getting sick of the CL scams

[AngryScientist]

i e-mailed a seller this morning about a pinnerello for sale on CL, asking for more pictures. this is the e-mail i got back:

hello ,sure but also forgive me i moved right now at my parents(my father have some health problems and i need to take care of him),and i didnt know this problem when i post the item,so if you decide to buy we will close the transaction via FreightCo,they have refund options,the transaction will be insured and secured ,so please let me know your decision,thank you


i know this has been complained about 1000 times, and really i half expect this when i high end bike pops up on CL, but it really is getting tiresome, for entertainment value i may as well string this guy along for a little while. sigh.

[StellaBlue]

You'll show him... :rolleyes:

[Liberace]

Josephine is trustworthy!

[rugbysecondrow]

It seems CL has gotten much worse lately with much more junk and spam. It used to be a great corner of the web, but it seems to have turned a little junky.

[AngryScientist]

Josephine is trustworthy!

ha, clearly we read the troll the same CL ads.

what i'd be interested to know is how many people actually fall for this stuff a year. i guess all it takes is one to make it worthwhile for them.

[bicyclego]

Agreed, it does seem (for bikes at least) that there is a lot more spam. Generally easy to detect, though many are no longer as obvious as the OP's example. They've been getting a little more clever, some even seem to know their stuff (or are at least brushing up on the topic); However, I've never had anyone go much more than a follow up email to turn them over. Usually subtle, but some how they always unearth themselves (maybe because they're ESL).

I spend a lot more time checking folks out before I do deals, buying or selling.

[FlashUNC]

Funny you should mention that. I know a foolproof way to end CL scams forever. Just wire an exorbitant amount of money to this offshore escrow account (don't worry, its completely legit and totally reliable) and I can tell you how.


Yeah, its a shame, but when I buy through CL, I try to meet the person and actually see what I'm buying before doing deal.

[BobbyJones]

i e-mailed a seller this morning about a pinnerello for sale on CL, asking for more pictures. this is the e-mail i got back:

i know this has been complained about 1000 times, and really i half expect this when i high end bike pops up on CL, but it really is getting tiresome, for entertainment value i may as well string this guy along for a little while. sigh.

Really though, what are you expecting when you see bikes with a fair market value in the thousands advertised for $800?

[leooooo]

I like the counter offers better than the scams.

Was selling my fixed commuter for 500 bucks.

Got an offer for 100 dollars and a slice of pizza around my neighborhood. :confused:

I countered with 450 and a whole pie instead of a slice.

[fiamme red]

I like the counter offers better than the scams.

Was selling my fixed commuter for 500 bucks.

Got an offer for 100 dollars and a slice of pizza around my neighborhood. :confused:

I countered with 450 and a whole pie instead of a slice.Now that's funny. :D

[bigflax925]

I like the counter offers better than the scams.

Was selling my fixed commuter for 500 bucks.

Got an offer for 100 dollars and a slice of pizza around my neighborhood. :confused:

I countered with 450 and a whole pie instead of a slice.

And? Did that seal the deal? :p

There's actually a whole community dedicated to scamming these scams.

Some of these are quite entertaining if you have a sophmoric sense of humor like I do! (http://www.419eater.com/index.php) :banana:

[AngryScientist]

And? Did that seal the deal? :p

There's actually a whole community dedicated to scamming these scams.

Some of these are quite entertaining if you have a sophmoric sense of humor like I do! (http://www.419eater.com/index.php) :banana:

i like that site.

[jmoore]

I like the counter offers better than the scams.

Was selling my fixed commuter for 500 bucks.

Got an offer for 100 dollars and a slice of pizza around my neighborhood. :confused:

I countered with 450 and a whole pie instead of a slice.

It depends on what kind of pizza they were offering.

[bike22]

a "slice" [of pizza] is slang for a small quantity of drugs.

[tuxbailey]

My rule and obvious tell tale sign:

If the poster has no space behind commas and periods before the word for the whole paragraph, then it is a scam.

[leooooo]

a "slice" [of pizza] is slang for a small quantity of drugs.

lol, now i know!

But a hundred in cash and 400 dollars worth of drugs? I take 500 cash. ;)

Eventually sold it for 500. Still loving CL, Ebay, Serotta Forums, and US/UK online retailers, nothing but good experiences for me :D

[rugbysecondrow]

Oddly, I have been getting spam and scam mail from even small dollar listings or free items I have put on CL. It is a realy PITA.

[kramnnim]

And? Did that seal the deal? :p

There's actually a whole community dedicated to scamming these scams.

Some of these are quite entertaining if you have a sophmoric sense of humor like I do! (http://www.419eater.com/index.php) :banana:

I just spent a good half hour reading through a few of those email conversations...thanks for the laugh...lol.

[Charles M]

I just bought some rubber gym flooring off craigs list... another great deal and super easy transaction from a friendly seller.

That said, the only thing I ever buy from craigs list will be things never requiring any sort of customer service and anything over a hundred bucks I carry cash to the seller and inspect.


death, taxes, human nature...

No way I waste a second of my valuable living time expecting any of those things to not be what they've always been.

[Steve in SLO]

Oddly, I have been getting spam and scam mail from even small dollar listings or free items I have put on CL. It is a realy PITA.
I've had this problem, too. I recently listed some snow cables for $30 an what I got back was 5 spam replies and one real deal. I might decide to list my email in the ad instead of the autogenerated reply.
I will never put my phone number in an ad again. I did it once when I sold a motorcycle, and came to the conclusion that there are an awful lot of lonely/bored/underemployed folks who want to talk motorcycles out there.

[dogdriver]

Get the fake cashier's check for your scrapbook!