How To Stay Safe and Secure on Craigslist

Craigslist has been a place where thousands of people buy and sell things everyday. Due to the large scale transactions, some scammers and thieves have ought to lurk around the site and prey on innocent buyers or sellers. But do not be discouraged and think that Craigslist is a no good site.

Bad things also happen in other sites. It’s just the reality in a community that is open to anybody. Written below are some of the tips to keep yourself out of trouble.

Keep It Short and Simple

Do not write a long advertisement when you sell your things online. Face it, no one will read them. People usually care about the specifications, quality, and warranty of the item but those are usually talked about during the conversation with them and not read in an ad. Rule of thumb is that the add should not be more than 100 words.

The Price is Right

Craigslist is a place where people haggle. Therefore, price your item high as people tend to be suspicious when the price is too low. When someone is selling a used iPad Air in good condition and is priced half of the retail cost, doesn’t it raise a red flag?

On websites like Craigslist, things that are too good to be true often come out false. Pricing your item low will scare people away or if not, you might end up at a loss in the bargain. Don’t know how to arrive at a good price? Pick the price you actually want to sell the item at and then add a few dollars on top. In that case, even if someone haggles with you and brings down the price, you can still negotiate and end up at the price you originally intended to sell the item at. A bonus tip: only accept cash.

Based from experience of many Craigslist users, cash sales give a higher chance of not getting scammed. The worse thing you can take at a sale is a check. You will be handing over your item without any assurance that you will get paid. Do not forget to state in your listing, which should be short as mentioned above, that you will be receiving cash only to avoid any misunderstanding.

Make It Public

When you do arrive at a successful negotiation with a prospective buyer or seller, make sure that you meet in public. Coffee shops or other easy-to-spot locations are top favorite meeting places of people dealing with over Craigslist.

Public meetings assure both parties that there are witnesses if ever something goes wrong. But in case the item is too heavy to be brought out of the house, leave your door open when meeting the buyer. An open entrance or exit is good so that in case of a problem, you can be heard by your neighbors or you have an easy way out.

If possible, it is best to have a friend with you inside the house during the sale. If your friend cannot make it, have another friend stand by on the line in case you needed help. Make sure that the buyer knows that you have a friend on the other line, it works as a deterrent too.

With the tips above and other cautionary measures that you can think of, you might just survive and actually enjoy dealing with people on Craigslist.