CRAIGS LIST

Just posted a few things on craigs list,one was a tractor so this is tractor related, First email asked a question verbatum of one of the lines in the ad.Second email (different email name)was on the tractor, also asked a question verbatum of one of the lines in the ad.Both started "did you say? and then the line from the ad.I suspect spam,anyone experience this before? bill m.

This is why my ads always request a phone number to call. Saves spam. No phone number offered, no reply to their email.

I would consider both of those repies to be spam. Just delete 'em and go on.

It's a trade off. If you don't email back then they think that you must not really want to sell it then you get people complainin about how the person didn't answer them back. But then it could be spam to so you just have to watch it. My 2 cents

They just started that recently. They have to be very specific and convincing for me to respond.
Ron

VaTom, your ads are the ones I won't bother with. I feel that I shouldn't have to call, then 3/4 of the time leave a message and then play "phone tag". A simple e-mail might answer all questions and also set-up a phone time.

Also, I typically won't bother calling or e-mailing if there is no price. I'm not going to waste my time on something, only to learn they want 3x what it's really worth.

But, when I sell stuff, I won't leave a phone number. Cuts down on junk calls and calls at 9:30-10PM. I also treat the first e-mail as it's real, even if I believe it to be spam. I've actually sold a harrow and plow to someone which the first e-mail seemed like spam.

Me, too. I have had fair luck with Craig's and ebay, save for a moron who bought a brand new motorcycle battery, with new receipt, from me. Thought I was going to have to drop it on his head before he finally bought it. I dropped the price 15 samolians just to get him to LEAVE.

Another one is "do you still have the ---?" Maybe even the day after you post the ad.
They want current working email addresses for other spamers.
Don't answer them.

thanks guys,unless it sounds real I am going to ignore them,looks like they are on a phishing expedition. Bill M.

(quoted from post at 16:19:34 11/01/11) Just posted a few things on craigs list,one was a tractor so this is tractor related, First email asked a question verbatum of one of the lines in the ad.Second email (different email name)was on the tractor, also asked a question verbatum of one of the lines in the ad.Both started "did you say? and then the line from the ad.I suspect spam,anyone experience this before? bill m.

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That sounds like a spam responce, even though I have never gotten one like that. The tip off is both responces being exactally the same. With that said, whats the down side to answering a couple questions? Look at it this way, if you ignore them you could be passing up 2 potential buyers if they are not really spam. If they are spam and you respond, you wasted a few minutes of your life (likely less time than it took for you to post here). Now, how many responces have you gotten total? Usually I have so many responces that I get to pick and chose who I sell to but if you only have a handfull of people responding, they maybe you should expend more effort in getting ahold of people. For example, if you dont have too many responces, reply to both of they suspected spammers, whats the worst that can happen? Who cares if they get your email address? You [b:4efbe4d88c][i:4efbe4d88c]DO[/i:4efbe4d88c][/b:4efbe4d88c] have a disposable email address for selling on Craigslist, dont you? If its a spammer and they start filling your inbox, just abandon the account. Remember, getting a new email address for selling (and buying) on Craigslist is free....

Bob, can you read?

I don't ask anyone to call, simply email me a number that I can call, and possibly have to leave a message. The phone burden is mine. If you don't want to talk with the seller, there clearly is a problem. With YOU.

No problem, plenty of buyers when the price is correct.

Craigslist is mostly scams and spam.I get several emails everytime i advertise anything.Most ask for a phone number,then never call,or "Is it still available","what's your final price",or phoney made up names.

(quoted from post at 18:17:37 11/01/11) Another one is "do you still have the ---?" Maybe even the day after you post the ad.
They want current working email addresses for other spamers.
Don't answer them.

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You are potentially missing out on a lot of sales. Sometimes craigslist works pretty fast. I sold a 2000 Beetle TDI in less than 4 hours. I also find that a lot of the items I inquire about have actually been sold.

A lot of my first messages about an item are asking if the item is still available. I always make sure to mention the item in the ad. To a smart seller this tells them that it isn't spam as almost all spam is sent by a spambot program that would have a generic message not anything mentioning their specific item.

Spammers use this site too.

I just got this today in response to a wanted ad I posted last week.

<Name: George
Phone: -------
Location: Michigan
Message: Good day. How are you doing today. Am replying to your classified ads that you posted on www.ytmag.com about the wanted IH Model 55T baler. Get in touch if interested. George

I am not going to answer it even though I want a Model 55 baler. A genuine seller has to give me a few details not mentioned in my original ad. Salutations at the beginning of an email are always a bad sign. No phone number is also suspect.

Craigslist is a great tool. I use it all the time to buy and sell. Your mistake is that you didn't leave just your phone number. If you had, you wouldn't get spam. Go edit your craigslist add.

Va, yes I can read. How about yourself?

Read the last paragraph about phone calls at 9:30-10 PM. Sorry, I'm in bed at that time. And yes, I've gotten calls that late from stuff I've sold, whether it's craigslist or local classified; even after I told the person to call before 8:30. It was even worse when I worked 3rd shift.

E-mail is quick, easy and at both the seller and buyer's convenience.

Oh and maybe I don't want to give out my phone number to a potential scam ad (like maybe yours for example). Everyone always thinks the scam people are the potential buyer, but there are scams in sellers. And it goes beyond craigslist and e-bay.

You sell and buy stuff your way and I'll do the same on my side of the tracks.

bob

spam spam spam spam. just got the same email.

Hey Bob15, your the reason I don't reply to adds that don't give a phone #. I dont mind emailing and giving my # to set up a time to look at it or ask a few questions. But you people decide IF your replying back or NOT. It's like a little game to see if you can P=ss people off. For example I email a ford tractor last week that I was really interested in and ask to call and or email and set a time up to look at it. Three days and I never heard back, NOTHING. If they don't include phone # from now on I just look over the add to the next, not worth my time. And as far as you have a lot of people after you adds, nobody that I talk to are really selling that great unless you give it away. I'm in a tri-state area and tractor stuff is really not selling that fast.

I want an email address and a phone number,if there is no price I keep looking. I have bought a golf cart,3 wheeler and a 30ft. camper in the last 9 months from CL. All three times I called and made an appointment to see the item, the cart he held it for two days before I could get there to see it. I have also seen ads for a camper that was 3000.00 to cheap, and then the price dropped anther 4000.00 when I asked where was the trailer at. He told me the camper was in Oklahoma(the ad was posted in St Louis Mo CL and was not posted on any OK CL)LOL

As in all things with life,don't expect everyone to play by your standards if you expect to sale to the average joe. If you post without a price and relivant information you will get unproductive responses same as if you park something in the front yard for sale without a price. Both ways will attract hustlers looking for bargins. Buyers have their complaints such as ads claiming "Bush Hog"for sale cheap when they actualy have some el cheapo rotary cutter. If a person puts vainity and pride out front in all they do they will not do well.

Bob, where did I suggest that I would not respect a buyer's request? We all have schedules that we prefer to keep. Which does not mean there's any reason that you don't know how to not be disturbed by an inconvenient phone call. That is completely your responsibility.

You know, you do have competition. No problem at all for me. Good luck with yours. Here, no number to call means some other buyer gets the deal. And I avoid the spam, which is what this thread was about.

I"m not sure how your question turned into a name calling game below (some people just can"t get along) but I will try to help with my experience.
Yes, I have received similar replies such as you did and most if not all are scams and should be avoided.
I suggest you list your items similar to how I list on Craigslist. I always include a price, and I always list a phone number which happens to be my cell number. I never list my home number as they can google that and find where I"m at, but not with the cell. I also state that I will not reply to Emails. I have found if someone is honestly interested, they will call and make arrangments to look at what I have. If they wish to make an offer on it when here after looking at it, I'm always willing to listen and usually give some. If they try to make an offer over the phone prior to looking, I tell them the price if firm. I give them an address and ask when they would like to see it. Some show, some don"t which is normal. I always get their number on my cell phone and for those that don"t show up and don"t call with a reason, I always call them back and ask them if they are still interested, usually around midnight or so. I think I learned that part from Dave2. It works well for me, and I"ve sold a lot of stuff including animals. I love Craigslist, and the price is just right! Good luck!

400, you realize that you can give a phone number and not all people will get back to you either? Or how about someone stopping by and saying they'll be back in 10 minutes to buy a trailer I was selling along the side of the road, 9 years later I'm still waiting......

Last fall I got an e-mail for a Liquifire I was selling on c-list. I returned the e-mail with a number and a day later a got a call and the ole I'll be there tomorrow and never show. So don't blame it on the e-mail only on the original c-list. I got the no show after talking on the phone like you suggest.

It's common courtesy to get back to a phone message or an e-mail, but many people don't. Have you ever called on an item, leave a message and never hear back? Been there, done that. The same goes for e-mails. However an e-mail if free all the time. Making a lot of toll calls for items only to leave messages and can get expensive.

Sending an e-mail and asking for more pictures is also a benefits. How many time do you hear or may be involved with driving for hours to get to see an item that was misrepresented? An e-mail asking for more pictures might save that road trip.

Back to the OP, treat all e-mails as real the first time. If you're questioning it, ask if they want more pics or to set up a time to look at it. If it's spam, most people won't write back. If they do write back, usually you can figure out if its a real or "honest" buyer.

bob

Listed a really clean 87 Caprice on Craigslist and drew a tonnnnn of bottom feeders. Let expire and had emails for a couple of months looking to buy the car. Sold with a sign out of driveway for my money. My first time as was not happy with craigs

Bob, I have never responded to an add with a phone # and not got a response. BUT I have a friend that buys and sells and he has had both phone and email not responding back. So I guess it works both ways just I haven't had a problem with a phone # on the add, its only the email ones and maybe I have just run into a bad batch of email add because its getting better than 80% don't respond back so that's why I don't resond anymore without a #. Ed

I have actually bought and sold a lot of items on Craigslist, including a $12K mobile home for my farm worker and a MF65 tractor Monday. I agree, if not priced..I have no interest. Phone number is most likely to get me to check further, and call about the item.

I get very few phoney calls. Have gotten a few suspected spams. I hate ads that give an email address and no phone number. Silly, most of those people are listed in the phone book yet are afraid to post their number??????

As for flaky buyers and sellers....have you tried to buy anything in a store lately...and asked a question about it? Bet you did not get a decent answer 50% of the time.

Sounds like spam to me. I have not had anything like that happen to me off of Craigslist. I've bought an sold several things off of Craigslist. If they have no phone number I don't bother with them at all. Not having a price on it will not really drive me away.

Based on age I am going to guess this point of view is new to some of you.

Many people (such as myself) really prefer the anonymity and control you get from nonverbal communication like email and text messages.

I really prefer email for both selling and buying on Craigslist.

As a buyer I like the ability to think through my questions, have more pictures sent to me and feel out an item without any personal pressure. I tend to be the kind of person who has a hard time walking away from an item, even when I should. For me communicating in email form makes it mush easier to do so. I also like this because a lot of the time I have a moderate but not a deep desire to purchase an item. I frankly don't like to talk to people on the phone. Using email allows me to gather more information and stay in my comfort zone.

As a seller I like email because it allows me to communicate on my terms when I want to devote the time to it. I bought a lawnmower from a guy one time (which was about $125 underpriced) and he was telling me his cell kept ringing all day long while he was trying to work. Most people are not happy to simply leave a message and wait for a call back. They will continue to call over and over until they talk to a human.

An email will also sit and wait for you forever. A telephone call will not. Emails allow me also to have a better idea of demand (number of emails) before I respond to any of the potential buyers. If I simply answer the first call I don't know whether to come down or stay firm on price.

A lot of the time as a buyer if it says phone calls only and doesn't list an email I just keep going. It takes a pretty good deal for me to step out of my comfort zone and pick up the phone first.

Similarly as a seller if I get an email that lists a phone number and says call me at... I will usually only do so if I have no one who would prefer to email.

In both cases, email allows me to have a written record of any conversation, including price dickering.

Bottom line is you have to realize that not everyone is like you. Some people prefer email, some phone. If you want to have the best shot at a sale you need to be comfortable with both. If you choose not to (like me or like anyone who decides to move on if there isn't a phone number) you will miss out on some opportunities. Complaining that the rest of the population does function the same as you is simply a waste of time. It is like arguing political parties.

As an aide, my biggest pet peeve is a listing that says in the body no emails but the poster wasn't smart enough to uncheck the contact by anonymous email option. If you are going to use a system you should know how to use a system.

You were born with a mouth and ears.

Internet and texting came later.

Saw a young couple, well dressed , looked smart. table for 2 in a very fine resturant, beautiful decor, nice music, wonderful food. She was lovely. Both he and she were texting! I know what he was missing...not sure about her.

It is OK to talk to people, most don't bite. No need to hide behind a machine.

Ryan, I gotta say, you really nailed it. You made some great points. Dont forget the time issue with phone calls either. Not everybody works bankers hours and cell phone usage at works is frowned upon. I have bought and sold a ton of things where the only communication was via emails that I sent around 2am. Never even knew if they were black, white, man or woman untill they showed up on Saturday. There really is no "requirement" for phone calls when dealing with craigslist and I have never had anybody complain (well there was that jagoff from Rockford Ill. that emailed about 20 times and was too stupid to understand I weeded him out as a potential buyer long before hand).

Its just like you said too, if you are going to insist on only dealing on craigslist if there is a phone number, you are going to miss sales as a seller or good deals as a buyer. Thats nothing more than cutting off your nose to spite your face. When Im selling, I [b:70defd22af][i:70defd22af]always[/i:70defd22af][/b:70defd22af] weed through the responces and pick the person [b:70defd22af][i:70defd22af]I[/i:70defd22af][/b:70defd22af] want to deal with. If you want to send me an email that just says "call me, 123-456-7890" thats fine but dont be ------ when I dont even bother to email you back. Its a whole different ball game now than it was just 20 years ago when all we had then was newspapers, a board posted at the grocery store and maybe some radio station that let you call in.

There is no reason to be so scared of a computer, they dont bite and they dont hurt you. They are nothing more than a tool you can use to make your life easier and better.

You said "There is no reason to be so scared of a computer, they dont bite and they dont hurt you. They are nothing more than a tool you can use to make your life easier and better."

Right, just keep looking down at the ground, avoid eye contact, don't acknowledge anyone, no need for a personality when textting.

I'm not anymore afraid of a computer than you are of people interaction.

(quoted from post at 07:09:04 11/03/11) You said "There is no reason to be so scared of a computer, they dont bite and they dont hurt you. They are nothing more than a tool you can use to make your life easier and better."

Right, just keep looking down at the ground, avoid eye contact, don't acknowledge anyone, no need for a personality when textting.

I'm not anymore afraid of a computer than you are of people interaction.

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I think you need to reread my post. Nowhere in it did I say I was afraid of interacting with people, in fact quite the contrary. If it would be effective to just reply to people with my address to let people come and look, I would. The fact is, that dont work (yes, I have tried it) and through the years I have tried and changed my ways so my craigslist buying and selling experiences are sucessful. The bottom line is, thats all I care about, being sucessful at buying or selling. And isnt that the point? Or are you just looking for a phone friend?

Really, it sounds like you are just butthurt because people like me have just passed you by when we are selling something. All mad because we didnt drop everything and immedeatly hop on the phone to talk to you, usually answering the same questions that were already stated in the ad or clearly shown in the pictures. Sorry bub, we just dont have time for that foolishness. Think about it, if I put my truck for sale on craigslist and I get 50 responces: 10 likely spam, 20 sending just a phone number, 10 from accross the country because they cant find what they want locally and 10 that arent scared of sending an email and are willing to wait till the weekend when my free time is other than at around midnight, well who do you think Im gonna sell to? Ya, dont be shocked or butthurt when I decide to sell to one of the 10 willing buyers I have lined up with cash that want or at least are willing to deal in a fashon that works best for me.

While Im not a person that is always looking down texting (I [b:2c740754dc][i:2c740754dc]never[/i:2c740754dc][/b:2c740754dc] text BTW), I do see the trend of the younger generation doing business that way in an ever increasing level. Im not opposed to changing my ways in order to be sucessful when buying and selling on craigslist. You shouldnt be so scared of computers or technology, they really are just tools ment to make your life better. Just think, 100 years ago somebody was saying the exact same thing as I am to a person like you about the telephone.... ironic, huh?

I use CL quite a bit. Don't complain about short comings, since it is free.

I use CL quite a bit. Don't complain about short comings, since it is free.

Yes, you really do have to be careful on CL. I"ve gotten many responses to ads where they want to pay me more than I actually want, etc.

Anyway, I found your post because I was getting ready to put an ad on for my dad who has a 55t baler for sale. If you are still looking for one please give me a reply with your email and I"ll send you a picture. This one is dirty and rusty, but dad says the rust is just barely on the surface. It works very well and could go to the field today, but it would probably start a lot of conversations!

yup i get those.