Craigslist and Shipping: Am I a terrorist or a scammer or both?!

Xtradust

Xtradust

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I've searched for a ukulele online and in the results I find the one I want for sale somewhere other than where I live.

I contact the seller and as soon as I mention sending it to me, it's like I'm some kind of Somali Pirate or ISIS member that found a way to rip them off.

I've even called a UPS store and they said they'd go out and pick it up, insure it and charge me for everything. Told the seller I'd FedEx them cash! No deal!

I've bought and sold here and never imagined there'd be a problem. They're ukuleles, not missle parts.

What gives?! (btw, love ya guys!)
 
I post on CL for a reason, I want a face-to-face cash transaction. From my point of view, for some reason, it's still a hassle for me to ship it, even if UPS comes over to pick up the item and packs it. Offer the seller more money to appease him/her.
 
At the risk of association, you might do better by asking if there's a UU member in the area who can play middleman for you. For the record/Disclaimer: I drove overnight to San Diego a couple months ago for a Craiglist ad that was too heavy to ship. I don't normally cross borders or provide unsolicited advice to people of your kind. ;)
 
Some folks feel better dealing face-to-face, some feel better with a faceless transaction. I've bought a couple of furniture pieces on CL but I'm not real keen on it. And I really wouldn't be comfortable selling on CL. Just me.

If you haven't burnt your bridge with this seller, maybe just another contact that says "if you can't sell it locally in a week call me back".

But another thought is that some people are just "funny" and if you're having to work this hard to give them your money, maybe you don't want to deal with them anyway.
 
It's almost unbelievable what some sellers expect. If he will not ship it he does not deserve your hard earned money.
 
The vast majority of people who post on craigslist expect a local exchange. I have on several occasions contacted someone who posted on craigslist in another city, and 100% of time they never anticipated shipping and only wanted to do a local transaction.

I'm a little surprised at the anger expressed toward the seller. With some marketplaces, like ebay, there is an expectation that the seller will ship (although in rare cases, sellers do require local pickup). craigslist isn't that kind of marketplace; that's why craigslist has separate sites for different cities. Some craigslist sellers *will* ship, but in general, I think they expect not to. If you're not happy with that, shop elsewhere.
 
It all depends on the seller and the confidence both the seller and buyer have in each other.

I actually bought a mainsail, 3000 miles away in Florida, off Craigslist and the seller wouldn't take payment from me until after I received it. I then sent him payment.

I bought the boat it was going on off Craigslist in Oregon and the seller met me half way to deliver it before getting any money based only on my word I'd be there.

So it is not Craigslist. Take the advice given above and see if you can work something out.

John
 
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Yeah, I'd be really leery of someone wanting me to send it. Especially if they say a guy will come to pick it up with a cashiers check. I don't know who the heck you are and with the attitude you posted about terroists, scammer or both, I doubt I'd even consider selling it to you.

If I don't mind shipping, I'll sell it off ebay. If I don't want the hassle, I'll sell with Craigslist. I guess it never hurts to ask, but don't gt huffy if they say no.
 
Patrick is correct!

Nigerian scam type phishing is SUPER COMMON on Craigslist ads!!!! The first few nibbles I get via email or text are almost always scammers!! There is a very typical wording, cashier's checks for "even more money" than you are asking is a hallmark of the scam, and nobody with a ukulele or guitar really expects to ship. They want cash. They don't want PayPal taking a cut, they don't want to have to box and drag it to the USPS and stand in line for you for free. If they are willing to ship then they post on a uke forum or a guitar forum or a mando forum etc. and it will usually have a higher asking price. I will drive a couple hours for something I really want, and I have had others do the same, but that's about it.
 
We don't have CL over here in the Netherlands, but we do have 'Marktplaats' (which was purchased by eBay a few years ago). Marktplaats can be fantastic and can be a PITA full of scammers, phishers and annoying cheapskates.
Create your own feels-right-rules, and you'll be OK. Both buying and selling.
Ignore everything outside those rules.
If they don't want to ship that ukulele? It's their good right, within their own rules. Move on to the next item.
 
There was a scam going on earlier this year. Someone claiming to be on an oil rig off the coast of New Zealand would ask for the sale item for a birthday gift. Part of the scam was that his agent was supposed to come pick it up.
I think the scam involved PayPal. PayPal requires shipping to the confirmed address. the seller could claim they never got it, you have no proof of shipping, and the scammer gets their full refund ( and your item).
 
Yep, they tried that on me. I write back saying if he has a cashiers check he can cash it and bring cash. I also mention to notice where I live. It's right on the US/Canadian border crawling with about every type of law enforcement agencies there is so there's a good chance I work for one of them and his agent will be thoroughly checked out before I relinquish the item. I never hear back from any of them lol.
 
this...I personally don't like shipping things so I rather sell locally on CL


Patrick Madsen said:
Yeah, I'd be really leery of someone wanting me to send it. Especially if they say a guy will come to pick it up with a cashiers check. I don't know who the heck you are and with the attitude you posted about terroists, scammer or both, I doubt I'd even consider selling it to you.

If I don't mind shipping, I'll sell it off ebay. If I don't want the hassle, I'll sell with Craigslist. I guess it never hurts to ask, but don't gt huffy if they say no.
Click to expand...
 
Craigslist is good if you need to unload stuff that you don't feel like shipping and you don't care if it goes for a low price. It's not regulated so it's up to the seller to make the rules. A lot of sellers don't want to be bothered with the responsibility of resolving disputes, making sure the item arrives on time, and making sure they get paid through a third party. It's easier to scam on Craigslist so I don't blame sellers for being leery of someone who wants something shipped. Which sucks, because all the good stuff on Craigslist is never in your area. eBay isn't great either but at least the buyer and seller (usually more so the buyer) have a course of action in case something goes wrong.
 
Peace Train said:
At the risk of association, you might do better by asking if there's a UU member in the area who can play middleman for you
Click to expand...

That's what I would try, where is the item located?

There a tons of scams out there and some people are just totally paranoid!
 
Except when an item is paid for under personal, then there is no arbitration.... is that a correct understanding of what the fees are for? Talking about PayPal as a means of payment....
 
Doc_J said:
There was a scam going on earlier this year. Someone claiming to be on an oil rig off the coast of New Zealand would ask for the sale item for a birthday gift. Part of the scam was that his agent was supposed to come pick it up.
I think the scam involved PayPal. PayPal requires shipping to the confirmed address. the seller could claim they never got it, you have no proof of shipping, and the scammer gets their full refund ( and your item).
Click to expand...
Spot on description of that scam except here our emails said the oil rig was in the South China Sea.
 
Patrick Madsen said:
Yep, they tried that on me. I write back saying if he has a cashiers check he can cash it and bring cash. I also mention to notice where I live. It's right on the US/Canadian border crawling with about every type of law enforcement agencies there is so there's a good chance I work for one of them and his agent will be thoroughly checked out before I relinquish the item. I never hear back from any of them lol.
Click to expand...
I used to think that cashier's checks were safe, but I sold a motorcycle last summer, to a guy from a neighboring town, so not some Nigerian, but he offered a personal check or a cashier check, so I called my bank, and they said not to take a cashier check. So he wrote me a check, and everything went fine.

I agree with many here, if I sell something on CL, I expect it to be local. Or at least, I don't plan to ship it. I know, some people will go to great lengths to buy or sell something on CL, but that isn't me. If I want to ship it, I'll put it on ebay. If it is on CL, I expect someone to pick it up. If I was selling a ukulele on CL and they asked me to ship it, I wouldn't be so concerned that it was a scam, as I would be that it is just a pain in the ass to box it up properly, haul it to the post office, ups, or fedex, get it insured, and send it. But, I guess it all depends on how bad you want to get rid of something.
 
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Peace Train said:
At the risk of association, you might do better by asking if there's a UU member in the area who can play middleman for you. For the record/Disclaimer: I drove overnight to San Diego a couple months ago for a Craiglist ad that was too heavy to ship. I don't normally cross borders or provide unsolicited advice to people of your kind. ;)
Click to expand...

Wow! There is an idea! I'd be willing to help out another UU'er, especially if they maybe would throw in a $20 for me. I sure would be willing to pay someone else.
 
actually just got this response to a craigslist ad I have...

"I have been outside the city since Tuesday, I just came back this morning. Not sure we can meet today but tomorrow is fine with me I will be taking my family out for baby shopping tomorrow, seeing you will be killing 2 birds with one stone, let me know if any Walmart store is good to meet and finalize the purchase of your merchandise posted under forsale on Craigslist. Text me your address or phone number through my email puppypaws5560@xxx.com because that is the best way to reach me as I have my email synchronized on my phone. Have a nice day

Bruce Miller"

It's all pretty fishy sounding, I did respond through craigslist, but probably won't hear back...they just want your address and phone #.
 
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