps on CL. I posted them all for less than the market price --- and sold all of them very quickly with no hassles. Just sold my old pedalboard on CL in one day --- again, the secret was posting a very, very fair price.

Sold a pedal on CL the same way.

On the other hand, we tried to sell our old dining room set on CL. We had a bunch of people call to ask what color it was. But we had pics in the ad. I could only respond: "It's the color you see in the pictures." A few people came over to check it out and didn't buy it because it was not the color they wanted -- IT WAS THE COLOR IN THE PICS!! Very strange. We ended up donating it to the Salvation Army.

[Chuck King]

I have had mostly very good experiences with craigslist, but I don't think it's the best forum to sell a high-priced specialty item. For something like that, you'll get a pretty low signal-to-noise ratio. Which is not to say it won't work! But I've sold a couple guitars (common and not real expensive), and bought a bunch of stuff, with little trouble.

[sixtonoize]

In my experience, the key to Craigslist is not getting offended by idiots.
People can and will say and do anything in their power to give you the least amount of money that they can, and some of them think that insulting you is the best way.

Of course, some people are only on the internet to insult people in the first place.

I've had both good and band experiences with CL, but I certainly don't take it personally when some jackass tries to insult my intelligence by offering $100 for a $1000 item.

You get what you pay for. If you've got a good BS filter, CL works just fine.

[xroads]

If you've got a good BS filter, CL works just fine.
+1. I sold a sax on LA craigslist, and after filtering the responses in terms of good and ugly, it was a smooth deal. The key is really to find out by phone/e-mail conversation who is eligible as a potential buyer.
I also bought a few things, and always have met friendly people, that were kind of in the same boat socially/intellectually.

[Smakutus]

I tried selling a lawn sweeper, riding lawn mower and a chipper shredder on CL. I'd get a bunch of "Is this still available?" e-mails and then never hear from them again. I had two guys two days in a row not show up to look at an item etc..

Jeff

[tone4days]

i sold my mesa head and 2 cabs on local CL ... cash in the parking lot, broad daylight
save on shipping hassles .. yup, got plenty of scammers ... delete key works fine
good luck
t4d

[Dotneck]

I posted an amp for sale here and on CL. Sold it the next morning from CL before I got a serious response from the emporium. A few weeks ago sold a bunch of cinema/video gear on CL within days. No scammers or lowballers. Sold a vintage Epiphone archtop from an ad on CL that I forgot was up there. Never got any responses until the buyer contacted me. I bet I've sold $2500 worth of gear in the past year on CL.

I've also purchased a bunch of good quality used recording gear for by business. Stuff I couldn't find anywhere else...and all from sellers within ten minutes of my home.

A year or so ago...I did get one Nigerian scammer contact me about something I had for sale...(I think it was my Squire Espirit). I ended that transaction with a forged check with al kinds of typos on it as a souveneir of the transaction. The scammer seemed pissed after I called BS on him after he sent the check. I never heard from him again.

I love CL!

[retrobob]

I have bought some cool stuff on craigs list. Sold a few things too.
You will always get the wierdos even on ebay. Just smile & delete.

[Jahn]

you know what works via craigslist? consigning your stuff in a store then using craigslist to give folks the 411 on it. i did this and my amp and axe sold in just a week. that way you dont deal with the buyers at all, and the store knows how to deal with tire kickers, can handle credit cards, can ship, have return policies, all of that. plus, you can use your craigslist ad to link to pics and vids and clips for folks out of state and who want more than just an in-hand store description of the consigned gear.

[Guitar Josh]

I stopped with CL after a bad experience I had trying to sell an amp. Had a guy come over, immediately asked to the use the bathroom, which he occupied for almost 40 minutes. He was supposed to bring his own guitar to try the amp out but did not, and wanted to use every single one of my guitars to try it (and he only owned a MIM strat!). When he asked to play my custom shop Gibson that was the end of the road. When I finally said, well man, do you want it or not (after him being over for about 2 hours) he said "I don't get paid until next Friday, can you hold it?". I almost killed him, but I did throw him out.

Oh yeah, he also asked for something to eat. I said he was welcome to a nutrigrain bar or a granola bar and he said "oh, I meant like a sandwich or something".

I thought it was a dream it was so nightmarish.

[hackenfort]

You'll get tire kickers and lowballers on any internet sales system, TGP included.


Same here - I'm getting so I don't waste the time with a reply anymore.

While I don't like what e-bay is or has turned into, it's still the best place to sell.

[tms13pin]

I haven't really had any major problems with CL and it is my preferred
method of selling gear now as I don't have to hassle with shipping
things and with buyers who expect every piece of gear they buy to
be showroom condition, even when it is described as not being that
way (many buyers both here and on ebay). This way people get to
come and see it and buy it if they want it. I'm pretty good at not
being talked down lower than I'm willing to go, and if I'm not willing
to budge, I make sure people know that up front before coming over
to see the gear.

My music stuff is in my basement. They can come over and in through
the garage and check it out. I don't let strangers upstairs, and I pull
what item I'm selling out to the main room which doesn't have
any of my gear sitting out in it except for a beater drum set (and I'm
a hockey player so I keep a hockey stick nearby in case I need it ;)).

Seriously, I get emails from tire-kickers and low-ballers, but I get that
here and on ebay too. I get the email scam from Nigeria, especially
when the item listed is over $500, and I get lots of trade offers (also
like here). But you can't let that stuff bother you... around here, a lot
of blue collar folks don't have a lot of money to spend on gear, so CL
isn't the best place to sell your higher end stuff anyway. You have to
be realistic.

It's nice not having to ship things, or pay ebay fees, or worry about
feedbacks when you've been completely up-front and a good seller.
I've bought a couple things too. Pretty much some low dollar items
that were really good deals.

--Tom

[daddyo]

Maybe people are different up here. I've sold 3 guitars, 2 amps, and a wah on CS and I've had only one stupid email and 1 no show for a viewing. The people who did come came with cash and were courteous.

[Prodigy]

I stopped with CL after a bad experience I had trying to sell an amp. Had a guy come over, immediately asked to the use the bathroom, which he occupied for almost 40 minutes. He was supposed to bring his own guitar to try the amp out but did not, and wanted to use every single one of my guitars to try it (and he only owned a MIM strat!). When he asked to play my custom shop Gibson that was the end of the road. When I finally said, well man, do you want it or not (after him being over for about 2 hours) he said "I don't get paid until next Friday, can you hold it?". I almost killed him, but I did throw him out.

Oh yeah, he also asked for something to eat. I said he was welcome to a nutrigrain bar or a granola bar and he said "oh, I meant like a sandwich or something".

I thought it was a dream it was so nightmarish.

Wow, that's a weird one! I won't ever let a stranger come over here to buy anything...I did that my first year in college and the next day our house got robbed by a gang of thugs while we were in class...Sounds like you probably had a heroine junkie on your hands...They draw water from the toilet with their syringes to clean them out. You handled it a lot better than I would have! "Oh, I meant a sandwich". PUNCH!!! :boxer

[jaycee]

I've had pretty good experiences so far. Some of the asinine emails i've received have made me laugh, you can't take it personally. Some of the name calling can get pretty creative and i've learned a few good ones. I've both bought and sold. One guy was trying real hard to get the price down on a PRS and it was getting to the point that i was getting angry. He paid. I also had a relatively low cost item for sale ($150) and the guy calls on his way over and said "Btw, would you mind taking a check from the band's account"? I was pissed at that one but after talking to him and checking out his band's website i got the feeling that i could locate him if i had to, so i accepted it and it cleared with no trouble. I didn't appreciate the last minute phone call, though.

I bought a washing machine off CL and even found a home for a cat. It's okay if you keep your wits about you. Also, if you have a stranger come over, just don't leave stuff lying around.

[elterrell]

Always fun with CL......I sold a old riding lawnmower (some guy that actually collects them, much to his wife's delight......little did he know that I would have paid him to haul it off) and another time a used HomeLite Weedeater.
I think I was selling the weedeater for 20-25 bucks (new it was like 75), one guy was real interested. A couple of emails and phone calls later, he decides it the right weedeater for him......but would I mind driving 45 minutes to bring it to his house. I told him I was done and that the weedeater was going on the curb with a free-to-good-home sign. Next day, got a call from a chick that wanted it, met her in a parking lot 1 minute from my house, 20 bucks cash, and done.

[eBay]

I had good luck with an LCD computer monitor. They asked if I could drop it by; that made it good because I hate having strangers in my home. It was a business and they were courteous and professional.

Of course, Spokane is a nicer town than many. The people are pretty good here in general.

[TieDyedDevil]

CL is a mixed bag, just like every other venue. Remain businesslike. Don't waste your time feeding the trolls.

I've had a few WTF moments with CL buyers, but no bad experiences.

One thing I will *never* do again, though, is list something for free. The loonies come out of the woodwork for those...

[Doug's Tubes]

Craigslist has worked out perfect for me. I've bought and sold plenty of gear over the years through CL, my last purchase was a pair of Klipschorns from the original owner which I drove to Massachusetts to pick up this past weekend. I'm searching for stuff all the time, and we just sold two turntables in the past two days on CL. I ignore the obvious lowballers.

The best this past year was all the building material available at great prices. I'm remodeling a house I purchased last November and picked up Anderson windows, a new Anderson bay window, solid oak interior doors, Pergo flooring, all at great prices.

[pir8matt]

I sold a car on it and bought a very nice SG at a good price.

When I sold my car, I got tons of ridiculous scam offers. You just have to learn how to recognize them, and don't bother responding to them from your actual email account, unless you want your email address added to scammer and spam databases.

I've listed some free stuff before and managed to help out some people who needed stuff, which I was OK with (I gave away some old monitors, printers, etc, college kids came and got them).

It's not perfect but can work reasonably well sometimes.

[billm408]

I've typically had pretty good luck with CL. Like others, I've bought more than I sold and have had my share of flakes and low ballers, but nothing note worthy. Some of the responses I've gotten to my listings have been pretty funny so I take the insulting offers as a form of entertainment.

I've had much better luck buying/selling on CL than finding musicians/bands on CL though.... now those are some interesting experiences!

[FlyingDutchman]

I stopped with CL after a bad experience I had trying to sell an amp. Had a guy come over, immediately asked to the use the bathroom, which he occupied for almost 40 minutes. He was supposed to bring his own guitar to try the amp out but did not, and wanted to use every single one of my guitars to try it (and he only owned a MIM strat!). When he asked to play my custom shop Gibson that was the end of the road. When I finally said, well man, do you want it or not (after him being over for about 2 hours) he said "I don't get paid until next Friday, can you hold it?". I almost killed him, but I did throw him out.

Oh yeah, he also asked for something to eat. I said he was welcome to a nutrigrain bar or a granola bar and he said "oh, I meant like a sandwich or something".

I thought it was a dream it was so nightmarish.

What a nutjob!! Great story..I enjoyed it. Especially the sandwich part.

[Guitar Josh]

Wow, that's a weird one! I won't ever let a stranger come over here to buy anything...I did that my first year in college and the next day our house got robbed by a gang of thugs while we were in class...Sounds like you probably had a heroine junkie on your hands...They draw water from the toilet with their syringes to clean them out. You handled it a lot better than I would have! "Oh, I meant a sandwich". PUNCH!!! :boxer

I doubt he was a druggie...just more of a loser with no friends. He was very overweight with bad skin, told me he lived with his mother and seemed about 35-40, and just wanted to talk about TV, music, stuff. It sounded to me like he needed a friend, which, for a guy buying a $1k plus amp I'm happy to entertain for 30-40 mins. or so, but two hours, and asking to play guitars because "you've never played a 335 before, what's it like?" is just too much.

I don't have much choice with the coming over thing when it's a halfstack at issue.

Speaking of your last line...I once was talking with a guy and was scheduling a tryout time and he asked me what times I WAS NOT at home, which sort of freaked me out.

[soulohio]

Craigslist rules! I love it...although I just made a $400 dolla offer on a Magnatone 460 that some dude has been selling for over a year and he just thanked me for the offer with no followup...and I would have been glad to dicker a bit. Oh well.

[A440]

I've had better luck selling low to mid priced gear on CL.

definitely still a lot of scammer/spam emails on there

[donnyjaguar]

I just bought a car that was advertised on CL. The seller didn't describe it very well, in fact they didn't even mention it had A/C, new Michelins, new Sony stereo and traction control, and I thought twice about wasting my time to respond. There was a phone number I called and as I grilled him some it sounded like I needed to check it out. It was so cheap I had to wonder what was wrong with it. I checked it over very thoroughly and couldn't find any evidence of collision damage or repairs. The paperwork was from one owner and I have his name if I want to call him I guess. It passed the safety and emission tests. I guess if the wheels fall off or it catches on fire I was rooked but so far so good!

[Slow Reflexes]

I buy pretty much any durable goods from CL. Mower, ladders, Playstation games, my last three cars... if I need something, hit CL, go buy it. No real problems yet, but occasionally it's a bit of a hassle to meet up with people due to scheduling.

Haven't sold a lot there, but I did sell a friend's drum kit for him. Worked out fine, even dealing with drummers ;)

[Wizard of Ozz]

Don't waste your time with CL. Most of the prospective buyers will be royalty from Africa or other fraudsters.

[Wizard of Ozz]

I stopped with CL after a bad experience I had trying to sell an amp. Had a guy come over, immediately asked to the use the bathroom, which he occupied for almost 40 minutes. He was supposed to bring his own guitar to try the amp out but did not, and wanted to use every single one of my guitars to try it (and he only owned a MIM strat!). When he asked to play my custom shop Gibson that was the end of the road. When I finally said, well man, do you want it or not (after him being over for about 2 hours) he said "I don't get paid until next Friday, can you hold it?". I almost killed him, but I did throw him out.

Oh yeah, he also asked for something to eat. I said he was welcome to a nutrigrain bar or a granola bar and he said "oh, I meant like a sandwich or something".

I thought it was a dream it was so nightmarish.

I would've been far less hospitable.

BTW My bathroom is always broken... :nono

[MLT]

First time I tried CL, I was selling a mint EJ strat (back when they were only $1500 street). I asked $1200. I got guys cursing me for trying to rip people off because "that's a $500 guitar brand new."

I had an equally unpleasant experience selling a Korean Orange Tiny Terror ("why I saw one of those lst week for $175"). My response was, "Well, you shoulda bought that one." I actually emailed my completed eBay link to this a-hole. I ended up getting my asking price - $425.

Similar deal with a Minicat II ("$500 for a 7 watt amp, what a rip off").

My take is that CL is a virtual garage sale. If you have anything of real value for which you want an honest price... fahgeddaboudit. All you will get are lowballers and tire-kickers.

The only good results I've had are buying and selling things for which I will pretty much take what I can get: some used hard drives, computer memory, that sort of thing.

You can probably tell, I hate CL. Nothing but amateurs.

I won't sell on eBay anymore at all. I've actually had decent results at Harmony Central, TDPRI and of course our own emporium is the best place going IMHO.

YMMV.

[MLT]

I've sold a couple of bikes and music gear this way. House stays locked. Buyer only sees what I want him to see.

I used to do a lot of buy/sell/trade out of the Recycler years ago. I had one guy show up so stoned he tried to walk through my sliding plate glass door.

The internet has actually made things a lot more secure for me.

I stopped with CL after a bad experience I had trying to sell an amp. Had a guy come over, immediately asked to the use the bathroom, which he occupied for almost 40 minutes. He was supposed to bring his own guitar to try the amp out but did not, and wanted to use every single one of my guitars to try it (and he only owned a MIM strat!). When he asked to play my custom shop Gibson that was the end of the road. When I finally said, well man, do you want it or not (after him being over for about 2 hours) he said "I don't get paid until next Friday, can you hold it?". I almost killed him, but I did throw him out.

Oh yeah, he also asked for something to eat. I said he was welcome to a nutrigrain bar or a granola bar and he said "oh, I meant like a sandwich or something".

I thought it was a dream it was so nightmarish.

[KazJY]

I used CL one last time recently, to get rid of an old Peavey Cabinet. Nicest guy I ever talked to, and he had a friend of his pick it up from me in a parking lot, as he lived 3 hours away. A whole family shows up to get this cabinet for him this past weekend, and paid me in cash - the "Dad" even told me to count the money and make sure they got it right. The guy was just learning to play guitar, so I gave him a whole box full of guitar magazines as well, and told him to enjoy.

This is a truly rare situation, but you are right - with the oddballs, it just sucks. Maybe low-cost stuff that doesn't need a demo. Oh yeah, we sold a new breast pump to a young girl through CL - that was the only other situation that wasn't really "scary". (FWIW, I sold like 5-10 things on there, and dealt with the scams and oddballs the rest of the time - none of whom ever came through on the purchase)

[Smakutus]

I don't have much choice with the coming over thing when it's a halfstack at issue.

I try to meet CL people down in a parking lot by the e-way to make it easier on the both of us. (I tell them to call me at a certain point of the road and I'll be right there..) but with a amp you have to try out, I have it sitting right by the back door and they see nothing else but the amp and maybe a guitar.

I sold a drum set earlier this year and got my price for it finally but I moved the ad from the local CL down to Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Toledo, before guy from St Louis saw it somehow and paid what I was asking.

Jeff

[Jon C]

it's full of idiots & scammers but I've bought a couple of things and sold smaller items (pedals).

Some rules I use:

Never allow buyers to come to my house or have my address. I'll meet them at Starbucks or wherever with my Micro Cube & a guitar to try the pedal if they want.

Give only my cell no. so they can't find the home address via phone no.

Confirm before I meet them that we have a firm deal at our agreed price, that our meeting is not a negotiation session.

Etc. Etc.

I don't usually even reply to the lowballers.

[JohnnyK]

I've had more "unpleasant experiences" with CL (than Ebay) - more rude low-ballers, more no-shows, more just plain wack-a-doodles. TGP'ers, on the other hand, are a great bunch to do biz with....

[ljplum12]

I put up a CRT monitor for free once. The guy that showed up to get it was perturbed when he found out it was only it was only a monitor, not an entire computer. Took it without even a "thanks".

[Mudder]

I've used CL for quite a few things and the only time I've let someone come to my house was to pick up a motorcycle I was selling. Otherwise I always either deliver or meet them somewhere public.

[Jon C]

I've sold a couple of bikes and music gear this way. House stays locked. Buyer only sees what I want him to see.



good approach, Mike, my problem is once he's in my driveway he can look into a window into the basement and see enough gear to be very tempting if he's not an honest type, so I don't even want anyone on the premises period... unfortunately.

Cheers,
Jon

[HoboMan]

I've had only good experiences with CL so far (knock wood).
I only bring down what I am selling and have it waiting in the front room by the door. When I answer the door I have my German Shephard with me vicously barking. I tell the person to hold on while I put my dog away.
Hopefully that will deter people from thinking about coming back while I'm not home.

[Jon C]

I've had only good experiences with CL so far (knock wood).
I only bring down what I am selling and have it waiting in the front room by the door. When I answer the door I have my German Shephard with me vicously barking. I tell the person to hold on while I put my dog away.
Hopefully that will deter people from thinking about coming back while I'm not home.

I'll have to borrow your dog next time I list something on CL :rolleyes::YinYang

Jon

[Hootad Binky]

I like http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/all/

[burner]

All in all I've had pretty good experiences with CL although stuff doesn't seem to move as quickly if you're selling it there as it does with ebay,or the boards.
I've been contacted by scammers but they are SO easy to spot, that for me it's no biggie...I've even jacked with a few of them when I had time. ;)

The one complaint I have about buyers from CL, and I've had this happen twice...is that since you are local they try to use it as a "try before you buy" type of arrangement and I'm not really into that.
You know.....driving across town to let someone try it out and then they decide they don't like it.:rolleyes:
...and this from time wasters who said they'd "take it".

Screw that! Know what you want and how much you are willing to pay before you reply, if it's in described condition...buy it.

Funny how you don't see those types of issues on ebay or most of the boards.
Yeah, I set myself up for it twice but I learned my lesson (I think). I guess it all depends on how motivated you are as a seller. :banana

Overall though it's been a pretty good venue in my experience considering the amount of stuff I've bought/sold there.

[zekmoe]

I've sold a guitar, and tried to sell some other stuff. The guitar went quick and smooth. The other stuff? Scumbags, idiots, and weirdos were all I got. I'd rather burn the items than even come in contact with some of the respondents.
Craigslist is a great reason to have a searchable, biometric criminal database.

[Jon Silberman]

I had good luck lately using Craigslist to meet fellow Deadhead jamming musicians.

[funkycam]

I have sold tons of stuff, but after tons of spam I now do not use email on CL.
first line : local pickup only.
last line: give a phone #


The funny thing is that CL buyers are often a little less sophisticated than ebay, so despite the low ballers, you can often get more on CL, depending on the item

[pedalcr8z]

EVERY single transaction I have had on CL has been the total opposite of the OP's .............in the last 90 days I have sold a grand piano, a hot tub, several pieces of home gym fitness type gear, 4 bicycles.............WELL over 10K worth of product and in each case the clients were courteous and paid with cash or certified check in person.........end of story!

[PA Woody]

I haven't used CL for selling, yet, but I buy regularly. I love it. Yesterday, I scored a 2000 MIM Strat w/rosewood fb in SB for $100. No case or gb.
In April, I bought a 2004 MIM Tele w/maple fb. It came with a tweed G&G hsc. I paid $260 for that because I wanted the case.
Both guitars are in excellent shape except for a scratchy tone pot on the Strat.
I've bought other things from CL, as well. Furniture, appliances, etc. It's a great resource for me as a buyer. And, as a seller, hey, it's free advertising with tremendous exposure. Not much different than using "The Little Nickel" or "Recycler". As for the whack jobs...don't even give em the time of day or a second thought.
And if you have to meet someone who makes you uncomfortable, do it in the parking lot of the local police station. ;)

[mge80]

I recall one member here bragging about how he was doing the world a favor by "flagging" lots of CL ads. As if it were his personal crusade of protection.

One of the other idiosyncrasies one has to deal with on CL.