Tips for Using Craigslist
May 11th, 2006 | by Molly's Brother |CraigsList is a wonderful way to get rid of junk, but there are some simple actions you should take to avoid getting ripped off–or worse. Here are some simple tips for selling things on Craigslist:
1. Never wait for the person alone. If you are having the person pick up your item, make sure that someone else is home with you.
2. Minimize their access to your home or yard. If possible, try to conduct all transactions in your front yard or inside your house as close to your front door as possible. You never know who is going to show up on your front door. Never allow them to follow you to a back room where the desk is, nor should you walk them along the side of the house to the back yard. This allows for a possible criminal to catch well-known security breaches that are obvious to thieves, but oblivious to you.
3. Cash transactions only. This should be a no-brainer, but it should be stated: cash only. You don’t want someone writing you a bad check. You’ll try to cash it, they disappear and not only are you stuck with $0, but chances are you’re bank may stick you with the fee for the returned check, as well.
4. Don’t give away too much information. Honestly, if you are going to give someone your address over the internet (this is a common practice on CL), try not to let them know when you are/aren’t going to be home. This may invite trouble into your life.
5. Pick-ups only. In the body of your post, mention that these items are only available for pick-up. If the item is heavy and oversized, you should mention that prospective buyers should bring a friend/family member to help them cart away the item.
Personally, I never had trouble selling anything over CraigsList (except for the flakes that never showed). Shortly before I ventured into this area, however, a friend of our family tried to sell his car on CraigsList. The buyer showed up one night, promising to return the following day with the money. When our friend woke up the next morning, his car was gone. Armed with this knowledge, I proceeded forward with extreme caution.
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