Craigslist, overseas call

/pine · Mar 13, 2010

As a seller, be it on e-bay, craig's list...it does not matter... a few simple rules and you will never get taken...

most imporant rule is to state you payment methods...

if a buyer sends you a check all you have to do is call the bank the check is drawn on and verify the available funds...do not ship the item until the financial transaction is complete and finalized.

MarkV · Mar 13, 2010

I have to go with the consensus of opinion. An item that is selling for less than 3k, hasn't been inspected, overseas buyer, phone negotiations, the shipping costs involved, just doesn't add up.

MarkV

Bird · Mar 13, 2010

Mousefield said:
Bird, interesting reading. Suspect that many people don't report they have been scammed so the totals are probably much higher.

That's my opinion, too. I had one case of an elderly retired attorney who got scammed for $10,000 in a "pigeon drop". He did not want a police report made because he didn't want his family or anyone else to know about it. But he decided to tell officers about it and said in the event the crooks should be found and arrested for something else, or in the event he was ever able to identify the thieves, then he would be willing to prosecute and let people know what happened.

EddieWalker · Mar 13, 2010

The part that he wanted to negotiate the price is what makes me wonder if he was for real or not. If he was trying to scam you, then I'd think he'd accept the price regardless of what it is because he's not really planning on buying it anyway.

That said, I have a few friends in Australia, and shipping is not the problem with getting things there, it's the tax that is added to it. Gifts or anything else are taxed to an extreme when shiped into Australia, and because of that, when my friends come here, they don't bring a suitcase, but go back with two that are filled with clothes that they work real hard to make look like they are not brand new.

You might have blown a deal, but the headache and time to make it work would probably have made it not worthwhile.

Eddie

charlz · Mar 13, 2010

Shipping a welder is probably a bit complicated because of the size but I sold a Dillion MKIII/Henrob 2000 via Ebay to a guy in Australia. Fit in a USPS standard box so that made things easy as far as shipping. Payment was via Paypal. Everything went smoothly. Have also sold and shipped things to Canada. I think the cheap US Dollar makes things look appealing if they can get it for the right price. Used items may not show up there as often considering the US has 6x the population of Australia there is probably a better chance of finding what you want when you are buying from the US as a whole.

JB4310 · Mar 13, 2010

I was part of the scam to get your CONfidence he needed you to play ball a little, thinking you were getting into a legitimate negotiation.
Good thing you were half asleep, let your instincts do the talking, if you were more awake you may of fallen for his ploy.

I always thought a conman meant the guy was an ex convict, of course that's not the case. it's all about gaining your confidence, then you just give up what they want, feeling good about it till you realise you've been had.

JB.

AlanB · Mar 13, 2010

EddieWalker said:
The part that he wanted to negotiate the price is what makes me wonder if he was for real or not. If he was trying to scam you, then I'd think he'd accept the price regardless of what it is because he's not really planning on buying it anyway.

That said, I have a few friends in Australia, and shipping is not the problem with getting things there, it's the tax that is added to it. Gifts or anything else are taxed to an extreme when shiped into Australia, and because of that, when my friends come here, they don't bring a suitcase, but go back with two that are filled with clothes that they work real hard to make look like they are not brand new.

You might have blown a deal, but the headache and time to make it work would probably have made it not worthwhile.

Eddie

As I think about it more and more, I think your last line hits the nail on the head Eddie. At some point that is why I use craigslist to do things local and minimize the hassle (although selling things is always a hassle to me) and did not want to put this thing on e-bay or the like.

I hate to not sell it, but if it ends up being a big mess, then I would not be ahead then either.

jinman · Mar 14, 2010

AlanB said:
As I think about it more and more, I think your last line hits the nail on the head Eddie. At some point that is why I use craigslist to do things local and minimize the hassle (although selling things is always a hassle to me) and did not want to put this thing on e-bay or the like.

I hate to not sell it, but if it ends up being a big mess, then I would not be ahead then either.

Alan, I want to call you the next time you are taking a nap and tell you that I want to buy your welder. I'll think up hundreds of excuses that are really my problems and try to get you to reduce your price.

Seriously, shipping is his problem and should have no bearing on what you are asking for your welder. If you want to offer a discount, I'd say to do it to someone local and tell them to show up with cash in hand. This sounds to me like an Aussie who can't sleep at night and decides to peruse craigslist and try to make a deal just for fun. I think you did the right thing.

dcyrilc · Mar 14, 2010

It would be interesting to hear the thoughts of some of our Austrailian members.

I agree that shipping a genny would be a PITA. I don't know if UPS would handle something like that or not...I doubt that USPS would. Too big, too heavy. Even if it wasn't a scam, I have to agree that it would take more effort than it was worth.