Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with craigslist

Nigerian scammer has my info...help!

jnnla — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:29:15 -0800

A Nigerian Scammer has my full name and webpage address...what should I watch out for? I did something stupid. Very stupid. I posted an ad on craigslist to sell some high end electronics that I am looking to get rid of. Right off the bat I got a scam reply from an individual asking for my paypal ID and saying that he wants to purchase the item and have it sent to his "cousin" who lives out of the country. I am familiar with all sorts of internet scams, and red-flagged this one immediately. A google search yielded similar emails using the same script. At any rate...I never respond to these...and when I do respond to craigslist buyers I use an anonymous email account.

This morning, however, I was feeling punchy and retorted back "Your cousin doesn't happen to live in Nigeria does he?" As soon as I hit send, I realized I had replied from my personal email address, with my full name and website in the signature. Big booboo.

So...this guy trying to scam me has my name and my internet address. Things I am worried about:

-That he may attempt to get my SSN
-That he may do a Denial of Service attack on my site
-That he may somehow steal my identity or use my mistake to his advantage

What should I be watching out for? I know I can't place a fraud alert on my SSN...but how reasonable are my concerns? Would love some insight to help damage control my bad impulse...Thanks!

I bought it, then I sold it.

913 — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:29:16 -0800

What are the best things to clean up and resell on craigslist for profit? I have no restrictions. Show me what you got.

What is a dead car worth?

anastasiav — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:40:59 -0800

I own a 1997 VW Golf that threw a rod in 2004 and has been sitting (inside a garage) ever since. Donating it to charity has no tax benefit for me. It needs to go. Does it have any cash value at all? If so, how much? I've been looking on Craigslist, and there have been some '97 Golf "parts cars" listed recently in the $300 - $500 range, but who knows if those sold? Would a junkyard pay me anything for it? If the engine and tires were replaced, I suspect it would run ok - is there some DIY High School car enthusiast who is dying to take this car off my hands and make it into their ride?

I saw this but my car has no KBB value because it doesn't actually run.

Best Way to Sell Household Goods?

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:26:11 -0800

In six months, I am moving to Alaska. What is the best way to sell my household goods? I won't need furniture, kitchen supplies, etc. up there. I currently have the standard accoutrements of a post-college, big-city young professional; most of my furniture is nice but of the Ikea variety, my dishware and appliances range from meh to nice, and I have tons of books. I'm going to be flying up, so I need to fit everything I take into three suitcases and a carry-on. My parents can take custody of some stuff (probably mostly books) but not furniture. I don't want to put anything into storage.

Of course I've thought of Craigslist, but is there a better way? I'd like to maximize the cash I can put away from selling my things. I'm also interested to know what the proper timeline is. Can I expect to get rid of a one-bedroom apartment's worth of stuff in a month? Two months? Two weeks? I live in a large East Coast city with a reputation for transiency. Any bonus moving to Alaska (Anchorage) tips also appreciated!

Anonymous because I haven't given notice at work, and won't for a while. Throwaway email: movingtoalaska10@gmail.com

He bought my freezer, and now it's broken.

c:\awesome — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:25:20 -0800

I sold a used 24 cf chest freezer on Craigslist, and a few days later the buyer calls and wants his money back because it stopped working. What's the right thing to do? I moved into a new house, and in the basement was a large chest freezer. Awesome, but I don't need it. The freezer worked flawlessly for the first three months I lived here, so I listed it on craigslist and someone came by, looked at it, and bought it. I helped him load it into his truck, and off he want. End of story, right? Nope...

He calls back a few days later and says it's now broken. He tells me he went to plug it in after the move, and can hear that "the compressor attempts to 'click' on but doesn't."

Naturally, he wants his money back. I know that legally I don't have to do anything, but morally? I'm not so sure. How do I know the freezer didn't get banged up in the move?

What's the right thing to do here?

Some questions about selling a car

crapmatic — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:01:22 -0800

Car selling questions: (1) Is there any reason for me, as a seller, not to disclose the VIN in a car ad, say on Craigslist? A Carfax lookup would reflect favorably on this car, but I don't know if there are "car identity thief" issues here. I know dealers list VINs all the time. (2) What is considered a reasonable precaution if someone wants to take a test drive or have their mechanic inspect the car? I'm not sure what would stop a thief from asking for a test drive and then never coming back. This is an older model car so I don't have any loss/damage coverage, but I'm guessing I should until it's sold.

Craigslist rentals near my current location on the iPhone?

waxpancake — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:02:27 -0800

Is there an iPhone app (or location-aware website) that will show me Craigslist rentals near my current location? Amazingly, every app I've looked at is either:
1. City-wide Craigslist listings that doesn't show stuff near me, or
2. Apartment listings near me, but not sourced from Craigslist.

I can't believe a need this obvious hasn't been addressed yet. Am I wrong?

Need a new(ish) computer

Brandon1600 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:15:07 -0800

I am looking to buy a used computer off of Craigslist and I would like a few tips on how not to get burned. The advertisement states:

I have had this desktop for about 2years and it has been a great computer. I used to use it as my main machine and as a gaming machine, but now that I dont really play any games anymore and I got a new laptop, I dont see myself needing this machine anymore. I currently have Windows Vista SP2 with all the updates currently installed, however I can install XP on it if one prefers it. The specs are as follows:

* Core2duo 1.6ghz processor
* 2gb of ram
* 250gb and 500gb harddrives are installed
* 512mb Nvidia GeForce graphics is installed
* Netgear wireless g card installed
* A tv tuner is installed and the pc includes a windows media center remote control.

I have also have a few PC games I won't need so if you are interested in them as well, I can sell them for a good price.

Bioshock
Fear
Fear Extract Point - expansion pack
Fable
Legacy of Kain - Defiance

He is selling this for $250. So:

A. Is this a good deal?
B. What sort of tests would you run and what things would you look for before handing your over your money?

I am looking to play older games so the age of the comp is okay. Thanks in advance.

Can I build a Craigslist Crawler?

wetpaint — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:01:00 -0800

Can I safely and legally build a Craigslist crawler? If so, help me figure out how! See inside for details... I want to have a crawler built to scan Craigslist in all U.S. cities. I'm launching a free online marketplace for the re-sale of niche products, and want to be able to contact Craigslist sellers to inform them about posting ads on my site. Is it legal? And if so, does anybody know what Craigslist has put in place to block this type of thing? Does CL have a daily e-mail limit? Do they change their parameters frequently so that crawlers have to be modified?

Hopefully, this doesn't raise anybody's evil-spammer-red-flags. I hope to never send an e-mail to anyone who wouldn't be interested! I'm just trying to reach a very targeted audience of sellers, and offering them a (free) alternative to CL. If there's something un-kosher about that, you can also let me know why. Nicely please :)

Thanks MeFites!

Craigslist automated notifications would be a good idea.

Dave. — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:30:14 -0800

Why hasn't anyone created a mainstream application/website to generate Craigslist notifications similar to EBay's "saved searches"? I'm not quite sure what I mean by "mainstream", but I do know that I've googled the heck out of it, and I can't find anything that appears to be risk free or just simply free ($).

How to buy a car from a person

exceptinsects — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:26:59 -0800

I am looking to buy a used car for cash from a local (CA) private party, not a dealer. What do I need to know? I am mainly looking on Craigslist, but other suggestions are welcome. I'm looking for a Toyota Echo, if it matters.

So...what should I look out for in terms of scams? (I am already aware of things like shipping cars from far away, etc.) I will of course get it checked by a mechanic but what else should I be aware of?

How should I actually pay for it? Certified check? Giant wad of cash? Goats? I'm expecting it to be in the $5k range.

I am also going to be selling my old car, which is a 1997 Corolla in "fair" condition. Is it better to try to sell it myself, or should I go to Carmax? If I do sell it myself, how should I ask for payment?

Bed bugs on Craigslist?

AaRdVarK — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:21:53 -0800

There's a bed frame I want for a great price on Craigslist. Should I worry about bed bugs? I've been eyeing this bed at Ikea, and I just found someone selling it on Craigslist for a third the price. I was all ready to go pick it up, and mentioned it to some friends who immediately responded with an emphatic "NO." Their concern was bed bugs. I explained that I wasn't getting a mattress, just the frame, but they were insistent that it didn't matter.

I know this is this something I should be concerned about. How concerned should I be though? It's less than a year old and coming from a nice building in the financial district. I'll definitely inspect the apartment and the frame before I make the purchase. Is there anyway I can treat the pieces before bringing them into my apartment to kill anything on them before I bring them in?

How to earn emergency funds, through Craigslist or otherwise?

justonegirl — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 09:12:35 -0800

What kinds of items can be sold on Craigslist for the most money? (Alternately, what are some jobs I could do for emergency funds, given my unique circumstances?) This is a bit awkward, but here goes. My family is going through a bit of a financial emergency right now, and I am trying to raise some funds ASAP. I've had a little bit of luck in the past selling a few items on Craigslist, but unfortunately, my most recent efforts haven't had any real bites, perhaps because there's not much demand for them (I've listed an entertainment center, some random Ikea furniture, server racks, various computer hardware, a metal DDR set, and a couple of high-dollar sporting goods gift cards, among other things). I think the items were priced very reasonably, and I've relisted everything with lower prices, still without luck. I imagine it's partly due to the economy and partly because we're not closer to the city (we're exactly at the halfway point between Baltimore and D.C.), but I didn't expect it to be this bad! Are there any categories of things that you know are typically hot sellers on sites like Craigslist?

Also, I'd love any other ideas for raising money -- a lot of the usual suggestions aren't working too well for us. My husband and I both put in about 60 hours a week in our business, which is largely successful (with the exception of this current time). We also have an active toddler to look after when we're not working. I am almost seven months into a high-risk pregnancy (insulin dependent diabetic, 2 compressed discs, among other things - ugh) so some of the things I used to do for spare cash, like waiting tables or bartending, are out. My husband has posted ads on Craigslist offering SEO services for small businesses, something he's pretty genius at, but isn't having any luck there. I've sent my extra jewelry into Cash4Gold, which sucked, and have been looking for any kind of online/telecommuting work. We are tentatively planning a yard sale for the end of August but frankly don't have a lot of stuff to sell -- we Freecycled a lot of things in our wealthier days, and are the complete opposite of packrats. Our families and friends are not in a position to help (we've explored that option).

It kills me to sound so negative here, with all the things we "can't" do; I just wanted to put some background out there in case it affects anyone's answers. Again, any input on successful Craigslist selling, quick-paying type jobs, etc. would be deeply, deeply appreciated. Thanks so much.

How much trouble am I in?

Anonymous — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:52:07 -0800

So, I inadvertently sent my phone number and address to a Craigslist Scammer. What problems could this pose me? So, I fell for one of those "seems a little too cheap" Craiglist housing ads. I didn't send the guy any money, but I did send him an e-mail, and I foolishly forgot to leave off a signature containing my phone number, name, and address. What's the worst thing he can do with this information, and is there anyway to stop it?

Gemstone scam?

PowerCat — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:01:30 -0800

A friend of mine has become involved in a new... "job" It sounds too good to be true so it must be! Basically, this "job" involves my friend receiving very specific money transfer requests from some dude he found on craigslist.

He gets a transfer, sometimes western union, sometimes an interac or email transfer, he then has to cash it and transer it to someone else. The guy usually wants this done within the next hour or so.

The guy explained that what he's doing is getting clients to buy gem stones over the internet or something, then he has to transfer it in my friend's name and then he has to collect the money and transfer it to some other person (A NIGERIAN!)

Is this some sort of money laundering scam? I really don't know what's up with whole deal and I'd like to know if there are ricks for him at all? My friend's name is on all these transfers...
Any info is appreciated.

Someone bought THAT?

SweetTeaAndABiscuit — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:39:11 -0800

Help me find some hidden treasures. With an eye to both decluttering and raising some much-needed cash, I've been looking around my home for things that might be resaleable on Craigslist, eBay, etc. It occurs to me that there are probably things that would be sellable that simply haven't occurred to me. What are some unusual, obscure, or downright off-the-wall things you've bought or sold or heard that someone else has?

Warranty for Craigslist Item

theyexpectresults — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:22:18 -0800

I am selling a computer (macbook) on craigslist, and some of the potential buyers are asking about a warranty. What sort of warranty should I write? This is in Tokyo, and I've heard that asking for some kind of warranty/agreement about computers electronics is not uncommon in Japan. So if I told people that I wouldn't give a warranty, i.e. they would just come and inspect it for themselves, then I might not have many buyers left.

The machine is a 3 year old macbook, with a few upgrades. It's physical condition has been accurately described in the ad (few chips to the case), but I am worried that anyone could find something to complain about, since I can't describe everything. Battery life is poor, kind of erratic so I don't know how to put I figure on it (i.e. I can't guarantee 2 hours battery life or anything).

Any advice on how to write such a warranty is welcome.

Free Furniture?

bobertdude — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:43:58 -0800

What about free furniture on Craigslist? I'm in need of a desk and a couch, and I know Craigslist and other classifieds sites have a lot of old furniture people are giving away. Do you think it's a good idea? Is there a systematic way you can determine whether the furniture you're getting for free is "safe"?
I know this seems like an odd question, but I don't wanna pick up a seemingly safe sofa from someone only to find myself with a rash on my rump or something due to some unknown problem with the couch. How does one determine how clean furniture is?

Craigslist Etiquette

Anonymous — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:00:47 -0800

Is it rude to not respond to someone on Craigslist? So, I posted on the missed connections on the CL of my city a week or so ago, and I got a response from someone who turned out to be the guy I saw. (I'm female.) He told me to send him a picture of myself, and that maybe we could get a drink sometime. I sent him a picture. This was Friday, and I have yet to see a reply.

I'm still kind of holding out hope (tell me if you think that's a bad idea), and I know that it sounds like I really want this, and I do (for a variety of reasons, but I'm seeing a therapist). But that's not really the issue here. This is: whenever I tell people about it, they tell me it's rude and that the least he could have done was responded back. I mean, I agree, and everything, but honestly: do they have a point? Are they right? I've been on the receiving end before, but it was on casual encounters, where such pickiness is kind of expected. I don't know why, but it seems more assholish to do it on MC.

What do you, the hive mind, think about this situation? And the answer is supposed to be obvious to me: I have Asperger's, so I'm extremely bad at navigating social situations and reading people. Thanks in advance.

How can I determine the mattresses I'm looking at are real TempurPedics?

stewiethegreat — Sat, 02 May 2009 23:51:13 -0800

I'm trying to buy a used TempurPedic mattress on craigslist as a gift for a family member who wants one. I know next to nothing about mattresses- how do I make sure I actually get a genuine TempurPedic? My Grandma wants a TempurPedic mattress. She knows we're looking at used, and she is ok with that, but she wants a genuine TempurPedic mattress. Beyond looking at tags, is there any way to tell if I am looking at the real deal when I go to see mattresses from craigslist? How much should a genuine Full/Twin in good condition be?

Thank you!

To swat a scammer?

ConstantineXVI — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:21:21 -0800

I have a foreign scammer trying to get me on a Craigslist item that just won't take the hint and give up. Should I ignore them, or should I make their lives miserable? Few days ago, posted a link to a phone on our local Craigslist. The likely scammer's reply is word-for-word as follows:

Thanks for getting back to me concerning the inquiry mail i sent to you about the item and i will like to let you that am so serious in buying this from you, i live at Tynen Starbucks here in US residing in Brooklyn.The price of the item is okay with me.so i want you to know that i will not be able to come over to you to make the pick up and pay in cash due to the fact that am at the camp for a Rugery Coaching in Florida, i will be much glad if you can handle the shipping down to my partner who was currently transferred from USA to Benue Republic at oversea with his team on a research on Human development under world Health Organization also you will be mailing the item out through the US local post office United EMS Express Speed post mail (USPS)down to my partner,i will be paying you through a {USA}paypal or (USA) money order,i have agreed to mail out as bank paypal of $330 for you on my behalf to cover the shipping fees.all i will be needing now from you is your paypal account name and e-mail account address.so that i can send your account info to paypal for the money transfer..i will be expecting the info from you now, so that i can send it to paypal for the instant money transfer.

Gave a reply that amounted to "go away, don't bother". The scammer replied back with "please send me your paypal posthaste". I've gone back and forth a few times, poking a new hole in their story each time, yet they won't give in. Should I just let this one go? Or is there somewhere I can submit them to either:
a) warn others?
b) torture them until they give up scamming?

Subletting help

pulled_levers — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:39:28 -0800

I am a fairly inexperienced college student planning to sublet my room (currently renting) for the summer. What's the right way to go about this? (Some lease problems inside) I moved into this place in January and I am still not on the lease. Ever since I moved in, I assumed that my mom (this is my first time renting) signed and paid my security deposit for me. One of my housemates who handles delivering our rent checks to the landlord--most of the housemates have never seen the landlord--just informed me a few weeks ago that I am not on the lease.

I want to sublet this room for the summer. My housemates tells me that the lease lasts till June/July before it has to get renewed. So, I have a few questions:

1. Should I sign onto the lease now even though it'll need to be renewed in July? And how do I renew a lease when I am in a different state?

2. My room is a little less than $400 without utilities. I would be leaving my bed, desk, lamp and a fan. It seems that I should be charging higher than just the cost of the room because I am subletting a furnished room to a stranger. Thoughts? aka what would you charge?

3. What are some things I should be careful of/be sure to include in my ad? I'm going to be using craigslist to post the ad and I know that my rent is one of the cheapest you can get for a single room in this area. This is probably because the room is TINY and the window sucks.

Room Description: It is a small, but fully furnished room in a 6 person house. The house comes with a wide driveway that accommodates 6 cars, a washer/dryer, 2 bathrooms, a TV, large backyard, internet connection, and a large, furnished kitchen. There is a college shuttle stop two minutes walking from the house. Otherwise, the campus is a 15 minute walk away.

Thanks in advance!

What scam are these macbook box bandits running?

miniminimarket — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:38:03 -0800

We've had to buy five macbooks in three years because of a couple of apartment break-ins. Now we're moving (because of apartment break-ins). I put up the old macbook boxes up for free (seem too nice just to recycle) on Craigslist and got a surprising number of takers. Is there a scam here? We ripped off the old serial numbers on the boxes, so that's useless for them. But I don't want to find out I'm giving away boxes so some jerk can sell his freshly stolen macbook (possibly my macbook) as "new in box." Is this something people do? Or do nice people need macbook boxes too? Thanks in advance.

Business being defamed on Craigslist. What can I do?

grammalvsu — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:56:34 -0800

Hi, a competitor keeps defaming my business on Craigslist, calling me a scammer and what not. This hurts because I get most of my business from Craigslist. I've refrained from doing anything about it so far besides politely asking him why he's doing it and requesting that he stop, because I didn't want to escalate things, and I hoped that if I seem nice maybe he'd just drop it eventually . But to no avail. He's kept up regular posts several times a day now for almost 4 months!

So I guess I actually need to step up. I threatened legal action recently, but he hasn't stopped and hasn't responded. So now I suppose that's what I'll have to contemplate even though I just despise getting into anything like that.

Can anyone give me advice on how difficult and expensive it would be to file a defamation case like this, or what my best options are? Any cheap and easy way to do this?

Or are there some good non-lawsuit-related alternatives I should try before I take this to the courts?

Thank you!

Where to post flyers/ advertise for free in Chicago? And in general, how to get hired for a block party?

lblair — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:51:15 -0800

Where to post flyers/ advertise for free in Chicago? And in general, how to get hired for a block party? Hey hey Chicagoland Mefites.

I'm expanding my little business that I use to pay tuition- I work b-day parties and block parties as a face painter. I'm looking for a way to effectively advertise for free- specific to Chicagoland.

I've been getting an OK response from craigslist, but I want more business. Besides, I understand that people are probably reluctant to hire someone from CL for their kid's party! I posted some flyers in my local Jewel and Dominicks, but no response so far. I checked my local library, but their bulletin board is non-profit only. A friend of mine has offered to help me put together a little website, so that should help, but in the meantime- any other ideas? Specific is good- if you know of a particular store/coffee shop/ whatever in the area that has a bulletin board, what and where is it? Of course, places where people with kids would go are ideal. I'm willing to devote an entire day to driving around and putting up my little flyers, I just don't know where to go. But block party season is rapidly approaching and I'm trying to figure out the most effective way to get that business. For any of you who have organized block parties . . . how did you find your entertainment? Also, when it comes to putting up flyers in grocery stores, what Chicago neighborhoods would you recommend/discourage (i.e. where do people with kids tend to live or not live?) I don't have kids, I have no clue. Oh and suburbs are fair game too. My business seems to be about 50/50 in the burbs and in the city proper.

Thanks everyone, for your infinite wisdom :-) any and all advice on how to improve my little business is welcome.