Selling a bicycle on Craigslist - Would you ever deal with someone that is not local?

[poonjaji]

Seeking some feedback from the brain trust of B&B. I am trying to sell a bicycle on Craigslist and was contacted by several folks from out of state asking if I would ship. It is a limited edition model, potentially collectible, and it would not surprise me if someone from out of state might have stumbled upon my bike. However, this is my first foray into Craigslist and what my friend Google is telling me is to NEVER deal with someone that you cannot meet in a shady part of your hometown to complete the transaction face-to-face.

The bike I am selling is priced at $1,000. I have a buyer lined up who has offered upfront to pay via Paypal and pay up to $150 in packaging/shipping charges. Would I be a fool to move forward? Any advice outside of only shipping to a verified Paypal address, providing a tracking number and requiring a signature for delivery?

Thanks for any advice you may have to offer.

 

[Aimless1]

Ship bicycle shop to bicycle shop. Usually cheaper than shipping direct and takes the worry out of this part of the deal.

 

[mmack66]

I only do face-to-face, cash transactions for items I buy and sell on Craigslist.

I would sell it on eBay if it were me, as there are a few more buyer/seller protections in place.

 

[Planbee]

Be _really_ careful of advance fee schemes. "I have a guy who owes me $1500. He'll send you the $1500 in a bank draft and you can wire me the difference by Western Union." Of course the bank draft turns out to be counterfeit, and you're out the bike, the shipping charge and the $350 difference.

 

[Toothpick]

I hate craigslist. but there are some things that are better suited for them rather than ebay. such as furniture, heavy items that I don't want to ship. for those I do cash only, face to face, they pick it up and haul it.

every time I post a listing it never fails I have someone trying to scam me. I've used it about 4 times now.

my listing usually says {CASH ONLY, no checks, no money orders, no IOU. CASH ONLY. You haul it, you pick it up, cash and carry}

What ever I'm selling is so cheap that I don't negotiate my terms.

As for someone out of state....well if they wanted to come get it sure. I'd hold it for a day.

 

[cb91710]

Local sale, cash money only for high dollar items.

 

[VerbaVolant]

No!

Try local bike shop. Try selling among friends, acquaintances. Wise advice: local sale, cash only.

 

[shaveitoff]

If you see the amount of money you require in your paypal account then why not go ahead and ship it? Unless there is some way that the payment can be reversed you should be safe. I'd just ship it with a tracking number and insure it for $1,000.

 

[guerreit2]

Only if he is the prince of Nigeria.

 

[Matt_Bloodletter]

Taking paypal for a CL item is asking for trouble. It's no better than taking a check from a stranger - maybe worse. I'd tell them Walmart or USPS money order - hold to clear then ship. If they don't like the terms - wait for another buyer. I've been both a buyer and seller in situations like this and for more money. I can readily tell when someone is trustworthy to do business with - they are patient, courteous and forthcoming. Any red flags - find someone else to do business with.

May I also suggest Google Voice instead of sharing your personal phone if they want to speak.

 

[realdog4]

I sold a kayak that was worth about $1,500 on Craigslist to a guy out of state. I had no problems but he actually drove 8 hours to my house to pick it up.

I guess the point is that the buyer should be just as worried as you. In your case, they don't seemed worried at all. Seems a bit off.

 

[August West]

Only if he is the prince of Nigeria.

He emails me all the time. You know him too?

 

[Heron]

Insist that he send you a cashier's check with delivery confirmation. That way you're both protected. He'll have proof that you received the money and you'll know the payment is good. If he says no, he's either more distrustful than I am (unlikely) or he's a scammer (most likely).

 

[cb91710]

Taking paypal for a CL item is asking for trouble. It's no better than taking a check from a stranger - maybe worse. I'd tell them Walmart or USPS money order - hold to clear then ship.

Insist that he send you a cashier's check with delivery confirmation. That way you're both protected. He'll have proof that you received the money and you'll know the payment is good. If he says no, he's either more distrustful than I am (unlikely) or he's a scammer (most likely).

The "buyer" can always file a Paypal dispute. Money orders and cashier's checks are often counterfeited and forged. The bank will "clear" it, then 2 weeks later, the fraudulent paper is discovered and the charges reversed.

Western Union? That is one way to go... you get cash, so if they paid by fraudulent means, it's WU's problem.
The problem with that is scammers typically use WU, so a legitimate buyer will likely interpret your acceptance of WU as being a sign that YOU are a scammer. This can perhaps be countered with a "proof of life" photo of yourself holding a newspaper and a personalized note standing in front of the item.
At least then, the buyer knows that you are not having the mythical "3rd party" ship the item that is already boxed up and not available for local inspection.

For the most part, scammers can be detected by the phrasing used in their messages, which includes inconsistent terms used to reference the item(s) for sale, generic terms, broken English, overly polite (how many legitimate responses to ads begin with "Good Day Sir").... things that fit well into a form letter with keywords subbed.

We just had someone on here last night using the same "sounding" language... 1st post, asking about someone who first offered his $1500 ticket to evaluate the Google Glass, but pulled the ad when he found that it was tied to his G+ account and he could not sell it.
2 days later, someone asked for it.

But using this is not always going to catch the scammer. It's a good start and will eliminate most of them, but there are always a few smart ones who are doing it manually, rather than relying on a bot. Small time operators, but probably have a higher rate of success than the bots.

 

[Heron]

Money orders and cashier's checks are often counterfeited and forged. The bank will "clear" it, then 2 weeks later, the fraudulent paper is discovered and the charges reversed.

I'm glad I checked back. That's good to know.

For the most part, scammers can be detected by the phrasing used in their messages, which includes inconsistent terms used to reference the item(s) for sale, generic terms, broken English, overly polite (how many legitimate responses to ads begin with "Good Day Sir").... things that fit well into a form letter with keywords subbed.

This is good advice. I once advertised a trailer for sale online and the emails I received never once used the word "trailer". They said things like, "I am interested in the item you have for sale."

 

[CyclingFool]

Join one of the cycling forums and spend some time there, sell only to someone with an established posting history. But yeah, selling locally is always easiest.

What bike is it?

Bikeforums.net has an appraisal section for vintage bikes btw.

 

[poonjaji]

Thank you all for your feedback, I really appreciate it. I will hold out and hope someone local will take interest.

Thanks again!

 

[poonjaji]

Join one of the cycling forums and spend some time there, sell only to someone with an established posting history. But yeah, selling locally is always easiest.

What bike is it?

Bikeforums.net has an appraisal section for vintage bikes btw.

Here is the bike: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/bik/4208703222.html I do not know what it ultimately sold for, but #6 in this series was for sale a while back for over 3K. Like anything else, items are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for them.

Thanks for the bike forum tip.

 

[CyclingFool]

Gorgeous bike! That's certainly worth putting some effort into. For a serotta I would head over to http://forums.thepaceline.net/ - this forum used to be run be Serotta and has a lot of fans/owners of the brand. I'm sure you'd find a local buyer through them.

 

[mmack66]

http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams