Craigslist UK - more scams than the genuine article!

[duff photographer]

As many of you know, sites that don't offer buyer protection are to be treated with caution when buying (or selling) any type of photographic gear.

These week I've been looking for a few bits and bobs and found a few on Craigslist. Many are familiar with Craigslist particularly in the US. In the UK, it's known about but not often followed. I know why now.

Of 6 high-end items that look interesting (i.e., cheap), at least 5 turned out to be scams. The other one I'm not sure about but could also be a scam - I'm waiting to hear back on that one. I shan't say what the items are as it might imply I have an ulterior motive suffice to say that if you did your own research you would find within two minutes of googling the details (serial numbers, etc.) that they're obvious scams. To help you, most of these scams use information from sold items on Ebay that are no longer accessible through Ebay itself but are accessible by googling!

I guess the prices they're asking (half that realised on Ebay) should be a warning while all the scams I've seen so far have been based in London (where half the 6 million people living there appear to be criminals).

I'm probably stating what's already known but just in case - avoid the UK 'chapter' of Craigslist like the plague!

Cheers,
Steve.

[Marc B.]

Craigslist, at best, anywhere, works well only in your local area, where you can physically view the items firsthand. My opinion.

[eddie]

Craigslist, at best, anywhere, works well only in your local area, where you can physically view the items firsthand. My opinion.

+1

on top of every CL specific ad:

"Avoid scams and fraud by dealing locally! Beware any deal involving Western Union, Moneygram, wire transfer, cashier check, money order, shipping, escrow, or any promise of transaction protection/certification/guarantee. More info"


after you click the "more info" button you get this:

"DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts on craigslist.

NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.

FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.

CRAIGSLIST IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"

NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)

AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.

DO NOT RENT HOUSING WITHOUT SEEING THE INTERIOR, OR PURCHASE EXPENSIVE ITEMS SIGHT-UNSEEN - in all likelihood that housing unit is not actually for rent and that cheap item does not exist.

DO NOT SUBMIT TO CREDIT CHECKS OR BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR A JOB OR FOR HOUSING UNTIL YOU HAVE MET THE INTERVIEWER OR LANDLORD/AGENT IN PERSON."

[Sevo]

My impression is that Craigslist did not take off in Europe, at least when it comes to 2nd hand camera sales - hereabouts almost the entire content are spam or scams originating in the US.

[Keith S. Walklet]

I've been very pleased with all the purchases I've made on Craigslist US. Early on, when I didn't recognize scammer behavior, I followed up on what turned out to be dubious listings.

They are easy to avoid if one knows some of their tactics.

1. Scammers almost always offer a ridiculously low price in comparison to the going rate.

2. They don't list the city location in the ad header (the ads are often placed in multiple city Craigslists).

3. They don't have a local phone number.

I hope the service eventually catches on abroad, as it is a great way for local buyers and sellers to make each other happy.

[duff photographer]

I agree with all the above.

I have regularly looked at the US (original version of) Craigslist and there do seem to be a lot of genuine sellers and know it works better there than in the UK. The problems are nowhere as bad as over here. It's likely the US had less criminals per captia as well.

I've spoken to a few people since I originally posted and they say that on occasion there is nothing but scams on the UK list (photography). It's doubtful if Craigslist will catch on - it's never been publicy advertised or gotten into the heart of the private trading world as in the US. Ebay (unfortunately - bearing in mind what they charge) beats all when it comes to buyer protection. A genuine seller will have to poke their head pretty high up to be seen by any potential buyers.

I honestly believe it's a nice idea in principle, just like the free-ads in the local newspaper, but the hassle of trying to find a genuine advert amongst the pap just isn't worth it, even if they are easy to spot. Nothing worse than finding what you're looking for only to suss out it's dodgy. UK buyers/sellers shouldn't be put off by what I've observed; they'll just have to work harder for possibly very little return. There may be better alternatives, the LF forum here being one of them!

Just as an aside (and off-topic) I decided to look for a woman on Craigslist (just for a laugh). Among the adverts by prostitutes was this little gem from a lady questioning the identity of the people on there. Made I laugh it did (cos' it's true).

64553

[bobherbst]

Anyone anywhere considering meeting someone about an ad on Craigslist, please read the news item at this link - http://www.ohio.com/news/akron-man-is-third-craigslist-shooting-victim-1.248539. I went to high school with Ralph and he was close with some dear high school friends of mine.

I realize this could as easily happened 30 years ago in responding to a newspaper ad before the internet existed as we know it today. But times have changed and the internet has made potential victims more accessible. I'm not saying anything bad about Craigslist per se. It works for many people. Just be careful.

[John Koehrer]

That's a bitch, looking for work & end up dead.

On a more positive note, Last year in Chicago a young couple found a car on CL. When they went to look at it, two guys attempted to rob them. Payback? The young couple were both (armed) off-duty Chicago police. =)

[Visions]

I answered a CL add for a camera in Cleveland. The text and photos appeared ok, but when I started to ask questions, the answers where just not right.

The avatar and email appeared to be legit too, but then I did a random Google search and got allot of bad info that the email address belonged to a scammer.

Then the the person who listed the camera emailed me about buying it and I responded that I wanted to see it first. After that, it went downhill fast! The guy said that the camera was in eBay's shipping center and that as soon as he got confirmation the money arrive, he would instruct eBay to ship me the camera.

end of that conversation! If it appears to be too good to be true, it probably is.

[Ash]

Tried using it twice and gave up. Gumtree worked for me though, because it has less spam. I got some books among other things but there isn't a whole lot on there because it is lesser-known/used.