Has anyone else tried to buy stuff on Craigslist and have been very unsuccessful? Things are either sold 5 minutes after posted or not real ads and someones trying to scam you.
We have found 5 or 6 used popup campers in the last few months and they are either sold or you get into a bidding match to buy it. This isn't any fun! >:( I was hoping to buy a new heater and a few other things but I might be better paying full price than the meds needs for craigslist. :-[
Found our PUP on Craigslist. Had to drive about 125 miles to get it. The owner was less than honest about the tiltle, he had it in hand but it was not really transferred over to him. When he bought it, he never transfered it to his name. Had a real hard time getting the title straightened out. I have bought some other items on CL with no problem.
You just have to watch out for the scammers, not everyone is as honest as you would like. At least in my neck of the woods...
I bought my PUP as well as a lot of other things on CL. But for as much as I have been successful at buying, there have been at least 8-10 times as many ads that I have responded to ending in zero response from the seller, falsely advertised, or the item ended up just being plain garbage, as well. It really is a craps shoot. I never really get my hopes up about actually completing a CL sale, until I am standing there looking at the item and have worked out a price.
It really is a game and you have to work it. From what I have learned on CL it is vital to have cash in hand, and be prepaired to drop you are doing at a moments notice if you are at all serious about purchasing. The minute you go and kick tires and "need time to think about it", some one will show up with cash and buy it out from under you. I can't blame sellers for this. It has happened to me on several occasions, where I wasn't able to be there right away and the person sold the item, ranginf from some small couple of dollar (or free) item, to a sailboat I was going to drive to NC to buy.
As much as I want to trust everyone (one of my downfalls I suppose), I have learned that there are people in the world who are less than honest, and have found that I need to be even more vigilant and observant going into those situations.
Also never go alone. I did that a few times and got in some hairy situations, nothing life threatening thankfully, but I at least take my 75lb dog with me just in case something goes down. I also let a friend know where I will be and give them a time frame to expect a follow up call from me.
tl;dr: Have cash in hand ready to buy or you won't get it. And never go alone.
DW found ours on Craigslist in Phoenix. Advertised for $450 and we got it for $300. The PO lives on a HOA subdivision and HOA was giving him grief about it being on the driveway. Personally, I think it is a good find for us. It is useable and we have been camping with. Doing improvements in the meantime. Even installed a A/C & heating on it.
I use a couple sites when I'm eyeballing campers
http://www.camperfinds.com/popup-campers
http://http://lehigh-valley-rv.....n/mash.cgi
http://http://claz.org/lehigh-.....shows.html
Most of those sites draw from other sites.
I bought my first :chief: Apache :chief: through CL.
Another CL success here too. I found our current popup advertised early last year for a reasonable price. It was mostly a factor of good timing, I think. Like WOP31, I wound up taking my BIL with me as a second set of eyes and second BS detector.
I also sold our old popup the same way. Both transactions went smoothly, and everyone went home happy.
I've sold a couple of items on CL ...
But are there ever scam artist working the scene on every item ... from the would be buyers to the would be sellers. What was that deal I just saw on the news ... somebody lists a car for a great selling price and when there's a responder, they are told all kinds of wonderful things about the car and then the buyer is instructed to bring cash ... but when they get there, it's an armed robbery! I would be wary also about meeting someone at some strange place to buy a popup camper, too!
"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" still is in effect especially when it comes to craigslist. I have bought numerous guitars and guitar related items I found through craigslist as well as a truck cap over the last few years and I always follow a few simple rules.
#1- Never, ever, respond to a craigslist add using your every day email, open a free email account at yahoo or hotmail and only use that for communication. A lot of those ads are placed to mine for email addresses. Same go's for ad's that say "respond by text message". Got Spam?
#2- If you are really interested in something, and you think its legit, make sure you talk to the person via phone. That is in no way a 100% guarantee but first impressions mean a lot, even if its a phone call. Follow your instincts.
#3- Always try and deal locally, or within a reasonable distance from home. The only two times I made an exception to this was a truck cap I found outside of Columbus OH and a guitar I found in Philadelphia. I found those both on the local Columbus and Philly craigslists. If someone lists something on say, the Pittsburgh craigslist, and their location is say Chicago IL, there is a reason for that. Either its a scam, or the thing is listed way above what it is actually worth.
#4- Always remember...............buyer beware.
I have sold and bought a few items of other people on line.. mostly for things I found kijiji (similar to craigslist but Canadian). Generally I have met them all at coffee shops or busy places to do the exchange of goods for money. I even have met people I have bought ebay stuff from, easier then dealing with shipping and they get their cash sooner... My BAL leveler was bought this way as well... saw the posting on "another site" knew the guy was sort of local mailed him and picked up at a coffee place 15 minutes from his house..... the bike rack that I bought for my tonneau cover rack (I'll post that mod in the summer) I picked up at the sellers house.. same for the brand new (10 month old) mounted snow tires I bought for the DW's Caliber paid the gent $235 four the complete set... picked up at his house..
Unless your going to someone's house and i mean house not apartment, then I would insist on making the transaction at a busy location like a coffee shop or some place like that.. it protects both you and the other person.. Also helps if you have a second person with you, just to keep an eye out..... at minimal take the dog for a drive.. 😉
I bought my old Dutchmen 1002xs popup off Craigslist....no problem. Kept it for a couple of years and then sold it on Craigslist. Some lady drove down from Kansas all the way to Norman, Oklahoma and bought it sight unseen (except for pictures on the internet), all though we held quite the conversations via email.
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