Remember the old days when you had to list items for sale in the newspaper classified ads? And pay a fee? Or put signs in the car window and park it somewhere visible? craigslist.com has come to the rescue!
I have bought and sold a number of items locally via craigslist, including cars, bicycles, computers, cell phones, and cameras. This is one of the marvels of technology and the internet, and is a great boon to both buyers and sellers. Here is a craigslist ad last month to sell my car.
I have sold cars on craigslist that required several weeks to sell, but this one sold in half a day. Even though I did my usual online research to determine market value I’m sure I must have priced it too low.
I have used automated search tools to alert me via email whenever a new item is posted on craigslist that matches my search criteria, such as a certain car model with manual transmission and below a certain price. This is the best way to capture a true deal, and to beat the competition (as happened with my car above).
However, the internet in general, and craigslist in particular, has a flavor of the wild, untamed west. There are lots of scammers out there. For example, I have been shopping for a condo purchase for an investment. I had my eye on one that was for sale and did a search on craigslist for similar properties that were for rent, so I could get a feel for the rental market. Lo and behold, this same property was listed for rent! The posting had the identical text and photos that were included in its online “for sale” listing, and the “owner” was certainly operating from a dark room in Nigeria or the Ukraine. This is a scam where somebody hopes to trap a prospective renter into sending deposit and/or first month’s rent money. This actually happened to someone hoping to rent a house across the street from us.
Anyway, it’s a jungle out there, so you really have to be on your toes.