It should cost $1 to REPLY to an ad on craigslist.
Might help cut back on idiots.
It should cost $1 to REPLY to an ad on craigslist.
Might help cut back on idiots.
ShawnG said:It should cost $1 to REPLY to an ad on craigslist.
Might help cut back on idiots.
I LOLed.
In reply to ShawnG :
They'll just offer you half of your asking price minus said buck.
I post my used gear on both. I like the fact CL exists, and it's definitely gotten less active as FB marketplace has gotten more popular. CL has advantages because you can use very specific advanced search terms to find what you're looking for. The fact you can also toggle between different areas is a big +
I'd pay $5 to list a car on CL. I would not pay $5 for listing parts or sporting goods.
The issue w/CL is that the buy-here-pay-here businesses tend to post dozens of adds. What's even worse, is that they tag every ad with irrelevant keywords. Searching "E30" finds dozens of ads for Chevrolet Trailblazers, etc. You'd think they could find a better way to filter out the junk. Whenever I post on CL I immediately get 2-3 spam texts and emails.
One problem w/FB is that their search functions suck. Search 4x100 15x7 wheels, and they'll include 5x120 and 16x7 wheels as well. same issue if you search by tire size. If you filter your search by "posted today" every time you update your search terms, you need to reset your filters. The other issue w/FB is that they make it very easy to accidently hit the "is this still available" message button. I've accidently messaged people, and I'm pretty sure 1/2 the "Interested" messages I get were accidental. This artificially increases the activity on the marketplace. The one benefit to FB marketplace is the availability of specific groups.
irish44j said:as to all the "I hate facebook because xxxx principles, too much junk posts, etc etc".....
I mean, not like you have to "be active" on FB to use it. You don't have to actually have friends on your profile, or post pics, or add much or any real personal information, or even read the "wall" posts or ads. Literally you can just create the most basic profile to allow you to use the functions like marketplace (or to check your local rallycross club page for cool pics of you driving last weekend), and just don't do all the other stuff. It's not that big a deal.
The even better thing on FB is the "XXX for FS/FT/WTB" pages you can join. I'm on the North American Rally FS page, where people constantly post up good used rally tires for cheap, or other specialty parts in a focused market (stuff that would never make it onto CL for lack of a market). Have some random Porsche 924 part sitting in your garage? There's Porsche 924 Marketplace group on there with a couple thousand members, who are most likely to want your part. Way more convenient than the older-style BBS forums and such, IMO.
YMMV.
hit the nail on the head. for parts that can be shipped the vehicle/engine specific groups are fantastic as it's people all across the country/world that know exactly what you are wanting to by/sell which is 10x better then scouring multiple CL cities trying to find parts or keeping your posting narrowed just to the locations you posted it. I also find the search feature better than CL as you dont have to have matching text, like if you search 'CTSV' on FB you will get every ad in your area (and beyond your area) that has CTSV, CTS V, CTS-V, etc. whereas CL would only look for the exact test in the posting.
Hoondavan said:I post my used gear on both. I like the fact CL exists, and it's definitely gotten less active as FB marketplace has gotten more popular. CL has advantages because you can use very specific advanced search terms to find what you're looking for. The fact you can also toggle between different areas is a big +
I'd pay $5 to list a car on CL. I would not pay $5 for listing parts or sporting goods.
The issue w/CL is that the buy-here-pay-here businesses tend to post dozens of adds. What's even worse, is that they tag every ad with irrelevant keywords. Searching "E30" finds dozens of ads for Chevrolet Trailblazers, etc. You'd think they could find a better way to filter out the junk. Whenever I post on CL I immediately get 2-3 spam texts and emails.
Facebook has the same problem with the buy-here-pay-here businesses taking over classified groups, honestly, I think its worse on FB. I moderate/admin a group for european car parts for the Tampa area and I make it an effort to ensure the shady dealers don't post their crap in the group as we want it to just be european cars and parts. Im glad there are several members on the group that report any posting that doesn't follow the rules.
CL has already become a shadow of what it once was for finding cheap/rare vehicles. This may kill it off entirely.
Cooter said:CL has already become a shadow of what it once was for finding cheap/rare vehicles. This may kill it off entirely.
Yes, but where there's a will, there's a way. We got by before CL using forums and Autotrader and newspapers.
irish44j said:Also the CL "post item, enter all this stuff, hit button, go check your email to confirm, etc" is a hassle. I posted about a dozen things on FB yeserday from my phone, and it took me about 5 minutes to do it. CL would have taken half an hour to do that, with lots of photos, etc.
Offer up is like this. It actively encourages sellers to provide as little information as possible because they have to enter it with a phone, which is a vastly inferior input device especially when it comes to things like copying and pasting links, supporting images, dimensions or other non-standard numbers, etc.
I will give FB a shot, but I found it incredibly difficult to use. Craigslist is geared for the power user, and the lazy also use it and its annoying. FB/Offer Up/etc. are geared toward the lazy user right from the start.
fatallightning said:FB marketplace seems to be more popular by me, NY metro. The search functions are abhorrent though.
That's where I'm at too however abhorrent is a touch too nice of a way to describe the search functionality.
It's still better than Amazons however.
Don't you guys have Kijiji? It is almost as popular here for listing vehicles as Craigslist and far fewer scammers and morons.
Letgo is horrible in terms of information but is somewhat active in my area and there are some interesting things for sale sometimes. I tried Facebook but it’s too disorganized for me.
Craigslist seems to have lost its special stuff around here anyway. Oh well
In reply to bearmtnmartin :
Kijiji died off in the US a long time ago.
Tom_Spangler said:Cooter said:CL has already become a shadow of what it once was for finding cheap/rare vehicles. This may kill it off entirely.
Yes, but where there's a will, there's a way. We got by before CL using forums and Autotrader and newspapers.
Been doing this for over 40 years.
FB is nearly impossible to search, but I have done well there.
What I don't like about FB marketplace is if you accidentally click on something, it says in your sidebar as still available, then you get tons of targeted ads related to whatever you were looking at.
You clicked on a lawnmower! Here are lawn services, more lawn mowers, gardening supply houses and ads for a retirement community.
You clicked on dog supplies! OH, BOY! HERE WE GO! Vets, dog food, dog toys, pet sitters, obedience classes, leashes, collars, crates, everything!
ProDarwin said:irish44j said:Also the CL "post item, enter all this stuff, hit button, go check your email to confirm, etc" is a hassle. I posted about a dozen things on FB yeserday from my phone, and it took me about 5 minutes to do it. CL would have taken half an hour to do that, with lots of photos, etc.
Offer up is like this. It actively encourages sellers to provide as little information as possible because they have to enter it with a phone, which is a vastly inferior input device especially when it comes to things like copying and pasting links, supporting images, dimensions or other non-standard numbers, etc.
I will give FB a shot, but I found it incredibly difficult to use. Craigslist is geared for the power user, and the lazy also use it and its annoying. FB/Offer Up/etc. are geared toward the lazy user right from the start.
Well you can do Facebook from your computer as well. I was just giving example that is easy to post up a large number of items quickly on FB, whether using a phone tablet or computer, compared to Craigslist
Anyone want to offer a tutorial for FB alerts? I struggle with that.
Agree there are deals to be had on FB and there is less and less crossover.
Wonder if this will be the nail in the coffin for Craigslist. It had a good run and I still prefer the interface to Facebook; I learned to internet back in the early 90s so text based and simple is still appealing.
Brett_Murphy said:What I don't like about FB marketplace is if you accidentally click on something, it says in your sidebar as still available, then you get tons of targeted ads related to whatever you were looking at.
You clicked on a lawnmower! Here are lawn services, more lawn mowers, gardening supply houses and ads for a retirement community.
You clicked on dog supplies! OH, BOY! HERE WE GO! Vets, dog food, dog toys, pet sitters, obedience classes, leashes, collars, crates, everything!
It's funny I've been on Facebook so long I don't even notice the ads. But I mean that's the cost of doing business using a free site I guess. I guess I would rather get ads for lawn care when I'm searching for lawn mowers then get ads for Chevrolets lol
aw614 said:Hoondavan said:I post my used gear on both. I like the fact CL exists, and it's definitely gotten less active as FB marketplace has gotten more popular. CL has advantages because you can use very specific advanced search terms to find what you're looking for. The fact you can also toggle between different areas is a big +
I'd pay $5 to list a car on CL. I would not pay $5 for listing parts or sporting goods.
The issue w/CL is that the buy-here-pay-here businesses tend to post dozens of adds. What's even worse, is that they tag every ad with irrelevant keywords. Searching "E30" finds dozens of ads for Chevrolet Trailblazers, etc. You'd think they could find a better way to filter out the junk. Whenever I post on CL I immediately get 2-3 spam texts and emails.
Facebook has the same problem with the buy-here-pay-here businesses taking over classified groups, honestly, I think its worse on FB. I moderate/admin a group for european car parts for the Tampa area and I make it an effort to ensure the shady dealers don't post their crap in the group as we want it to just be european cars and parts. Im glad there are several members on the group that report any posting that doesn't follow the rules.
I'm guessing it must be very region and or group specific. My former example with a rally group it is so niche, sure there are few rally related businesses the post things on there but it's a pretty small number, and they are generally businesses that people actually you want to see deals from on rally tires, etc. We have about four local groups that do BMW parts, usually specific to particular models, and it hasn't really been a problem yet. but yeah I'm sure it is up to the moderators to keep that stuff out of there just like on any other web forum
Hoondavan said:I post my used gear on both. I like the fact CL exists, and it's definitely gotten less active as FB marketplace has gotten more popular. CL has advantages because you can use very specific advanced search terms to find what you're looking for. The fact you can also toggle between different areas is a big +
I'd pay $5 to list a car on CL. I would not pay $5 for listing parts or sporting goods.
The issue w/CL is that the buy-here-pay-here businesses tend to post dozens of adds. What's even worse, is that they tag every ad with irrelevant keywords. Searching "E30" finds dozens of ads for Chevrolet Trailblazers, etc. You'd think they could find a better way to filter out the junk. Whenever I post on CL I immediately get 2-3 spam texts and emails.
One problem w/FB is that their search functions suck. Search 4x100 15x7 wheels, and they'll include 5x120 and 16x7 wheels as well. same issue if you search by tire size. If you filter your search by "posted today" every time you update your search terms, you need to reset your filters. The other issue w/FB is that they make it very easy to accidently hit the "is this still available" message button. I've accidently messaged people, and I'm pretty sure 1/2 the "Interested" messages I get were accidental. This artificially increases the activity on the marketplace. The one benefit to FB marketplace is the availability of specific groups.
I do that on occasion as well, but it does give you like a five or ten second countdown to cancel it'before it actually sends it. The more I use it the less I accidentally hit that button though.
In reply to irish44j :
I don't even have an account. Nothing to do with principles, I just thing the whole concept sucks so I don't use it. I'm kind of glad their are a bunch of new haters so useful stuff like CL can survive :)
But to your point bout finding the right buyers....it used to be ebay was the place to sell anything odd that could ship but the last 10 years its changed and I've had very little luck....I've got a couple engines worth of ferrari cams that are most likely going in the trash, 10 years ago that was $1200-$1500 easy but today they sit. It seems like people have learned there is no reason to snap up anything since you'll almost certainly be able to find it when/if you actually need it.....so my leftover parts have increasingly ended up in the trash since I generally figure if its not worth $50 its not worth space in the shop.
Can someone that knows FB start a thread on how to set up a FB account that's anonymous , does not search your computer and phones for "friends" ,
All I would want is the Marketplace if that is the place to look for stuff ,
I do not want to follow anyone , I like living in my cave alone
But really Craigslist does a good job , the $5 and have to give them CC info will really kill off the cheap cars , and if it's $5 a week will kill off all the interesting overpriced cars we like to laugh at !
mke said:In reply to irish44j :
I don't even have an account. Nothing to do with principles, I just thing the whole concept sucks so I don't use it. I'm kind of glad their are a bunch of new haters so useful stuff like CL can survive :)
But to your point bout finding the right buyers....it used to be ebay was the place to sell anything odd that could ship but the last 10 years its changed and I've had very little luck....I've got a couple engines worth of ferrari cams that are most likely going in the trash, 10 years ago that was $1200-$1500 easy but today they sit. It seems like people have learned there is no reason to snap up anything since you'll almost certainly be able to find it when/if you actually need it.....so my leftover parts have increasingly ended up in the trash since I generally figure if its not worth $50 its not worth space in the shop.
you'd be surprised...there are at least two US-based Ferrari parts FS/FT pages on FB, as well as a 308/328 GTB/GTS/Dino page with over 4,000 members. I sell stuff all the time on FB BMW groups that were not far off from going in the trash, including several engines that I got more for now than I paid for them a decade ago. I sold three e30 driveshafts in the last month that way.
guess it all depends on what it's worth to you. Put up $500 Ferrari cams on the Ferrari FS/FT page for $100, someone will give you $100 for them. Hell, I just sold an old drill for $12 haha....found it under a workbench and just decided to post it up and some guy came by and hour later and gave me $12. Any money I can get for stuff I don't need is more money I can put towards car projects or whiskey :)
All relative i guess. if you have a bunch of Ferraris, no....$50 isn't worth it for you i don't suppose.
californiamilleghia said:Can someone that knows FB start a thread on how to set up a FB account that's anonymous , does not search your computer and phones for "friends" ,
All I would want is the Marketplace if that is the place to look for stuff ,
I do not want to follow anyone , I like living in my cave alone
But really Craigslist does a good job , the $5 and have to give them CC info will really kill off the cheap cars , and if it's $5 a week will kill off all the interesting overpriced cars we like to laugh at !
I have friends with FB accounts with zero friends who just use it to keep track of racing stuff, or to use marketplace.
1. the only time you're going to follow anyone, is if you hit the "follow" button for that person, organization, whatever. FB doesn't automatically make you follow anyone or anything. You can have a page where you have no friends, don't follow anything or anyone, and nobody can follow you. FB will think you're loney and "suggest" friends for you perhaps, but you don't have to actually do anything to deny them other than not hit the "friend" or "follow" buttons. It's not hard.
2. if for some reason someone friend requests you, you can just delete or ignore it.
3. You can literally make everything except your (chosen by you) name and profile picture (can be any picture of anything) be hidden.
4. There are settings to turn off website tracking by FB. The default is "on" but you can easily turn it off.
5. Just use it on a tablet or laptop that doesn't have all your friends on it, I guess? IDK, I haven't seen anything indicating it's pulling names from my phone contacts or email - there are people in those that are on FB but I'm not friends with, and FB never suggests them.
6. As FB is a service, which has to pay for itself somehow, it's obviously going to need SOMETHING from you, whether that's your browsing habits or whatever, so it can show you ads to pay for itself. If everyone could turn off everythign that FB makes its money off of, FB wouldn't exist....
There are plenty of things I dislike about FB and the way it runs, but like anything in life, it's a tradeoff.
As to the interesting and cheap and weird cars....they're not going away. They're ALL OVER FB marketplace. There are more there than I ever used to see on CL - and it allows you to search regionally and nationally as well, rather than CL which was more locally-oriented (and you had to use a 3rd party site to search out-of-area CLs).
A search for Porsche 944s within 100 miles brings up 18 of them, plus a couple 924's. The same search on CL brings up 11 of them (and no 924's, since CL will only search the specified keyword).
ex: just randomly did a quick search for "Peugeot" - not exactly cars that are common in the US these days. I had 7 different Peugeots pop up within 100 miles of me, as well as a couple "related" things. It's the same kind of stuff that was always on CL. FB is just a bigger market now, so people are putting their strange stuff on there now.
IDK, do whatever you desire (or don't) - I'm just saying that other than some annoying ads and advertising targeting, FB really isn't that nefarious for someone who doesn't put any personal information in his account. It's really nefarious for those who put their entire lives on it, but that goes for any blog, forum, or website.
Whether you like it or not, CL is going the way of autotrader, and ebay, and the backs of car&driver magazine, and the newspaper classifieds, as effective venues for buying and selling cars by individuals.
15 years ago some of you seem like you'd be the type that said "the internet is dangerous and i'm not going to use it. I'm just going to keep on ordering my car parts from mailed-out paper catalogs, using personal checks via USPS as payment, and waiting 3-6 weeks for my (insert part here) to arrive. "
IDK. The way we did things before seemed simple and safe and always holds good memories of "back in the day" - but the reality is, most methods of buying and selling stuff these days is infinitely more efficient, convenient, and accurate than it was "back then"
--
last week I was going through some old boxes and had a bunch of Victoria British and Moss Motors catalogs in one. Stuck in the pages were a series of multiple letters back and forth between my Dad and Moss having a discussion about them sending him the wrong Triumph fender or something. Looking at the dates, it took my dad something like 8 weeks to finally get the fender he ordered (via mailed check). Hell, today you coudl probably order it on Amazon and have it at your door within a day or two - and any problems the seller probably has a 24-hour help chat. This is the world........it's kid of sad ,but it's a hell of a lot easier for car lovers, IMO.
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