Craigslist scammers responded to car for sale add.

mike0000

Member

Equipment
Kubota L3901, RTV900
Sep 15, 2021
83
90
18
Southern Indiana
My youngest daughter just bought a new to her car, Dad now gets to sell the family college car. I listed it on Fb Marketplace and Craigslist. I’m up to 4 scammers now, area codes as far away as California. They ask a few questions and then want a vin report and send a link in the text. These all originated from the Craigslist adds. I listed it yesterday.
 

John T

Well-known member

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2017 BX23S
May 5, 2017
1,060
527
113
under a rock
Marketplace is hit or miss.

Personally If I get any stupid questions or "is this available" I block them immediately and delete the conversation.

Same goes for anyone with a location outside of driving distance.

Basically anything fishy.... BLOCKED

C-ya
 
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Old Machinist

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Kubota LX3310 cab, JD 4310, NH 575E cab backhoe, JD F725, Swisher 60", etc.
May 27, 2024
501
549
93
NE FL
Marketplace is hit or miss.

Personally If I get any stupid questions or "is this available" I block them immediately and delete the conversation.

Same goes for anyone with a location outside of driving distance.

Basically anything fishy.... BLOCKED

C-ya
I don't know what you consider outside of driving distance but I recently sold my backhoe on FB to a guy 250 miles away. Some years back I sold a racecar off CL to some guys in TX. I am in N FL.

The backhoe sale began with "is this still available" I think. Doesn't take that much effort to reply with a yes. FB actually gives you an automated response for that if you don't want to type it you can just click on it.

Don't get me wrong, I have singled out some flakes and blocked them but that isn't usually my first response.
 
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mike0000

Member

Equipment
Kubota L3901, RTV900
Sep 15, 2021
83
90
18
Southern Indiana
Well the car sold today from the FB add, in total I had 5 what I believe to be scammers from Craigslist. I immediately shut down the adds, glad it sold quickly, probably stick to Marketplace in the future.
 

jyoutz

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Premium Member

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MX6000 HST open station, FEL, 6’ cutter, forks, 8’ rear blade, 7’ cultivator
Jan 14, 2019
3,439
2,525
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Edgewood, New Mexico
I simply tell the Craigslist people that the terms are: show up in person with cash. The scammers don’t reply back.
 
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armylifer

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Lifetime Member

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BX1860, FEL, RCK54P MMM, BB1548 Box Scraper, Quick Hitch, Piranha Bar, BX6315
Mar 26, 2013
2,216
980
113
Thurston County, WA
I bought my Model T from a guy in Oregon, more than 150 miles from me, from a CL ad. My brother bought a '67 Camaro from a party in CA, more than 2300 miles away from where he lives in WI. I once sold a Suzuki Samurai to a guy that lived more than 100 miles from me, on an ad that I placed on CL. I am currently considering buying another vintage car from the Hagerty online auctions. None of the cars I am considering are within 1500 miles of me. Some are even way down in FL. It is not unusual for people to look for things far away from where they live anymore. Why restrict yourself to the local area to buy or sell? I know that when I answer a CL ad I always begin with the most important question first; is it still available?
 

jaxs

Well-known member

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B1750HST
Jun 22, 2023
977
749
93
Texas
New ads get 50-200 "Hi is this still available" responses within 15 minutes which means robots are doing the majority. Facebook should take that button away. if people want to open a response with "is this still available", it's a free world but "If this is still available I'm interested" makes more sense all the way around. Occasionally I'll report a few listed for 10% market value in 10 states but when I check a few days latter ads are still up. When buying if you click Seller Details, what you see will help spot scammers.
 

D2Cat

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Lifetime Member

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L305DT, B7100HST, TG1860, TG1860D, L4240
Mar 27, 2014
14,561
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40 miles south of Kansas City
I never ask "is it available". I ask a question about the item. If they answer it's available and I can proceed with other questions. It also keeps me from getting blocked by some sellers, I'm sure.