My personal experiences with CraigsList (WARNING- You may learn something)

I'm a teen living near Tampa Florida who attends school and hardly has time (or patience) for some burger-flipping part-time job. So how do I live without the purportedly essential possession of a minimum wage gig? By buying and selling online, of course! At least, at first. When I first started the partaking in online economics, i had a lot of junk to sell. Couple this with a great need for cash, Craigslist seemed to be a God's send. I could post things I don't need and that won't sell high enough on Amazon onto this site to make a bit of coin. But what about the horror stories of prostitution, drugs, and that nasty killer business? I was cautious to begin, understandably. I would only meet people in occupied public areas, and only communicate through email. Since I've started, I've learned what is safe, and what is stupid. Read on to learn my experiences.

My first sale was an old PS3 game I no longer wanted. I signed up with the site and made an account easily, and then posted the ad. It is always good to include every detail that the potential buyer might want to know. I listed any aesthetic flaws in the CD and that the case had a crack; I didn't post my personal review of the game or recount the great boss fights. Word to the wise: be professional. I listed my preferred price but stated that bargaining was possible.

Depending on what you sell, you might get 0 emails (or calls, if you list your number) or 20. After receiving an email from someone who could meet close, we arranged the location as a nearby restaurant parking lot and I went on my way. After driving to the spot, I got out of my car and met the buyer. I handed him the game and answered any questions he had and he gave me the money. Easy enough, for my first time. I was initially worried about being robbed of my 15 dollar game by some thug who would run off with it. Luckily enough, it was a 13 year-old kid with his mom who were very polite.

I found that most people who buy and sell on Craigslist are normal and polite people. I have, however, had some... strange experiences on the site. When negotiating with one seller who was offering a scooter for around 300, he claimed that someone else had made an offer of 350, and that, if I offered him 370, he would sell it to me immediately. I thought that was a bit too high, so I thanked him for his time and started to leave. He changed his mind about his little pretend seller at that moment, and claimed that he could let it go for 320. When asked about the "other buyer" who offered him higher, he said that he forgot the customer had changed his mind. Now, I've fibbed before about an item I was selling being bid for a higher price in order to get someone to offer me a bit more cash, but I've never been so blatantly reckless with my lies.

My strangest experiences, by far, have been with people on the phone. I called someone who emailed me about a product they were selling, but they seemed to be upset that I has called them at an inconvenient time. It was around noon on a Saturday, with the ad posted at about 10 A.M., and they claimed I was interrupting their favorite daytime TV program. I was polite with them, asking if I should call back later, but they said, with a heavy huff, "Well, the commercials are on now! I missed it!" I mean, really, the gall I must have to call while Judge Judy is on. Really!

I've since been very active on the website, and have had more transactions through there than any other sites. Even with more experience, I am still occasionally surprised by some of the things I come across. For instance, I sold about 5 DVD's for ten bucks to this one guy who attempted to return them a week later. He claimed that none of them were any good and he wanted his money back! I told him there were no refunds and he should know that is the risk taken when buying entertainment products.

In conclusion, the best advice I can offer you is to be safe and practice common sense. Only deal locally, meet in a safe location if selling something too valuable, and be honest in your product description page. Also, my knowledge and experience are limited to buying and selling things, not social or dating factors; the rules would be much more strict when it comes to that. Check out the products, links, and video below for further info!