CL question

[sb47]

Poor schmuck posts here asking what these emails are about, and gets lectured by 17 people about why he should accept email responses to his ads. As far as I'm concerned you can run your CL sales any way you like.

I agree they're spam - possibly even automated responses to every ad - for the purpose of harvesting your email address when you respond. I once got into an email argument with some schmuck who swore that he wasn't spamming, only getting email addresses that he would sell to someone else, so it wasn't unethical. Unbelievable. :thmbsp:

Are you calling me a schmuck?

Dennis

 

[frankxbe]

They have some pretty effective spam filters now that allow customisation as well.
I hardly get any spam since setting them up and if I get a repeat it gets a filter.

 

[Cactus Bob]

Worried about e-mails but putting your phone number in the ad?




Barney

Yep, just Google your land line phone number. I checked mine recently & easily found my name, my spouses name, home address & my past street address. If you post a phone number make it a cellphone number.

I have an unlisted number on the the "Do Not Call" List also.

 

[toxcrusadr]

Are you calling me a schmuck?

Dennis

In the nicest way possible.

As to the question of whether spam generates profit, I guarantee that if it didn't result in sales, people would stop spending money and effort on it. Just like junk mail and commercials.

 

[withmusic]

Those emails you are receiving are scams. My favorite is when they type "Is this item still available"? That is a scam 100% of the time. If you reply to it you get back something along the lines of" Great! I'm disabled blah blah blah so if you'll send me the following info
Name
Address
Email address
.........
I'll send you a money order and have my driver come by and pick it up.
yada yada yada.

 

[so_ein_pech]

If you don't want emails, you can tell CL that you don't want to allow email responses when you are posting the ad. Click the "hide" radio button below your email when you are posting. This way the respondents will be forced to contact you through whatever means you provide in the message.

OTOH, I have found that people are just bad at following directions. Even when requesting phone numbers, or asking for specific subject lines, I still get legit respondents who do neither.

I agree with chefde, the best thing to do, is to have a dedicated spam/CL email account. That way, it doesn't matter if some spamlord in the Ukraine gets a hold of it. Other than that, just follow your gut about whether or not its a legit buyer. I certainly won't agree to meet someone unless I get a phone number, and I never agree to do anything by mail.

 

[djnagle]

Poor schmuck posts here asking what these emails are about, and gets lectured by 17 people about why he should accept email responses to his ads. As far as I'm concerned you can run your CL sales any way you like.

+1. I was thinking the same thing. Poor guy did finally get his question answered, but damn!

 

[stereofanboy]

Worried about e-mails but putting your phone number in the ad?.............Barney

I put my phone number on my first CL ad, years ago and received a call after midnight from a drunk that wanted to buy my stuff. I didn't include my number in my ads for awhile after that.

The thing that convinced me to start listing my number again is the high percentage of scam emails I get, most of which are identical to the one described by the OP. I've been listing my number again for about a year or more with zero late calls.

I have never responded to spam. It irritates me that someone is pushing there product in my face as if I’m going to buy from them.
I can’t see how it is worth posting spam on any forum or email.
In my opinion those that promote spam are scum and I would never do business with them.
If I want something, I’m smart enough to find it on my own. I don’t need or want junk emails.
Does spam really generate any profit?


Dennis

It must, or they wouldn't do it. We only have ourselves to blame for annoying advertising or marketing. Well, not you and me specifically, but sheople in general.

I used to take a hollow revenge on telemarketers who called during dinnertime. I would act interested long enough to get the name of the company and what they were selling and write it down. Then, I would tell them that, in the unlikely event that I found myself in the market for an item like the one they were selling, I would be certain to buy it from their competitors who hadn't bothered me.

Those emails you are receiving are scams. My favorite is when they type "Is this item still available"? That is a scam 100% of the time. If you reply to it you get back something along the lines of" Great! I'm disabled blah blah blah so if you'll send me the following info
Name
Address
Email address
.........
I'll send you a money order and have my driver come by and pick it up.
yada yada yada.

I include the sentence, "If you see this ad, it's still for sale" in every CL ad I place. At least 75% of legitimate responders still preface their commucation with a query as to whether it's still available. Not scammers, just can't read very well.

 

[Wigwam Jones]

Why not accept emails, but state that you will only respond if they provide a phone number?

This.

 

[Wigwam Jones]

+1. I was thinking the same thing. Poor guy did finally get his question answered, but damn!

And I'll tell you, in my minor experience, there's no way to always exclude the scammers and flim-flam artists by saying some kind of magic words. You get the bad with the good no matter what you say in your listing, and you just have to engage common sense and be cautious in your subsequent dealings.

I would have told people to NEVER consider offers to send money and then have the item picked up later - classic scam for fake money orders, etc. But then I see that a lot of people have sold their stuff that way to people buying up old stereo equipment to sell overseas, and they make good on their offers. Hmmm.

So I don't have any hard-and-fast rules anymore, other than to be careful, it's a jungle out there, and people will do many illegal things to get your money, including taking your life.