WTF craigslist

So, I found a car that I was interested in, that says 9 firm (two times) i the ad. And the ad says email to contact, so I contact him and set up a meet, get ready to go buy it for 9 and was going to go down today and do the deal. Then the berker sends me a txt at the last minute that says he's changed it to 9500. He says "do" (man, people are dumb) to the rarity, he's decided it's worth more. Felt to me like over $500 that was a sleazy move. On general principal I say glws. I would have paid 10 for it, but this rubbed me the wrong way. If he had said, hey im in a tough spot, I really need all the money for it, sorry to mislead you or something, I'd have just coughed up the extra dough. Bad seller.

I have not experienced it in cars but I have in other things where the person says the item is for sale, then...
They seem to realize that they will no longer have the item. In exchange, they seem to realize or seem to feel that they will only have a bag of beans (Jack and the beanstalk reference)and would rather keep the item.

Go down and wave the money in his face, and get it for 8500.

i love the "sorry to everyone who called when i had the car listed for $400. due to demand i have raised the price to $900" ones.

people think 5 people want their crap and get greedy.

Thanks for the post. You reminded me that I haven't looked on CL for a while and I found something that I've been looking for for a while, and it was posted only 2 hours ago. MINE

I had a similar deal lately on a transmission, seller worked out shipping, I paid the agreed price plus shipping via Paypal as per his request.

Seller did not want to meet me half way, which was under 100 miles each.

2 weeks later I request shipping info, he hasn't sent it yet.

Another week later I request an update, he tells me shipping is going to cost more and I should pay the difference. I respectfully disagree as I met his original demands.

Back and forth for several days when I just go to Paypal and have the funds restored.

He felt I was the bad guy and treated him badly.

Get a friend to contact him and offer $7500. Seller will balk and then Seller will contact you offering original deal. You will play his game and say $8500 for screwing around. If He balks again. Just walk away.

I've been shopping on CL (and carsforsale, autotrader, oogle...) for a DD car for the last couple months. I would have to say that 90% of the ads I am interested in are either a scam or a dumb berkeley, and in that 90% set, 95% are scam with the other 5% dumb berkeley. I have just missed a few deals, but I can't drop everything and drive 250 miles to go look during the week, and they're gone by the weekend. Missed 2 RAV4's that way.

Let's look at yesterday, fer instance. I found 3 cars in Tulsa on CL and AT. We drove the 100 miles to Tulsa. As we are approaching, I call the first one: GS400 with 180K. Just sold. OK, not a scam, just late. The next one is a 129K LS430 described as in really good condition, etc. It's on CL and AT. An address is given on the AT ad. The CL ad is in the dealer section but all the pics are residential. We go looking for the address and can't find it. Pull over and call the number and get directions to the warehouse industrial building we passed 2 blocks ago. Go look and the car looks like it just came out of the ghetto. Left rear door looks like it was painted with a spray bomb. Touchup paint blobs all over. Inside, parts of the driver door panels have been replaced with some type of metal mesh for more speakers. At the junction of the metal and the rest of the door is pookie or some type of black adhesive sticking out. Smelled really strong of cheap air freshener.

Next up was a 98 LS400 with 111K at Lexus of Tulsa. Price was a bit high, but it was pretty clean. LoT is not exactly a buy-here-pay-here lot. They are putting new motor mounts in it and we pick it up Wednesday.

CL is used by bags of douche on both sides of transactions. tell seller that you've got five other cars you're looking at, and a limited time to shop. send him a jpg of a stack of benjamins spread out and tell him that five hundred in greed cost him nine grand in cash.

At 9pm one night, I made had a verbal agreement to pay full asking price for a car at 11 the next morning. I got up early and towed my trailer from the western border of Connecticut to Cape Berkeleying Cod. When I got there, the woman said that she had just gotten a call from a guy who offered her an extra $500, so she invited me in for a up of coffee and said he would be there in half an hour. If he didn't want the car, then I could have it for the original price. I told her that he could have it and drove home with my empty trailer.

my current CL struggle is different than yours. i sold my mazda6 a month or so ago, and found an E12 that really dig. i test-drove this very car a couple years ago when the PPO was selling. it is parked in garage behind seller's house, and he hasn't shoveled the driveway between the gate and the garage all winter. there's a nice polar ice cap 2 feet thick and 40' long between the E12 and my wallet. WTF craigslist, indeed.

I listed my snowblower for $400, which is a fair price on Cl. Got, the I can go to home depot and buy a new one for that so how about $200. Yes you can, but is it as big, or well built or as powerful as mine, nope. Finally gave in to a guy who refurbs them for $275. One guy argued with me for 15 emails.

It was bad timing. I sold it in October, and not in the middle of HOLY CRAP SNOW TIME.

I have noticed this phenomenon, Price the item high to leave negotiating room and you get no responses. Price the item normally and 99.98% of the contacts you will receive are "Will you take 50% of your asking price." Ugh.

It depends on what you're trying to buy. Is it hard to come by?

I had been keeping my eye out for a rust free first-gen extended cab S10. Found one, emailed back and forth with the guy for a couple days, until I could get out to look at it (I had just had foot surgery, so I was somewhat immobile). When I finally got there, he asked for more than he had in the ad - "I've been getting a lot of calls." As rare as this truck was, I didn't want to lose it for another $100.