Fun with Craigslist 2nd Edition - Craigslist is the People of Walmart of the internet.

Fun with Craigslist 2nd Edition

Here are a few more postings from Facebook over the past couple months. These were the most popular as I had done screen shots of the interactions with these people. Enjoy!

August 3 2016

More fun with Craigslist car buyers text. Today's riddle as shown here. The struggle is real.

Yes, ladies and gentleman, this is the famous 3rall text!

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August 3 2016

  Another screen shot:

Notice how there was no response after. This happens a lot.

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August 4, 2016

Today’s installment of Fun with Craigslist - The following was a conversation that just happened on the phone with very broken English:

Me - Hello, This is JT

Caller - Where you located?

Me - What are you calling on?

Caller - You have car?

Me - Yes, I have several advertised. Which vehicle were you interested in?

Caller - What is the address?

Me - Which car are you interested in? They are in different locations.

Caller - Oh. I am interested in the one you have on Craigslist.

Me - They are all on Craigslist. Which one are you inquiring about?

Caller - Lexus

Me - OK, thank you. When would you like to see it?

Caller - No I just need address.

Me - I am not at that location all the time. I will have to meet you there. When would you like to come?

Caller - I only need the address.

Me - If I give you the address and you come without anyone knowing you are only go to a locked secured fenced lot. You won’t be able to get in and you will waste your trip. So you need to let me know when you would like to come so I can meet you there.

Caller - I can't just come to look?

Me - No. The lot has security cameras, an alarm, and guard dogs. I need to be there if you want to see the SUV.

Caller - Oh. I need the address because I bring tow truck to get it home. I need to know how much it cost.

Me - The Lexus is at a towing yard. Where do you want the truck delivered? I can get a price quote for you.

Caller - No I bring truck.

Me - Oh so you have your own tow truck or have someone already?

Caller - No, I need to get one.

Me - I can help you with that.

Caller - All I need is address.

At this point I know we are going in circles so I gave him the address of the old lot because I do not want this guy snooping around. This will give him a general idea of location to get a price if he winds up being a real buyer, which I highly doubt. (edit: guy never called back)

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August 5, 2016

Today’s Fun with Craigslist:

Now this isn't as bad as some of the fools that I get but still I thought it was an interesting call.

I get a phone call from a lady on a 1999 Mercedes ML320 SUV I am selling. It has 170k miles, it runs but has a throttle issue, or lack thereof. This is another impound car I am selling. Retail on these is around $3500-4000. Wholesale $1,500-$2k. I have it listed for $950.00 because of the work that it needs, which is specified in the ad. I also said it needs to be towed to a mechanic to be repaired before you drive it.

So she asks "can I drive this home?"

I said "no, it is not in drivable condition and will need to be repaired before you can drive it reliably”

Her – So I can’t drive it? What does it need?

Me – I don’t know. When you give it gas, it does nothing. It’s at a towing company. They don’t do repairs. I sell their impounded cars as/is.

Her – I only have $900 to spend on a car including tax and motor vehicle. I need a reliable car. I’m a new mother and I don’t want to miss work.

Me – When do you need a car by?

Her – 3 pm today my shift starts.

Me – Oh, that’s not a lot of time. That’s going to be tough.

Her – My other car died a month ago. I need a car ASAP. I need the overtime.

Me – I am not sure I have anything for you but let me give you a couple phone numbers for dealers I know who do Buy Her Pay Here.

So I give her a couple numbers for the dealers and then tell her this might be the route for her because for the $900 she has, she can put down on a better car she can make payments on, even if her credit is not good. Let’s be honest, $900 does not get you a gem of a car. Especially if she has limited funds, I said a Mercedes is NOT the vehicle for her. The repair costs will certainly exceed her pay scale. So being that she is going to be driving with her baby, I don’t want to see her break down in some POS because she didn’t have a lot to spend.

Sometimes it’s not about making the sale but helping people out and looking out for their needs.

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August 7, 2016

Fun with Craigslist, Sunday bicycle edition. I had a couple extra bikes lying around that I used to ride around the Englishtown Raceway Park swap meet. If they went missing during the night no big deal since I usually got them cheap or free and fixed them up for my use. I'm trying to eliminate the extra clutter and hopefully pick up some spending cash to boot.

So the following conversation is from today followed by a picture of the mountain bike we were talking about.

Again, notice no response after. What are people thinking?

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August 9, 2016

Today’s Fun with Craigslist installment:

Yesterday, 11:30 am, I speak (barely understanding him) to a guy who is from Irvington who wants to come and buy a Lexus I have listed from the impound lot. He talks price over the phone, which I really hate to do but we come to a fair price. He calls me back and said I will come first thing in the morning. I say I'll meet him at the yard at 9am but he needs to call or text me when he is leaving so I don't waste my time. He then calls me back 30 mins later to confirm he will be there at 9am. At 7:03 am this morning he calls, leaves a message, and says he is already on his way. I didn't listen to the message until 7:23 because I was still sleeping at the time. Figuring the time it takes to go from Irvington to Neptune, which puts him at the yard a little past 8:00 am. I have to get my ass moving now. I leave him a message saying I was expecting him at 9 but will get ready to leave and meet him there between 8:15-8:30am. At 7:36 he calls and says he is on RT 18 and only 20 minutes away but has to "U-turn" and head back. I asked why, he says he got a call, possibly an emergency, but he still will buy it today. It’s now 1:30 pm. No contact since.

(Edit: the guy did come a couple days later and bought the car but he was being a real scumbag. We agree on a price and once he gets there he is tearing up the Lexus trying to make it sound worse than it was to get it cheaper. This isn’t my first rodeo and I know the game he is playing. I said to the guy “Well if is this much of a piece of shit, what do you still want it?” He was sticking to his price so I told him “I guess you wasted your time” and I was showing him to the gate to leave.  Tensions calmed down and we got a deal done. It sold for less than what I really wanted to be at but more than his insulting offer. A sold unit is a sold unit. Time to move onto the next one)

Buyer #2. Guy calls on a 2003 Grand Cherokee I have listed. Very nice guy on the phone, asks a few questions, consults with the wife, and said we want to come tomorrow maybe 11 or 12. I said let’s do 11. He agrees and I send him the address on where to go. I also told him please call me when you are on your way because I will be at the other location and will have to meet him there. He said "No problem, I'll call you when we are on our way. If we can't make it, I'll let you know too." So today at 10:30 am I send him a text message that asks if he is still on schedule for 11 am? No text or call to confirm our appointment. Again, 1:30 pm and no contact.

I really have a feeling that mental hospitals allow their patients to surf Craigslist and give them a phone to randomly call people. Because every other website I use gives me quality serious buyers. Honestly there is 1 out of 30 calls/text that I get that are true buyers. But I still sell cars with it so it’s worth it to put them on there but after a while it burns you out.

Craigslist is the People of Walmart of the internet.

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August 16, 2016

More Craigslist text messaging fun. Behold the spelling champ of this week.

 The famous PIRAYS text!

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September 4, 2016 9:30am.

Craigslist fun Labor Day weekend edition. Three quick stories.

1. Got a kid who emailed me on a $20 bicycle - "Hi, I'm really interested in buying the blue bike you listed on Craigslist. I'm a student in New Brunswick who doesn't have a car, but I'd be able to give you $15 extra bucks if you'd be willing to deliver. Let me know if you're interested!"

WOW, a whole $15 extra bucks!!!! Yeah sure, I'll drive from Brick to New Brunswick and back to deliver a $20 bike for $15. Seriously? That's not even minimum wage plus expenses for a two hour round trip. Apparently this kid never took an economics class. I do appreciate his enthusiasm though by using an exclamation point asking if I'm interested in his proposal.

2. Last night at around 11:00 pm my phone rings with a guy who's interested in one of my dealer cars. As I mentioned before all my ads state no calls past 9pm in the first sentence. The guy says call me back ASAP. Have people really lost all sense of respect and courtesy that it doesn't occur to them that calling someone at 11pm is not acceptable? I'm going to take my time returning his call, maybe at 4:30am and see how he likes it. (edit: I never called him back)

3. I spoke with a buyer several times on a Toyota I'm selling. He wanted to meet on Friday I wasn’t able to meet that day so I told him Saturday we can meet. Yesterday morning he calls at 9am and said can we meet at 10am? I said 11 am is the earliest I can get there. The guy says great I'll see you then. I show up at the yard and wait, and wait, and wait. Guess what? He didn't show up. No call, won't return my calls. What the hell? Again, Craigslist lack of courtesy and respect.

I don't know if there's just something about Craigslist that attracts the bottom of the barrel but I don't have many issues like this with other sites I advertise on.