I want to sell a few pieces of home electronic equipment - a couple hundred bucks worth, nothing big - through something like Craigslist, since I live in a big enough city and don’t want to deal with ebay and shipping and stuff like that.
I’m a bit nervous about getting ripped off or getting into a creepy situation, though - so what can I do to make things go smoothly and sanely once I find a buyer? Obviously, it’s best to meet someone in a very public place that’s not my apartment and all of that, but what’s the protocol for handing off the cash and everything? How can I do this without it being creepy or tense, with each side worrying that the other might try to rip them off?
When you say electronics, unless you actually mean hookers and blow, I wouldn’t be worried about this, frankly.
Yeah, maybe you’ll get some psycho that is going to kill you and make you into a lampshade, but you take that risk with the pizza delivery guy as well. Basically, there’s no reason for you to be overly concerned about this transaction. Take a friend if you’re nervous.
Deal in personal checks if you really aren’t comfortable with large amounts of cash, but a few hundred dollars in nothing to be overly concerned about, frankly.
You know, using Craigslist puts the ball in your court. You can determine in the ad exactly how you want the transaction to take place. I told people that they must be able to pick up some baby stuff within two days and at my place of work. Worked perfectly!
Do not accept personal checks. Get cash or if for some reason they are squicked about cash get a cashier’s check, but most of these deals are done in cash.
You don’t need to answer this on the board, but are you a cute young lady who lives alone or with a female roommate? If so, yes, I think you’re right to worry about a creepy situation developing. Maybe you can sell the items from someone else’s house, a guy or a family or a big group of roommates.
For the rest of us, we probably aren’t exactly the target demographic for a creepy situation, and don’t need to worry as much. Other exceptions might by wealthy widow with fortune buried in backyard, etc.
Where ever you do the transaction, have some electricity available. If I was buying some electronics, even a couple hundred bucks worth, I want to know that it works correctly. This could make selling the stuff difficult if you want to meet in a neutral location.