Craigslist for Selling - Not as Great as I thought!

[RustyTheGeek]

After getting rolling a month or so ago trying to get some stuff sold, things seemed to be going well. I listed stuff, people bought it. Everyone was happy.

Now I'm starting to have Craigslist problems. So I gotta vent... Seems once you have more than a small handful of listings, like more than 5 or 6, they start "Ghosting" your listings. Ghosting is where everything appears to be fine except that the listing is never seen by anyone, ever. It doesn't show up in searches. It doesn't exist except on your account list of activity. You can't even find it by searching for the exact listing number.

Another issue is that there is a long list of rules about what can be in the listing and what can't. How it should read and how it shouldn't. Many points of what I am discovering are not in the Terms of Service. They are simply what the CL community apparently thinks. And if enough CL readers FLAG your listing, it will be removed. That is, if it isn't ghosted or deleted by the system first.

The frustrating part is that we are talking about listings that may have been good to go for a month or even a year but suddenly, it's not good. It's ghosted, flagged or deleted without any notice and you have no way to know what caused it. And if you try to relist it to fix the problem(s), it simply gets ghosted or deleted again.

So you go to the help forums. Oh, what a joy that is. Let's just say I felt like a kid with a nice camera and lens on the school yard and a group of forum volunteers proceeded to surround and gang up on me in about 2 min to criticize not only my poor attempt to be funny in the initial post title but belittle and criticize everything about the listing. Some of the input/feedback was helpful but in general, when I asked a question about why something was a potential problem, it was met with defensive retorts accusing me of feeling entitled, being stubborn or refusing to take the advice. In other words, hostile.

And there was a lot of "advice" on how I should write the listing, how I should not quote specs, prices, etc. If you have two listings that have similar text or titles, they could be flagged. And I should always state the AGE of say, a Lens. Unless it's NEW, then I shouldn't be listing it at all unless I list it as a dealer. And if I say for instance that a lens is SHARP, I am talking down to the reader. And if SHARP is in all caps, it will probably get flagged because that is shouting. No matter that there is no way to highlight or otherwise make text stand out at all since it is plain text with no formatting except caps. Oh, and no html, no links, no prices, no mention of eBay, etc. I think even having text in the image is a no-no. The list goes on and on. :

I even had one forum "helper" say that I was nuts if I thought someone was going to actually meet me with thousands of dollars in cash for photography equipment so I was most likely a scammer. Really??

So I'm just warning you that if you list something on CL, don't be surprised if you have trouble. Either the first day or day 43 something will go wrong and you'll likely never know what caused it. It's not the fun carefree CraigsList that it was a few years ago. Aaaargh!! :-[

 

[privatebydesign]

"I think even having text in the image is a no-no."

It is on eBay too.

I have done a few sales on CL for big stuff like law tractors and wheels and tyres and never had an issue, but the camera stuff has been put up here on CR (though I have never even had a PM about a single item from here!) and eBay, and what a den of issues eBay is too. It is so heavily favoured for the buyer and so expensive that I really can't be bothered with it. And eBay has lowered the value of everything, if something gets $100 on eBay then any local buyer will offer no more than $85 saying there is no 12.5% eBay/PayPal commission! But how did eBay wangle it so they get the online reduced price postage commission too?

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I've never had the issue, but some do. There are issues with people using software to flag competitors posts too.

I've had people meet me and pay for expensive gear, and I've laid out up to $4,400 for purchases, and many over $2,000.

Spokane is a smaller city, and its pretty easy to spot scams.

 

[JonAustin]

I've bought and sold a number of items (mostly camera gear and Jeep Wrangler parts / accessories) on my local Craigslist (Austin & San Antonio, Texas areas) with no issues. But one guy I sold a lens to this summer told me that our transaction was his first and only positive experience with a Craigslist seller. So you're not alone.

I've also bought and sold items on eBay and Amazon; there are costs associated with those sales, but you can cast a much wider net for potential buyers. I've had a few snags with Amazon's T's & C's, and eBay has its own set of quirks and peculiarities.

Bottom line, one of the great perks of the Internet is the ability to buy and sell stuff beyond the local retail environment, newspaper ads and yard / garage sales. Each individual has to determine for himself whether any particular marketplace suits his needs.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Bummer... I had the 'ghosting' thing happen a couple of times, but I noticed that was when I actually logged into my account then posted. I went back to posting without logging in first (then clicking the link in the autosent email), and haven't had the issue since. I assume it was a technical thing, since redoing the same listing the latter way an hour later posted normally.

Other than that and the normal 'I've just moved so I'll wire the money to a secure account in your name' scam, I've not had any issues buying and selling on CL. I've bought and sold dozens of pieces of camera gear, more sell than buy. When selling, I price appropriately, include product shots (white 'infinity' background, which for small items can even be a piece of copy paper), and I usually only need to list once (I've had to repost only a few times).

 

[RustyTheGeek]

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, last night was a rant. I was both irritated and disappointed that CL is yet again proof that if something cool can exist, it can be corrupted and ruined by a minority percentage of abusers. And I woke up a little cranky this morning too. CL was created to alleviate and provide a simple alternative to exactly what it has become. So sad.

I just want to sell some stuff slowly and not have it become a full time job, logistical nightmare or complete waste of time.

Several of you have expressed your experience, thanks for that. The most frustrating thing is that what works one time may not work tomorrow. I have tried to post a 70-200 f/4 IS lens 4 or 5 times, even trying from a completely different PC, location and ID and it still gets ghosted. I'm starting to understand why CL became a bigger target for serious hackers and is now fighting off DNS and other major cyber attack problems. They are pissing people off in droves. And if you need help, you get snide snarky smartass replies to your help request post where you are essentially told that it's a free service and you shouldn't be complaining because you are the problem, not CL. CL is perfect, it's everyone else who can't figure it out that are the problem. Oh, and I was told if I didn't like it, I should just go back to eBay where I belong.

Someone put up a pretty extensive Wordpress site about how bad Craigslist has become. There are a lot of complaints on consumer sites too. Wow. Seems things started really going downhill in 2013. Here is a page that explains ghosting and what they did before ghosting, which I remember.
https://craigslistpostingsecrets.wordpress.com/ghosting/

In general, I try to just roll with the punches and adapt. In the end, that's all you can do. I like using CL because I get to meet some nice people and I have had some great transactions the last couple months. For that reason I am concerned that I'll eventually have to stop CL if it becomes too much trouble. And that's just sad. Some days it just doesn't pay to get outta bed!! :

 

[Northstar]

I've never tried CL...now I don't think I will.

The last time I sold something I decided I didn't want the hassle of ebay /CL so I sold my E condition 24-105 to a local camera shop....I still regret selling it to them for their crappy offer of $450. Oh well.

Sorry to hear of your troubles Rusty.

 

[RustyTheGeek]

This experience is precisely why I would like to see a way to Buy & Sell here on CR. But I understand it's not easy for the mods, just more work. And CR will have to deal with all the scammers/spammers/trash that having a selling forum attracts.

It's like every picnic draws unwanted insects and potential bad weather when all you wanted to do was enjoy the day with some tasty snacks and a good drink. Sigh... :

 

[slclick]

My experience for CL has been mixed determined by the genre and type of customer interested in a particular item.
For example if I am selling a high end road bike part, the buyers are generally friendly, enthusiastic and agreeable.
If I am selling camera gear it's almost as pleasant of an experience but there have been a few times where it could have been a possible ripoff or shaky situation. That's why I always meet in the seating out front of the local Starbucks.

Now when it comes to ordinary household and yard items, that's when the creeps come out.

All in all I much rather prefer selling on Amazon Seller Central. The fee is worth the peace of mind and the protection.

 

[sanjosedave]

My experience has been mixed, too

Last week I posted my unused Epson R3000 for sale at a price below sold prices, $300, on ebay and received a single inquiry, and he wanted to give me $200, since I was firm on my price, he passed. I guess I should have posted a price of $400 and negotiated down from that.

When I buy, I've used a global CL search. It was helpful to find a cache of Vericolor 120 in NJ

 

[RustyTheGeek]

Another thing I came to realize pretty quickly...

The expensive stuff sells with a lot less hassle. For example: The used 60D I have had listed for almost two months still hasn't sold even after lowering the price. I've had more scam offers, low-ball offers and waste of time wafflers on that camera than anything else I have listed. In contrast, while I still get a few low-ballers, the 6D, 5D3 and 7D2 in general sold fairly quickly to actual photographers who simply wanted to meet, inspect and buy with cash. I usually enjoyed a nice conversation over coffee about photography or whatever topic came up.

I am possibly being naive about how folks use CL. I assume when folks want something they do a search, find some deals and contact the seller about purchase. I didn't realize (and I'm not sure I believe) that there is a whole "CL community" that spends their time browsing CL and "policing" or "flagging" numerous listings for mistakes or other minor things. Major spam/scam listings, sure. But again, maybe I'm just not tuned in to the true CL reality.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Another thing I came to realize pretty quickly...

The expensive stuff sells with a lot less hassle. For example: The used 60D I have had listed for almost two months still hasn't sold even after lowering the price. I've had more scam offers, low-ball offers and waste of time wafflers on that camera than anything else I have listed. In contrast, while I still get a few low-ballers, the 6D, 5D3 and 7D2 in general sold fairly quickly to actual photographers who simply wanted to meet, inspect and buy with cash. I usually enjoyed a nice conversation over coffee about photography or whatever topic came up.

Might be a geographical thing? I've had no trouble selling low value stuff. My T1i sold quickly, back in 2010. I recently sold a pair of B+W 77mm UV filters, a while back a Lumiquest Softbox III. I also recently sold a PocketWizard PowerMC2, a pretty specialized item in that it only works with the PCB Einstein monolight and you need to already have (or buy) a PW trigger (I'd already sold off my set of PW transceivers, the buyer had no need for the MC2). But likewise, no trouble selling higher end stuff (gripped 5DII, 100-400L, 16-35L II, etc.).

I am possibly being naive about how folks use CL. I assume when folks want something they do a search, find some deals and contact the seller about purchase. I didn't realize (and I'm not sure I believe) that there is a whole "CL community" that spends their time browsing CL and "policing" or "flagging" numerous listings for mistakes or other minor things. Major spam/scam listings, sure. But again, maybe I'm just not tuned in to the true CL reality.

I suspect that's most of it. But there's one guy on my local board that actively replies to items that are overpriced (near or even over retail pricing), and calls out apparent scammers.

 

[IgotGASbadDude]

I sold my D3200 (why did I buy Nikon?) after 13 months of listing. $800

I sold my 7D after 5 months of listing. $950

My most nerve wracking purchase was a Canon 1V HS that I bought from a pawn shop in LA. (the purchase turned out fine) $400.

I'm in the process of purchasing a 1DX. $5000 ish.

I've sold a Harley. $6,300.

Craigslist works, just ignore those negative nellies.

 

[RustyTheGeek]

I sold my D3200 (why did I buy Nikon?) after 13 months of listing. $800

I sold my 7D after 5 months of listing. $950

My most nerve wracking purchase was a Canon 1V HS that I bought from a pawn shop in LA. (the purchase turned out fine) $400.

I'm in the process of purchasing a 1DX. $5000 ish.

I've sold a Harley. $6,3000.

Craigslist works, just ignore those negative nellies.

Thanks for the support. I'm fine with tolerating negative nellies. It's when CL shoots me down with no explanation or recourse that I am pretty much stuck. And that is hard to predict or mitigate. In general I am learning that CL isn't reliable, can't be counted on and won't do anything (doesn't give a dam) about it. That's my primary disappointment. And I'm learning that it's a common problem for many other CL users.

 

[neuroanatomist]

I'm in the process of purchasing a 1DX. $5000 ish.

They're less than that brand new (gray market) on eBay right now...

 

[jdramirez]

I frequent our local Craigslist for camera gear... And if I see something flag worthy, I'll send an email to the person... then they get pissed... & I respond... It is probably going to be flagged and I would prefer to know a reason rather than just guess.

More often than not the people say thanks.

I don't flag much, but if someone is trying to sell an xti for$800, that's just stupid... or if they try to sell naked photos of themselves... go nuts, but do it in the home decor section or art... not in the gear.

I have been called a scammer... I tell them I have a receipt...

But... It is basically free... And over a long period of time I've had a good experience.

The rule that initially tripped me up was listing gear on separate pages... that ruffled some feathers.

 

[slclick]

And not much more new in US from an authorized dealer

 

[jdramirez]

I've never had the issue, but some do. There are issues with people using software to flag competitors posts too.

I've had people meet me and pay for expensive gear, and I've laid out up to $4,400 for purchases, and many over $2,000.

Spokane is a smaller city, and its pretty easy to spot scams.

Sometimes I screw with the scammers.... sure I'll mail you my stuff...

 

[IgotGASbadDude]

I'm in the process of purchasing a 1DX. $5000 ish.

They're less than that brand new (gray market) on eBay right now...

I know. But A) I don't like dealing with non-authorized dealers and B) he's accepting items in the trade--I don't have $5k cash. 8)

 

[distant.star]

.
I've successfully sold a few things on CL -- and found a very nice side benefit.

Ever since my first listing I've been getting daily invitations from lovely young ladies to all sorts of social activities. Makes me think of the ending to the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life."

"No man is a failure who has friends."