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A question about Craigslist

herbman1975

herbman1975

Well-Known Member
Banned
This question is for anyone who has bought anything on Craigslist.

I have yet to purchase any gear off the site, but what I want to know is:

Does hi fi gear posted at ridiculously low prices just turn into best offer auctions?

Has anyone ever gotten a hold of a seller and arranged a deal only to be one upped by another collector?

I see some pretty good deals on the Atlanta CL, but I fear that if I arrange payment someone will call and offer more $.

Getting sniped on (auction site plug removed) pisses me off enough, I don't want to get the same feeling from CL.
 
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Craigslist will probably piss you off, then... there's a lot of crap that goes on there. That said, there are many great deals to be had when people don't know what they have, or are just ready to unload it.

Best bet is to be the first caller and head out the door when you hang up the phone. Arrive cash in hand, and walk away happy. Hopefully.

I've bailed out on deals when the person on the other end seemed flakey.

You've got to put up with a certain amount of crap to get the best deals.
 
I should add that the best people I've met on CL often turned out to be AK members. :thmbsp:

The worst? Pretty bad...:no:
 
Ok,
So far this month I've missed a free pair of Tannoy's on the CL so there are deals if you are patient and wait for them.
 
Agreed, you are exposed to the wild when buying and selling through CL. I've had sellers mispresent condition and then try to cover up the defect. I've also found gear that the seller claimed was not working but actually worked. And, I've found some great deals that were as advertised. Just be patient and be sure to test the item thoroughly before buying.

If you get the seller on the phone, make an appointment and go out the door with cash in hand. The faster the better.
 
Well, I've bought and sold and haven't run into any of that.
I set my prices a bit high because I know folks will want to haggle down, so I tend to cover that, but i've never had anyone back out of a deal I bought because someone offered more money.
Then again, there was that guy that got all upset to Squidward because I paid his asking price on his Denon TT only to find out he was way too low. Can't help it if he didn't do his homework.........
 
I've had a lot of great luck on CL--got some great deals, and met some really cool people in the process. I do have a sensitive BS meter, however, and if someone starts messing around on the other end, whether I'm buying or selling, I will end the deal. No reason to go through all that.

Interestingly, I find people on CL generally more pleasent to deal with than ebay. Perhaps it has something to do with the face-to-face transaction.
 
All depends on whether the seller is honest or not, and if you're the first person to call or show up. I've been lucky for the most part and have been able to get there first. Only time I've actually been burned was when I met a guy to buy some tires, and they were absolute crap. Had to turn him down.

The comment about AK'ers on CL is right on. I've been trying to relocate a few pairs of speakers and half the responses have been from memebers. No one's bought anything, but they're fun to talk to.
 
Ok - so it is like an internet flea market, with a dash of Cannon Ball Run mixed in.

I will just have cash in hand and be ready to hit the door if I see anything I really want.

Thanks for the advice fellas!
 
I have not had any bad experiences on CL yet and like the others find the folks much nicer to deal with. I would second that you ned to call right away and arrive with cash in hand. Major benefit over Ebay is you can see what your buying before closing the deal and more importantly you can just walk awayif your BS alarm rings.
 
John in MA said:
The comment about AK'ers on CL is right on. I've been trying to relocate a few pairs of speakers and half the responses have been from members.
Click to expand...

I gotta agree with this. I sold those Schober organ speakers today to a guy who wasn't an AK member, but about all he found online about them was the threads here at AK. And the other 4 inquiries I had came from AKers':thmbsp:

Nice to keep the stuff in the "family"
 
If you're on the buying end it helps to compose a decent reply to their listing. Something like: "Hi, I am interested in buying the ****** *** you have listed on Craigslist. I am an adult collector with cash and a flexible schedule. Please put me first on your list of responders and let me know when and where it would be convenient to complete the transaction. My phone number is *** *** ****. Thanks," I've had more than a couple tell me they put me first on the list and they have sold at the listed price. No auctioning. I've had real good luck with Craig's.
 
I've had good results with Craigslist. Bought a pair of Advent 4002s for $10, and a pair of infinity 7 Kappa for $50. Both straight-up deals. All needed refoam and cleanup, natch.

Big advantage to CL when used as intended is that it's local. You can inspect the goods before parting with your cash, no shipping damage horror stories or ripoff "handling" charges.

Big disadvantage is that it's local. You won't hear (directly) about killer deals across the country unless they are posted in a forum like this or you spider all of their sites regularly. Also, most CL sellers are loathe to ship anyway. If they wanted to deal with the hassle of packing and shipping, they'd put it on the 'bay.

Another issue with CL is that if you snooze you lose. When a good deal comes up you need to jump on it. The good snipes happen at the beginning of the listing, not at the end.

Overall, I like it. No fees to third-party middlemen. Inspect before you part with your cash. And maybe meet locals with common interests while you're at it. Oh, wait. That's a DIFFERENT part of Craigslist... :D
 
Jukin Jay said:
And maybe meet locals with common interests while you're at it. Oh, wait. That's a DIFFERENT part of Craigslist... :D
Click to expand...

"Casual Encounters" right? Searching through those "deep massage" listings? :)
 
I have had about an 80% success rate with getting the great deal or low balling and them accepting the offer. The other 20% they see the response and decide to start taking offers.

It is worth dealing with.

Rob
 
In the past and still do have really good experiences on CL. With the wider access to the internet, eBay and AK and other sites it's getting to be somewhat of a circus. You can still find some genuinely great deals from some very nice people. But there are also the scabs. If you don't like it just walk a way.

The last thing I got off CL was a pair of mint Rectilinear speakers and an older hi-end Sony HT receiver w/remote and manual. The guy gave them to me for free. He wouldn't take any money. I had to go back with some wine and chocolates.
 
I've had very good luck with craigs, I've gotten some fantastic deals, and even some great stuff free as well. You do usually have to be the first guy to respond, and show up with cash. Met some very nice people as well. I say it's more than worth your time to check the list as often as you can, and dont be afraid to respond to the older ads as well, you never know if they may still be available. Sellers get lots of no shows, and dont usually repost or email back to other potential buyers right away, so you still have a shot a being the first guy at the door....
 
I've sold a fair amount of stuff on craigslist as I don't want to deal with the hassle of eBay, Paypal, payment and shipping. As a seller I've learned 2 things, give the buyer an opportunity to respond either via phone # or respond to the ad. I also demand from the seller both a name and a phone # if they respond via the craigslist ad. I figure if they can't give me that upfront then they're not serious.

If someone really lowballs I pretty much tell them to f*** off. Negotiating is one thing. If I put up a price I tend to stick to it. I don't overinflate my original asking price though. As long as I have storage space it really doesn't matter much how long it takes to sell.
 
Most of my system is SFCL. Im have not had a bad cl purchase. I hate when something tasty gets listed and the seller won't respond to questions.
That is the only downside, flakey sellers looking for interest in their gear?
If it is sold just remove the add please.
 
kbott said:
If someone really lowballs I pretty much tell them to f*** off. Negotiating is one thing.
Click to expand...


I low balled on a TU-919 and got that response. A week later he was crawling back asking me to buy it. I declined. Hey, was that you.

Rob
 
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