I’m on the verge of posting something on Craig’s list, as a result of a suggestion made here. It seems so easy, and there seem to be so few safeguards. Does anyone have experience with it? How safe is it to do this?
Not nearly enough information to tell. Craigslist is a forum for posting ads cheaply. We don’t know if you’re trying to sell an old Nordic Track or are looking for new and different sexual experiences.
Craigslist offers, therefore, the same degree of safety as your normal Bargain Hunter magazine or the ads in the back of your average alternative newspaper – that is, none at all. It’s buyer beware and seller beware.
If you’re selling something, make sure you get a certified check. If you’re meeting someone, do it in a public place, bring a cell phone, and tell someone where you’re going.
I have purchased 5 or 6 items via craigslist. My transactions have all gone smoothly. Then again, had my throat been slit when I went to pick up that antique dining room table, I would not have been surprised. Well, yes I would have been surprised, but you know what I mean. Finagle’s advise is good.
Collectively, my roommates and I have found roommates, apartments, an exercise bike, an antique sewing machine, a free piano, a couch, at least one job and several gigs and clients through Craigslist, plus assorted other odds and ends. It’s a good place to buy and sell things locally, as long as you take the precautions Finagle mentioned. I’ve always try to pay cash for things I buy on Craigslist, and I think it’s reasonable for a seller to accept only cash or a certified check. Personally, I wouldn’t post a personal ad there.
As much as you would trust anybody else. I don’t understand the question - anybody can post on craigslist, there are no qualifiers, so what are you asking? How much can you trust people in general? Not that much…
You also wouldn’t be posting a positive review on a message board.
Clearly there’s some self-selection bias afoot ;).
I answered an personal ad on craigslist. A woman wanted platonic company in Las Vegas to enjoy the sights with someone knowledgable of the area and not looking for sex. She looked like the picture she sent, talked and acted like a normal person and after the evening ended we both we smiling as we parted. I don’t know if this is normal but is my only experience with the personals there. I also gave away a lawn mower without hassle there.
I have had infinitely more success with personal ads on Craigs than on match.com. When I say infinitely, I mean that literally because the denominator is zero. I have had several first dates that went nowhere (but one of them wants to have me meet one of her friends) and one that led to a one month fling. Not a psycho in the bunch. Granted all of these were from answering ads, I haven’t posted one of my own.
I found my job. My comedy troupe. My salsa dance class. My former long time girlfriend. A series of different women who varying degrees of insanity.
If it weren’t for craigs list I’d be very very horny, lonely and poor.
Well, there ya go. I posted a personal ad on Craigslist once and all I got was a creep and two people who didn’t seem to’ve read the ad, but I’ve met several interesting people on Match.com. shrug
Moved to IMHO.
-xash
General Questions Moderator
I’ve always had good experiences with Craigslist. YMMV.
Infinite? I thought that was indeterminate. Uh-oh. I smell a debate coming… 
I’ve heard that the Kabbalah center has advertised for ghostwriters there to write their “holy scriptures”.
Make of that what you will.
I have bought and sold many times with Craigslist with minimal problems. The biggest problem has been no shows when giving stuff away for free. Someone eventually showed up and took the stuff.
When I moved into my own place, I got a good portion of my furniture on Craigslist.
If you’re patient and catch people during things like moving sales (where they just want to get rid of stuff fast) you can get some really nice things for super cheap. Everyone who visits always compliments my apartment.
I always paid cash and I’ve had nothing but smooth transactions. I personally wouldn’t accept anything but cash or postal money orders, though. I’ve been hearing more and more about cashier’s and other kinds of cheque fraud. I listen to this guy’s radio show several times a week and he gets a lot of complaints from people about problems with cheques and money orders/fraud.
I’ve never posted a personal ad or anything like that.
Craig’s list is as good a source as Wiki. 
My experience with Craigslist is as a seller and has been very positive. It’s no different than running a classified ad in your local newspaper so take the same kinds of precautions.
My When I list an item, I don’t display either my email address or phone number. Interested parties respond via an anonymous email address supplied by Craigslist. You’ll see the responder’s email address and often they’ll provide a phone number for contact.
They warn you up front (it should be simple common sense) about offers to buy from non-locals who want to send a money order or cashier’s check. Both are easy to counterfeit. And usually they’ll want to send a money order for more than the purchase and have you send them the difference - in cash.
I’d listed a set of high-end patio furniture and got a quick response from someone who wanted to send a money order. My response was that I’d accept a money order via PayPal. Surprise, surprise - I never heard from that person again.
It’s worked well for me so far but it doesn’t seem to be the place to list high-end stuff. My Ikea-type items went quickly when kids we’re arriving for the fall semester. Household items also get some interest but the good furniture ran its 45 day course with no results at all.
Craigslist Atlanta ghave me some good job leads, and I almost bought a car, twice. My Pop’s mechanic eventually come up with a better deal.
Ditto the cashier’s check scams. My current roommate was scammed yesterday for $1,600, which the bank had deposited before revoking his funds. He was given it by a “Johnson Jones.”