Buying gear on Craigslist - out of state

[lespaul_79]

Hi, Sorry if there's a million post about this....

But how do u buy gear that is out of state on craigslist? Any advise would be awesome.

Would I pay 1st or should I have them ship it to me? Kind of a which comes 1st, chicken or the egg?

Any advice if it's a lemon? Is PayPal good for this?

That's a lot of questions... Thanks a lot.
ckg

[jim simpson]

Within the last month, I've sold music related items out of state from my ads on craigslist. In both cases, the buyers agreed to the price plus shipping and paypalled me in advance. I shipped them promptly and insured. I finally gave in after initially not wanting to ship a pair of vintage speaker cabinets to California but the buyer offered extra money for the trouble of packaging them up. I have sold other things in the past that I've shipped under similar circumstances and have only had positive outcomes.

[allenhopkins]

Bought a Gibson tenor lute from a guy in CA who'd listed it on CraigsList, then sent me a link when I mentioned on the Cafe that I would like to have a TL. I'd say the secret is to have an extensive series of contacts with the seller ahead of time. Many sellers, if they're not regular merchants who sell frequently, don't take PayPal. I had to send this seller a cashier's check -- risky, but we had e-mailed and talked on the phone, negotiated a selling price and shipping arrangements, and he seemed legit. Which, in fact, he was: I sent him the check, he sent me the instrument USPS after he received it, I e-mailed him back when it arrived. It was just as represented, well-packed and undamaged.

You need to satisfy yourself ahead of time that you're dealing with a reliable seller. No guarantees, but you can tell a lot after a few phone calls or e-mails. If the seller takes PayPal, by all means go that route.

Don't consider myself naive, but in my experience most people aren't crooks or swindlers. They try to be honest; sometimes they may not be knowledgeable, and be unaware of defects or problems, or be unrealistic about market values. Doesn't mean they're dishonest. Use of common sense, and acquiring as much information as possible before completing the transaction, will usually take you through.

[Barry Wilson]

I don't know. I am so leary about dealing with out of area sellers. I have been playing with rc cars, helicopters and such for many years. I shipped a scale helicopter to a fellow in the states without payment so he could look it over and we discuss amounts. back in the day. trust used to be there. but over the years the amount of scammers has increased. I have been taken for $1000. had great communication before the sale etc. I kept all documentation, got screwed. The local police where he lived wouldn't even visit, the only recourse was for me to travel to California and file in person, which would have cost more than what I lost.

to me craigslist is even worse and it's a dumping grounds for selling stolen merchandise

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Definitely there is risk involved with little or no recourse if things go south. There's another thread about this right now from another member who may have been scammed:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?79642-I-think-i-ve-been-scammed-craigslist-mandolin

[barney 59]

Communication is the key and wanting something so much that you throw caution to the wind is a fatal error. If it don't feel right,don't feel embarrassed-- back away! Your trust and your feeling that your inconveniencing someone else is the scammer's best friend. Craig's List has a little warning thing at the top of the page --you should read it, it suggests among other things to buy locally.

[Earl Gamage]

Hi, Sorry if there's a million post about this....

But how do u buy gear that is out of state on craigslist? Any advise would be awesome.

Would I pay 1st or should I have them ship it to me? Kind of a which comes 1st, chicken or the egg?

Any advice if it's a lemon? Is PayPal good for this?

That's a lot of questions... Thanks a lot.
ckg

Do not do it. If you deal with a dishonest person and you give them your money there is nothing you can do about it if they don't send you the item.

Earl

[P.D. Kirby]

Three words--DON'T DO IT !!!