SCAMLIST or CRAIGSLIST?

I'm really getting sick and tired of scum artist on craigs list.
Yeah, I know I'm asking for it when I post anything on Craigslist, but it is Local, free and easy to sell on there... and it really works.

So, just recently I posted up a kithen table set that I wanted to sell for $200.00.
I get an E-mail from a guy named Mic who want to take a look at it.

This is what he posted to me.

"Hello, do you still have this? When can I come check it out? Shoot me
an email back as soon as possible, remember to leave your name and
email address when you email back.
PS: - You can just reply this email, I'm always with my computer".

I'm thinking it's a real person, but a little sceptical at the same time.
SooooOOoOo... I write back and say it's available. I don't give any other info.

Mic writes an E-mail back saying this....

"Hello and Thanks for writing back but I'm sorry I won't be able to come see it anymore. Had thought i was going to be in your town to come check it out but my plans got changed impromptu and am embarking on a few weeks business trip to NY tomorrow morning but However,
Am still interested in purchasing the item anyway.
Actually, am getting it for my cousin for her upcoming birthday. If you could sell it to me, I will mail you a bank official check to cover the cost and also add funds to cover the shipping to where it will be needed as soon as i get to New York.
I'll arrange for a shipper/mover to handle the pick up and delivery after you might have confirmed you have your cash at hand in fairness to both parties.
You can Email me back with a name, address and your phone number to whom and where the check be addressed,
I'll be more than glad if it can be sold to me.
Write back soon.
Thank you"

Sounds like a nice guy, HOWEVER...I've Received this type of E-mail many time before.
The only difference in the other E-mails was the use of female names.

Come on, these scum artist are getting dumber by the minute.
First of all, why would a guy be looking for a Kitchen table set in another state that is located on the other side of the country? And.... why does the excuse need to be same one.... "a change of plans" and the table is for a "birthday present"? Same old story.

Don't these people have anything else to do? Do they really want to scam me out of a kithcn table?
That's pretty desperate.

I don't get it.
Just remember, If you do post anything on craigslist..BEWARE of this type of scam.
It's old, but I'm sure it works, otherwise they wouldn't keep on tyring to use it.

I just heard 4 of the bodies found in NYC were of craigslist hookers.

The site is a big joke now!
It was good for about 3 months, a year or two ago but now just weird people looking to take advantage of others.

reply to post by blue_fish

Yes the site has alot of scammers, but if your smart enough to sift through them then its actually usefully.

reply to post by blue_fish


I think the site is awesome..furniture was ordered from one of the stores in my area and they called a week early on a Saturday to say that they could deliver that day...I was in a pickle because I still had the old furniture...put it on craigslist under free and someone picked it up in two hours..furniture company came about an hour after that..I've also been fortunate to get stuff like power wheels on there that I know my kids may not use all the time so buying something used works out for me...you will always get scam artist but just put in the add leave a cell phone number and that's a good way to filter out some of the scum...I love the site...

Ha... I've been complaining about Craigslist a lot recently! It's nice to hear some similar ranting...

I think it's weird that someone would try to scam you out of your $200 kitchen table though... I would understand if it was something more expensive or easier to ship, but a kitchen table?! Yeah, something's amiss, that's for sure!

Being a seller, I have never had anything weird like that, but as a buyer I have had so many "me no in town, i in spain with ill brother, please send money then i ship you ____" which was listed at half the price of any other of the same item on Craigslist, or the ‘I have brain damage and cannot speak or walk, just send damage deposit and I will mail you the keys”. I've started replying to suspect posts by using the above quotes to start with (logic being a real person might get the humour and otherwise lets the scammer know I'm not interested in being scammed today)... I don't that get many replies these days!

What I really want to know is: Do these scams really work? I understand the feeling of wanting it to be true so badly, but seriously...

Any suckers out there with a good story to tell?

reply to post by PoopDawg


Your right there is a difference between looking for stuff and posting something you want to sell.

The latter, I would never do!

My friend played a joke on someone by posting a want ad in craigslist. He said he was looking for male models to be used for toys for an adult toy manufacturer and left a cell phone #. His friend received 500 pictures of various nature on his phone for 3 weeks.
But that joke explained to me who the main people on this site were!

Scammers love the least regulated markets. While we bitch and moan about big business and corporate fraud, it isn't any different than independent, small scale fraud.

The best thing we can all do is support small businesses locally that pride themselves on customer service.

reply to post by chrismarco


I really like craigslist too, but lately it's just loaded with scummers.
I bet I've sold over 10,000 on craigslist over the past year.
It's just takes a lot of patience to screen through some winner E-mails.

reply to post by AnteBellum


Wow..that's just messed up. Kinda scary to know how many weird people are really out there....... Besides your friend. Hahahaaaa......

Last year I had a 1986 Chevy pickup truck for sale on Craigslist for $1200. The truck was nothing special, just an old work truck. Turns out I received a similar email and after a few exchanges back and forth, I agreed to sell it for $4500 to cover the cost of the "movers", my time and trouble and refund the difference by Western Union.

I had the buyer UPS overnight the check made out to "Albert (Al) Khoholic"

Get it? Alcoholic!

reply to post by blue_fish


I hear you! I posted on Craigslist for computer repair, I do this from my home as a way to make extra cash, and help people out. So right away I get like 20 emails all telling me how to make money from my home, and with my computer. I don't want a business, I have one that keeps me pretty busy.

There was a time a year ago when I was lokking for a new home. I found a real nice one on Craigslist, a beauty at a rightous price. Sent a few emails and traveled over 100 miles to see the house. This Middle Eastern fellow was waiting for me, and began to show me the house. Just then a motorhome pulled into the drive, blocking my van. The fellow ran as fast as he could out the kitcken door. I went outside to see who it was....it was the real owner. He and his wife had been on vacation. The house was quite empty. The owner called police, and I gave a statement and a description of the man who tried to sell me the house. The poor owner and his wife got ripped off got all their stuff, and alomst lost their home too. They had had the deed in a safe in the bedroom, it was cut open and cleaned out.
I will nver post there, or buy from there, ever again.

There are more scammers on craigslist now than there are legit post

Scammers suck. They really are a waste of time, not just selling, but when looking for jobs and other stuff too.

Anyhow...
What I'd like to see in the future is a site that manages to split the difference between Craig's List and Ebay, has a reasonable user karma and peer review system with comments, is free to the users (or takes a very tiny cut when compared to Ebay), and instead of trying to decide which major city is closest - you use zip codes and miles from location willing to travel to buy or ship something or provide services.

Somebody comes up with that, and they might have the next big thing.