I also found 2003 Ford F150 Roush for $1500 on craigslist and many many many more of that kind. |
I have bought from ads on Craig's List. But not for a while. |
Is this common or a local phenomenon? Many sellers of one piece of audio equipment put the names of 20 or more other brands in their ad so it gets pulled up on searches.
For example if I search for "Krell" it will pull in many ads that are not for Krell. Krell is only listed in the ad to get found by the search engine. |
When the pricing is too good to be true on Craigslist it isn't. You can kind of tell with how the ad is worded or the pictures they use. The CL scammers I've seen use stock pictures. I have bought and sold on Craigslist in the past and it is a hassle now. Lots of spammers will ask you Still Available! When you reply yo then get a BS e-mail message back. Also some on CL tirekickers nowadays aren't very bright. You put in your ad you will not respond to "Still Available" inquiries and you get a one line message "Still Available" with a follow up message stating oh I didn't see your "Still Available" thing on your ad but I'm wondering if the amp is still available. |
Want to get ripped off this is were you go !! |
I use Craigslist all the time and find good deals regularly.
If you consider all the effort involved in selling something to a party you have never met, packaging, shipping, PayPal fees and the rest, it often makes sense to sell something for significantly less and avoid all that hassle.
The buyer comes to you, pays cash, no packing, no shipping, no returns or feedback hassles..
Especially if the item is heavy or delicate, Craigslist is a viable option.
The seller will often take less for an item since they are not reaching the widest audience and just want rid of what ever it is without giving it away.
What you need to watch for is e-mail address harvesters who sell your address to spammers for 5 cents. Instruct them to include a word or phrase in their response to filter out the bots and insist on a phone number. |
I don't consider Craig's List a safe place to buy for all the above reasons. But for something like audio gear, I would think it's safe only if you live close enough to see the item in person. |
I have no experience regarding CL ads in Europe; however, I've had great success with purchasing audio equipment on CL in the midwest of the USA. I don't think I've sold anything on CL so I can't comment on the selling experience.
I understand that common sense is not always so common, nevertheless, I think that if you exercise common sense when responding to CL ads, you can have excellent experiences. The bottom line (IMO) is that you need to know what you are looking for, you need to be patient, and you need to be observant.
Most of what I have purchased via CL has been speakers and none of them have been local. On one occasion, the seller drove three hours to deliver the speakers to my house! All of the prices have been excellent, much better than anything I've found here on AudioGon. In fact, if you don't know what you are doing, I'd suggest that you are just as likely to get scammed right here on AudioGon as you would through CL. Some of the ads here on AudioGon humor me. I used to be puzzled by the crazy ads, now I just laugh when I see them. |
I only deal with craigslist if I am close enough to pick up whatever I am buying.
I find there are more scammers who are buyers rather than sellers. I have been trying to sell a pair of aftermarket wheels on CL for the past few months and I have been contacted by 5 different scammers. I'm not sure who the people are that are biting on these phishing scams, but for the most part, they deserve to be ripped off.
And as for Ebm. Learn how to make a complete sentence, even if you can't put two of them together. Spellcheck is your friend.....
Shakey |
Craigslist is great. The whole point of it is to deal with local people where you can meet the buyer, see and inspect the merchandise and then fully commit to a purchase. |
I have had tremendous success countless times on CL--but that's mainly with musical instruments. I haven't done much audio equipment buying there. I don't see why it would be any different. |
The problem with buying used equipment anywhere is that sometimes the product is stolen. If that is the case, you can be prosecuted for receiving stolen goods. Even if you thought it was legitimate. I try to ask for a copy of the receipt from buyers. Some times it has changed hands many times so records are lost in time. But, if you take a product in for service or repair. Many times there are lists at the repair facility of stolen items. They check that list and then call the police. When you go to pick up the item, guess what? The police are waiting for you. If you can show your receipt of purchase and they can contact the previous owner, you may not be prosecuted. But, I do like buying fairly local so that I may go see the item and question the seller. If that isn't possible, I will by used from my favorite store in San Diego or on Audiogon (with my fingers crossed). But, asking lots of questions helps me to get a better feeling about the product, its history and the seller. If they don't want to answer the questions, or are very reluctant to answer, or their answers are questionable, I'll walk.
enjoy |
You get your share of crazies on CL, just like with any other market. But that's because the people on CL are just a subset of the overall population...and a good sized chunk of the population is cuckoo-for-cocoa-puffs crazy whether they're on CL or not.
I've found some great deals on CL, for music instruments, guitar amps, and especially speakers. I've scored some deals that had me doing cartwheels I was so happy. Just do your homework, be careful, and keep your wits about you at all times...just like in life overall. |
Try HI FI SHARK as a litmus test to CL.
They surf most of the Euro listings .
As the prior posts indicate, if it seems too good to be true .... Walk away !
There is an irrefutable and inescapable tenet in this hobby: you get what you pay for . |
If you stay local and deal personally with the buyer, check
the audio equipment if it's in a working condition..you will
avoid scams.
Oh, and make sure they have the original invoice. |
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I have bought quite a bit off the Mpls.-St.Paul list with no problems. |
