Buying and selling on CralgList

Jiles

Well-known Member
I have been buying and selling tractor parts and other items for a long time, on CL.
I have found that I get better results, when selling, to just include my phone number ( with several letters spelled out).
Worked out well for a long time but now shortly after posting, I get text and scam phone calls, most with distant area codes.
I am like everyone else, I get scam calls regularly, but they seem to increase just after posting on CL.
I have also started to just answer and hang up phone and they don't call back.
Several times I have answered and hung up and the perspective buyer called back.
 
(quoted from post at 10:03:32 04/30/16) I have been buying and selling tractor parts and other items for a long time, on CL.
I have found that I get better results, when selling, to just include my phone number ( with several letters spelled out).
Worked out well for a long time but now shortly after posting, I get text and scam phone calls, most with distant area codes.
I am like everyone else, I get scam calls regularly, but they seem to increase just after posting on CL.
I have also started to just answer and hang up phone and they don't call back.
Several times I have answered and hung up and the perspective buyer called back.

That's interesting but not surprising. Eventually they were going to resort to having someone actually read those ads or someone was going to write a program that converts spelled out numbers to actual numbers. This is the first time I've heard someone say it's happening.

Rick
 
I do a lot of business on craigslist and will never leave phone number. The person
buying form me must leave his number. Never had an issue doing it this way. Have had
issues when I leave my number.

I'm a fan of craigslist too. Use it all the time.
 
I have sold a lot of items on CL. I always include my phone number. The texters are the worst, easy to text and not
feel and obligation to honesty. After the 2nd text with questions ..I text back..."If you are serious call me" about
half just disappear. Also many ask stupid questions...I text back..."read the ad then call me"...more disappear.

This way the ones that actually pick up the phone and call seem pretty serious.

I get robo calls too but really don't know where they got my number...other than one....generated a hundred pestering
calls after I called an 800 number in a radio ad a couple years ago. I'll never do that again.
 
Same here, I never put my phone number in the reply info so never get any nuts bothering me. Although when buying, I wish people would email you back to let you know that the item is not for sale. But that rarely happens.
 
Happened again today. I haven't had such a call in several days, listed an 8n brake drum and within fifteen minutes, I got a text. MY Ad stated--- NO TEXT. I have had three more today.
So it seems someone is reading my number!
I am in Alabama and two of these were from California and one from NY!
 
I have used craigslist a lot over the years and usually have done ok both in buying and selling. I always put my phone number in the contact spot that specifically states contact info and have not had problems. Only one spam text in all that time. I state: call or text only , emails will not be responded to. No need to ask if I still have item if you still see my post. As far as different area codes, I have found that now days with cell phones a lot of people move and keep their same old number including area code, as that is what I just did last year. Since I have moved to another state it seems harder to get people to respond to my calls about the item they have for sale. I was thinking it might be that my area code is different, so just saying you might not want to hang up on those other area codes so quickly or at least see if they leave a message. some of the ad posters I am calling do not answer but call back as soon as they hear my message so I guess they are screening their calls.
 
I ll post the number, but you will have to leave a message because I will not answer a number I don t know.
 
Just yesterday, I had such a call about a chainsaw I was selling. I answered and hung up. Short time later, same number called back and he was about 75 miles away. He came and bought the saw.
I told him what I had did--hanging up, and he said he just figured we had a bad connection.
Like he agreed , If they are interested, they'll call back.
I never buy or sale without speaking to the person--you can pretty well tell a persons "character" with a short phone conversation.
 
Lots of people read Craigslist. It works really well for a free website. I really cannot complain too much about it.
 
Yes, I like to talk to the other person. I just put my cell phone no. and have no problems. I get a few texts that want me to
email them but I ignore those, it's an obvious scammer. I don't understand the need to put letters in a phone no.
 
(quoted from post at 20:16:17 04/30/16) Yes, I like to talk to the other person. I just put my cell phone no. and have no problems. I get a few texts that want me to
email them but I ignore those, it's an obvious scammer. I don't understand the need to put letters in a phone no.

[b:f29ab51419] "I don't understand the need to put letters in a phone no."[/b:f29ab51419]

If what I am suspecting is true, I don't either!
 
I like CL, but I just use their email relay. I can usually tell from the questions they ask in the email if they're for real or not. If I think that they're legitimate, I'll either give them my number or ask for theirs. I've never had a problem that way. I posted my phone number once (hidden)because I thought that I'd get more replies from people who don't like to email. I didn't. I just got a bunch of spam texts.
 
I leave a number. The reason being, I can't respond to craigslist email addresses with my computer. I'm sure if I can't others are in the same boat. I have seen ads for things I would like to buy, but I have no way to contact them. So, if you don't include a number, I can't buy it.
 

I give them the option of e-mail or phone using the CL reply function, I never put the contact info in the body of the ad.

I give them a land line number and state text messages will not work on the land line. I have never gotten a spam call - I do get spam e-mail from time to time. A dead give away for spam e-mail is; if there is nothing specfic in the reply it is likely spam. For example; if the reply asks, "do you still have the item" I do not respond. Conversely; "Do you still have the Brinly disc" it gets a response.
 
I have sold a lot of stuff on ebay but am getting to like it less and less. Just had two non paying buyers in a row for large items. YT is OK but I don't get anywhere near the sales I get on Craigslist. I always put in my phone number and name in the space for it. I don't put either in the add itself. I get a few scam texts but I just delete them. If they ask for a reply to a gmail, I give them my number again and say to call if they want more information. They never do. Testing works great to get rid of the scams. Many times I have listed something on Craigslist and sold it the same day.
 
Yes, once everybody learned to obfuscate their numbers, the scammers just made their robots a little smarter.

You can at least temporarily outsmart them. One way would be to take a picture of your phone number and post it as one of the listing photos. Or if you know how to edit pictures, you can superimpose your phone number on the photos.
 
two things My phone does not accept texts problem solved there. Next I do not put area code in (our area code covers lots of ground) makes it hard for some one outside to call me!!!
 
For me my south and east property lines are the area code boundrys. When I still had rest of Farm had to call different area code to get other part of farm. So many around seem to forget that the add goes into 3 different area codes so who knows where they are. And there are 2 towns within 20 mile of me or each other that have the same phone prefix number but different area codes. And I do not do texts. Actually my area code had an overlay code added a few years back so that makes 4 different area codes for my bussiness area.
 

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