So Craigslist.. How about some "Are You Kidding me Stories?" - Page 3

I always get a mixed bag of nuts on CL. i run different adds from Buying, to selling, free stuff and services. So I get a pretty wide range of stupid, funny, and insulting emails. I don not post my phone number at all and most times I don't give out my number until I get the warm a fuzz.



Best one. I cleaned out a house and ended up with a bunch of craft crap (so i thought) I posted it for free and bunch of people emailed with will you bring it to me? How much stuff is it? Will you hold it for me? etc. Finally a lady came and got it and she actually told me there is good stuff in there and gave me $20. About a hour later I got this threading email from a guy who I told were the stuff was but he was too late. He sad it was illegal to offer free stuff on a first come first serve bases. Threaded me with legal action and bla bla bla. Said he was going to turn me into CL personal to have me band Bla Bla Bla.

Originally Posted by pwajunkie

I always get a mixed bag of nuts on CL. i run different adds from Buying, to selling, free stuff and services. So I get a pretty wide range of stupid, funny, and insulting emails. I don not post my phone number at all and most times I don't give out my number until I get the warm a fuzz.

Best one. I cleaned out a house and ended up with a bunch of craft crap (so i thought) I posted it for free and bunch of people emailed with will you bring it to me? How much stuff is it? Will you hold it for me? etc. Finally a lady came and got it and she actually told me there is good stuff in there and gave me $20. About a hour later I got this threading email from a guy who I told were the stuff was but he was too late. He sad it was illegal to offer free stuff on a first come first serve bases. Threaded me with legal action and bla bla bla. Said he was going to turn me into CL personal to have me band Bla Bla Bla.

so it would be perfectly legal to tell him to come on and get it after it's already gone... shoulda done it.

Originally Posted by pwajunkie

About a hour later I got this threading email from a guy who I told were the stuff was but he was too late. He sad it was illegal to offer free stuff on a first come first serve bases. Threaded me with legal action and bla bla bla. Said he was going to turn me into CL personal to have me band Bla Bla Bla.

I want to know how it is illegal to get rid of your stuff for free?

I ran into this many times. Here I am a guy who just wants something gone and wants to do a NICE thing by not trying to make a buck off it. I tend to put things on CL for free on my kids stuff that they have outgrown. I'm looking to "pay it forward" When my kiddos were little a lot of people gave us things.. We never even asked.. they would just say "Hey I have a bag of boys clothes my son has outgrown- you can have them" or Toys we got as say Christmas gifts like a tricycle. My daughter couldn't ride the thing anymore- so we gave it away.

I got so fed up with the Free section trying to help another human being out I nearly gave up on it-- until I devised a plan.

Recently, I tore down a deck around my pool as the pool went kaput. I was looking at a $300 bill in order to rent a dumpster or haul it myself- both were in the same ballpark for the amount of wood I had. It was about 98% good wood- 2x6's, 4x4's, spindles and 5/4 lumber. I wanted to put it up on CL but knew there would be a fight if there were any takers. I had already torn it down- they just needed to haul it out and I offered to help them load it all.

So I posted this in the ad with the pics:

"I will be taking the first to contact me IN ORDER. So if you are the first person to contact me- you get first crack at it, you take what you want and then the next person will have their shot. This way I don't have people fighting over it or hurt feelings."

It worked out perfectly. I had lined up 6 people who wanted it. First dude came and took it all.. then sent the other 5 a message letting them know it was gone.

Here's a funny CL story that I got to hear. It didn't pertain to me personally, but it was being done by a local scrapper that was getting irritated with another specific guy that he would always see loading up stuff just as he was getting there. Usually beating him by less than 5 minutes.

This is pretty tactful and funny, and since it didn't involve anyone else specifically, i think it's rather funny.

This guy waited until he saw a decent score pop up on craigslist for free, and he wanted it, but he wanted to make sure this other dude didn't get there and start loading up before he had the chance. So he immediately posted a picture and listing for free copper wire, and left a "at the curb on the corner of X Ave and Y St" kinda thing. 20 miles in the other direction. And when he got to the stuff he wanted, it was still there. He started loading it up and the other guy shows up just as he was finishing. He stopped and talked to him for a minute and the guy told him that someone else had just beat him to a decent load of free copper, so it just wasnt his day.

Couple days later, same scenario. The guy lists 400' of free chain link that was just tore down, of course in the opposite direction of the load this guy wanted again, and he got to what he wanted, loaded it up, and saw the guy again while he was pulling off. Said the look on the face of the other guy this time was more one of "you MFer". Old guy was starting to get irritated.

So the next day something pops up and he decides, he's just going to play it fair, take his time, see what happens. He gets to this house, and the guy is there about to load up a broken down rider and he feeds him some BS about how he just got beat to some sheet about 5 miles away just before, so now there is a mythical 3rd person involved that is beating both of them to their free CL scores.

This story is something that is still in progress, but I thought I'd share it because I laughed a little bit, and it was absolutely CL related. have a good one boys (and girls)

Originally Posted by sledge

So I posted this in the ad with the pics:

"I will be taking the first to contact me IN ORDER. So if you are the first person to contact me- you get first crack at it, you take what you want and then the next person will have their shot. This way I don't have people fighting over it or hurt feelings."

It worked out perfectly. I had lined up 6 people who wanted it. First dude came and took it all.. then sent the other 5 a message letting them know it was gone.

I started doing the same thing for the same reason. Works great. I give the taker a window of time then move on to the next. It is amazing how stupid people can get when you are giving something away...

I was selling off some excess stuff, Miller welder, golf cart, 50cc scooter etc, got some calls , sold the welder. got several calls on the scooter and golf cart. Golf cart was $500 and scooter $100, the going rate for old carts here is about !500/1800 and scooters $300 but I just wanted them out of the way quickly. got calls for weeks. would you take $400 for the cart, ans yes, no show on all calls. several calls on scooter, after weeks of no sale got calls, would you take less ( Im on welfair, my husband left me, my kid needs it for school etc. OK $75. lol no one ever showed, still got em.

Originally Posted by olddude

I was selling off some excess stuff, Miller welder, golf cart, 50cc scooter etc, got some calls , sold the welder. got several calls on the scooter and golf cart. Golf cart was $500 and scooter $100, the going rate for old carts here is about !500/1800 and scooters $300 but I just wanted them out of the way quickly. got calls for weeks. would you take $400 for the cart, ans yes, no show on all calls. several calls on scooter, after weeks of no sale got calls, would you take less ( Im on welfair, my husband left me, my kid needs it for school etc. OK $75. lol no one ever showed, still got em.

Yeah drives me crazy too. I tell them I will not entertain any offers until they come and see the item. How can they judge the value of an item they have not even seen. I also go the other way on pricing. It seems higher prices bring more serious buyers...

It been setting for a year. probably won't start with out cleaning the carb etc.

Iv dealt with every single scenario listed above. Multiple times. Drives me nuts.

But what really drives me nuts, is when someone lists something for sale, THEN DOESNT ANSWER YOUR INQUIRIES.

Have been lookin for a toolbox for my truck for a while. Found one for $100 in real decent shape. No phone number, just email. Ok not Ideal but ill try. So i ask if its still available. Get a reply a few hrs later. Yes it is. So i say that id like to come have a look and that i would more than likely take it. No answer. Emailed a few other times, nothing..... SERIOUSLY? Fine by me, I'll go hand $100 to someone else. Its still online tonight.

Another guy has an enclosed 14ft trailer for sale. Iv emailed him atleast 3 times saying id like to come take a look. No answer. Not once. Its also still listed tonight.

Dont get it... I guess some people dont want to sell their stuff.

i have probably sold 200-300 items on CL in the past few years, and I haven't made a single purchase off of it. No joke. I have no idea what the buyers end of it looks like. I usually do my normal pick ups and buy big lots of this and that for pennies on the dollar via online and live auctions and sell it off/scrap what doesn't sell as i become sick of looking at it.

Originally Posted by phred59

I have no idea what the buyers end of it looks like.

Believe me.. it is just as jacked from the buyers side as it is from the sellers side on CL! World of the strange, stupid and ignorant. I have had a lot of good transactions both ways.. but it sure does give you a measure of the "IQ of 'merica" sometimes!

Man depending on what brand of scooter that was I'd probably be there the next day I seen it! Seeing as all I have I can drive i scooters

I am so over CL........I go back and forth between ebay and CL........I was so frustrated with Ebay I quit for 2 months...........I sell mostly computers on CL...........I realize how computer illiterate these people are and its frustrating........They ask a million questions and I either don't have the time or desire to answer them....LOL............Scrap is so down right now I am forced to re-sell my stash because alot of it I would break even or lose money scrapping it..........I have begun to screen CL people to the point that I have turned down several sales this week.........I give out as little info as I have to and if they start asking to many personal questions (like my full name) I tell them thanks but no thanks........Some people on CL are desperate to sell while others (like myself) it does not make a hill of beans if we sell it or not