Is Craigslist broken?

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ProjectBazza

ProjectBazza

FABO Gold Member
FABO Gold Member
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Somewhere north of Minne-a-no-place
Over the last year or so I've noticed that either, A) My ads (as a Seller) don't get the responses they used to get, or B) My responses (as a Buyer) don't seem to go through. Yes, I fully realize that CL is not what it used to be, and that I should try (enter your personal favorite site here), but what am asking is, am I the only one experiencing this?

Case in point: Just last night I contacted a seller regarding a John Deere tractor I am interested in. Amazingly enough he responded back to my initial inquiry within a few minutes. BUT...He never received my 2nd response, and I had to go back to the original posting, and contact him again, so we could connect.

This has been happening more and more to me, whether I'm a buy or a seller. In fact, I've had people tell me they've tried to contact me multiple times for something I've listed for sale, and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to what gets through.

Is this just me?

(And before anyone asks: I do have an account set-up with CL.)

Thanks.

Jim
 
I know that I have contacted a few people and alot of times their responses get sent to my spam file, so always check there first.
 
damraider said:
I know that I have contacted a few people and alot of times their responses get sent to my spam file, so always check there first.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I forgot to mention that. Thanks!

Nothing in the Spam or Junk folders for either of us in this latest exchange, and both of us (the Seller and I) are both stumped.
 
I used to sell things on CL all the time. If I had something good to sell, it was usually gone in 24-48 hours. I have had nothing but scam responses in the last two years. In fact, I quit listing on CL. I use Facebook Marketplace (FBM) now. I believe it is slipping into the same rabbit hole that CL started slipping into about 5-6 years ago, but it is still OK. What really cracks me up, is when someone asks through CL or FBM if the item is still available. I tell them yes it is, give them my phone number and ask them to please call me. They almost never do. Maybe I am just old and from another generation, but why would someone prefer to bounce back and forth with Emails when a quick phone call would work so much better and faster.

That being said, I DO have a Facebook so I can use FBM, but I REFUSE to use Facebook for anything else. I don't do Twitter or any of the others either. I have better things to do with my time. I have had people ask me how I follow friends and family? If I care enough about someone enough, I will call, text or Email them.
 
Around here, CL is nearly dead. I detest FB but that is where everybody migrated. I search both when looking.
 
CL is almost dead here as well, but there are still many people that aren't on Facebook for one reason are another.

Several times a year I manage to find some interesting things on CL.

I still advertise rental property availability on the local CL and still get a lot of interest in them from it.

Tom
 
Craigslist is completely out of my life and I can’t exactly tell you why. I just don’t go there to search or sell. I saw a set of heads last night around 9-9:30. I typed in the spot are these available do you know the part number on them. Without three minutes he replied no but he will look tomorrow. Then I asked him his zip code and told him where I was from. He messaged me with it within a minute or two. That way I can do a quick route check to get an approximate distance.
 
harrisonm said:
I used to sell things on CL all the time. If I had something good to sell, it was usually gone in 24-48 hours. I have had nothing but scam responses in the last two years. In fact, I quit listing on CL. I use Facebook Marketplace (FBM) now. I believe it is slipping into the same rabbit hole that CL started slipping into about 5-6 years ago, but it is still OK. What really cracks me up, is when someone asks through CL or FBM if the item is still available. I tell them yes it is, give them my phone number and ask them to please call me. They almost never do. Maybe I am just old and from another generation, but why would someone prefer to bounce back and forth with Emails when a quick phone call would work so much better and faster.

That being said, I DO have a Facebook so I can use FBM, but I REFUSE to use Facebook for anything else. I don't do Twitter or any of the others either. I have better things to do with my time. I have had people ask me how I follow friends and family? If I care enough about someone enough, I will call, text or Email them.
Click to expand...

They are harvesting your phone number.

Email communication can be done at both parties convenience, and it creates a written record of what was discussed and agreed to.

Moreover, using CL's secured email does not expose your real address to potential scammers.
 
YY1 said:
They are harvesting your phone number.

Email communication can be done at both parties convenience, and it creates a written record of what was discussed and agreed to.

Moreover, using CL's secured email does not expose your real address to potential scammers.
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there have been so many scams on it , it has all but dried up too...
 
We used to have a local sales ad that came out late in the week called Horse Trader. In the steel mill we used to almost fight to get one then read it and pass it along. They printed it 10 miles from where I now live and probably had a 50 mile radius. I never heard of a deal gone bad but again that was years ago. I found my 50.00 hook up for 440 engines on there from a coal mine that used them on generators. I bought my 69 dart (drag car) five miles from my house for 1600.00 on there. Technology finally did them in like so many other great things.
 
bcschief said:
Ebay is not a great selling platform anymore either and it's expensive.
Click to expand...

eBay has a purpose for me. I buy all my Foredom grinder replacement parts that I use for porting work. And I just saved 100.00 on a set of valve springs nobody else had in stock.
 
bcschief said:
Ebay is not a great selling platform anymore either and it's expensive.
Click to expand...
I still buy stuff on Ebay, but I refuse to sell on it. I have been screwed by lying *** people a few times complaining that my item was not as described, and I go WAY overboard on excruciatingly accurate descriptions. Plus, anything over $600 in sales will get you a 1099 from them. Let's say you buy a car part for $600 and wind up not using it. Then you sell it for $700 on Ebay. You made $100, but Ebay will send a 1099 for $700. Since that $700 was reported to the government, they consider it as $700 income, when it was only $100. Yes, there are ways to properly report it as only $100 income, but if you are not running a business, and you are not itemizing, it is difficult to do that.
 
I don't use craigslist at all anymore for the same reasons.
 
My experience with Craigslist these days, is firstly people asking you if the item is still for sale.
Then when i reply that it is, I'm then told i will be around your city visiting family, friend, or doing business.
Is it ok to come and pick it up?
Then when replying again, and say yes, of course, they never again make any more contact with me.
Why do they do this in the first place, if they don't have any intentions in purchasing if from the get go?
This has been happening more and more lately, with my ads on the local Craigslist. (Sacramento)
 
harrisonm said:
I still buy stuff on Ebay, but I refuse to sell on it. I have been screwed by lying *** people a few times complaining that my item was not as described, and I go WAY overboard on excruciatingly accurate descriptions. Plus, anything over $600 in sales will get you a 1099 from them. Let's say you buy a car part for $600 and wind up not using it. Then you sell it for $700 on Ebay. You made $100, but Ebay will send a 1099 for $700. Since that $700 was reported to the government, they consider it as $700 income, when it was only $100. Yes, there are ways to properly report it as only $100 income, but if you are not running a business, and you are not itemizing, it is difficult to do that.
Click to expand...

You don't have to "itemize".

It's called "cost of goods sold".

But you gotta keep records.
 
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