Slightly OT - Trusting CL

How trusting are you guys of people who are interested in your CL ads?

In the past, I've sold things sight-unseen pretty much, and everything has been small enough to easily transport across the street to the Target parking lot to meet with buyer. My wife is selling off our (read "my") furniture and finally got a bite. Someone wants to come check some out tonight. So now we are inviting a stranger into our house and I'm not going to lie, after hearing about many horrible CL stories, I feel like answering the door with a .44.

Too late to cancel?

Ask a friend to call you a few times during the time while the buyer is there. If you don't answer one of their calls... they bring the cavalry.

Tell them you'll send them as many pictures as you want, but with robberies these days being on the rise, you can't be too careful.

You could also agree to take 1 piece...something light and easy to get out of the house...and let them see it in person at a mutual meeting place.

Another idea would be to rent a small storage unit for a month, and stick it in there...they want to see it, you have an instant neutral location for the deal to happen.

Personally, I wouldn't be worried about someone robbing them right there...

That would be stupid.

Instead, scope out the house, and determine if it has anything of value to steal...then come back when no one is home.

Rent a storage unit. A small one can be something like $40/mo or less - you sell the furniture, and you cancel the lease, no one gets robbed.

Right now I have a horrific deal going on about my bike. Forget out of the country buyers...way too much hassle!

Yeah, I'm definitely not happy about it.

It's an apartment and we have a good alarm on the doors (not windows tho). There is a motion sensor that picks up anything in living/dining/kitchen. Hopefully that would be blatantly apparent to anyone casing the joint.

If someone shows up with their whole family in tow, only two people are coming inside. Not playing that game. We'll have nothing out that fits in a pocket, but I want eyes on any strangers in my apartment. I do the same with repair techs and maintenance. I'm paranoid.

It could be completely legit, but I'm assuming it's not.

Answering the door with the .44 works fine. I wear my .45 "cocked & locked" and in plain sight at all times. Gets the point across to anyone with bad intentions.

Answering the door with the .44 works fine. I wear my .45 "cocked & locked" and in plain sight at all times. Gets the point across to anyone with bad intentions.

Exactly. Guns aren't illegal, yet.

I have one and it even scares my friends when they stop by to visit - I assure them I only use it to hunt and for self defense.

I've had folks over plenty of times to buy stuff without incident. Prolly won't anymore now that I got a baby in the house.

You sound pretty uncomfortable with the idea. Maybe better to cancel the appointment and give the furniture to a friend, Goodwill or take it to a consignment shop.

Chances people looking at a craigs furniture ad are looking for furniture. I dunno.

You guys will be the first to know if I get hog-tied and raped.

Hey man... how much for the baby?

Fiffy dollah!

Hey man... how much for the baby?

will you accept a replica made of used diapers?

You should hand those out at the DJ as a keep sake T. Kinda like BD and his Tehas Spice Kit. I would bronze mine.

STEP 1: Open the door

STEP 2: Hand them a bullet

STEP 3: Tell em "You get any funny ideas the next one is coming AIRMAIL"

I do all my deals outside of my house, at a public place.

Though I really only buy and sell gear, not furniture.

So, after my wife spent a day tearing the place apart (and I spent 2 hours helping out), the bitch didn't even show. That is pretty annoying. Is it a common "scam" to organize to go see an item, then not show up?

what, a craigslist flake? unheard of!

Craigslist is the flake capital of the internet.

This whole thread is kind of funny. You're CLEARLY not comfortable with selling on Craig's List... so why'd you do it? Plenty of other places to sell.

Nate, you live in VERMONT. Is there some Harlem-esque chunk of Burlington I missed? Or does "self defense" refer to hippy ass whooping? :poke:

Nate, you live in VERMONT. Is there some Harlem-esque chunk of Burlington I missed? Or does "self defense" refer to hippy ass whooping? :poke:

Haha, well, Burlington is different. Back home on the other side of Vermont, sometimes you get random punks stealing from stores, houses, etc... We've had a break in before, it was some 19 year old junkie from down the street looking for stuff to steal so he could pawn it off and sell it for more drugs. Mainly, I use the gun for hunting, but it's nice to know I have a weapon to point at someone if they break in. But in Burlington, no, I don't think it's necessary to have a weapon

Uncomfortable with a stranger in my house? NO WAY!

...

Flakiness is lame.

It's more notable when one actually DOES show up.

haha