CL deal...too good to be true

[Mike Cruz]

Well, I was doing my usual perusing through CL today when a deal too good to pass up came on. A Grizzly 20" band saw...for $150!!!!!!!!!!! I found the ad 31 minutes after it posted. I sent in my reply with my cell number. Figured I was too late, but thought, eh, who knows. I kept flipping through CL...AND MY CELL PHONE RANG!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO!!!! I calmly answered it, spoke with the gentleman, and then calmly/politely asked him how much he was asking for the saw. "About a thousand if I recall correctly." I took a deep sigh, and replied, "Yeah, that's what I thought...you have it listed for $150..." "Oops, that was supposed to be $1050", he surprisingly clarified. He embarrassingly asked me if I knew how to edit his ad. He happened to be at his computer, and had it changed before I even had a chance to try to walk him through it.

Oh well, I guess the good news is that IF it had been $150, I'd a had a steal!!!!!!!

[Bob Wingard]

This incident appears innocent enough, but there are thousands of scams out there for every simple mistake. Once, several years back, I answered an ad for a nice boat that was a very good price .. not a steal, but a bargain. The ad read $8,800 OR BEST OFFER. It was probably a $12-13K boat, so I figured it was long gone, but I called anyway. Guy said it was still available .. I asked if I could come right over to look at it. "SURE" .. we'll be here ... no problem. Well, it's about a 2 hour drive, but we jumped in the truck and headed straight to the bank .. got the cash .. then headed up to the boat location. Inspected the boat .. started it right up .. GREAT CONDITION .. told the guy I'd take it, and started counting out the money. "OH NO" he says ... can't take that ... I asked why not ?? that was his asking price, and I saw no reason to bargain. He says the ad was for $8,800 OR BEST OFFER ... and he already had an offer of .. get this .. $16,000. I wanted to beat him so bad, but I was a cop at the time and didn't want to get fired, but he certainly did not enjoy the tongue lashing we gave him.

[Dave Lehnert]

They are the same people who go into a store and complain about mistakes in an ad. You should have told the guy the same stuff they tell them. "It was advertised at that price, You have to sell it to me" "Going to file a complaint to the BBB and tell everyone I know on the internet"

[Dave Lehnert]

I was looking for a pontoon boat. Found one in a local CL ad for what seemed to be too good of a price. I started searching the net on the seller e-mail. Some guy out west said he purchased the boat on e-bay and the seller never shipped. How would you liked to get in that mess.


This incident appears innocent enough, but there are thousands of scams out there for every simple mistake. Once, several years back, I answered an ad for a nice boat that was a very good price .. not a steal, but a bargain. The ad read $8,800 OR BEST OFFER. It was probably a $12-13K boat, so I figured it was long gone, but I called anyway. Guy said it was still available .. I asked if I could come right over to look at it. "SURE" .. we'll be here ... no problem. Well, it's about a 2 hour drive, but we jumped in the truck and headed straight to the bank .. got the cash .. then headed up to the boat location. Inspected the boat .. started it right up .. GREAT CONDITION .. told the guy I'd take it, and started counting out the money. "OH NO" he says ... can't take that ... I asked why not ?? that was his asking price, and I saw no reason to bargain. He says the ad was for $8,800 OR BEST OFFER ... and he already had an offer of .. get this .. $16,000. I wanted to beat him so bad, but I was a cop at the time and didn't want to get fired, but he certainly did not enjoy the tongue lashing we gave him.

[Bob Wingard]

They are the same people who go into a store and complain about mistakes in an ad. You should have told the guy the same stuff they tell them. "It was advertised at that price, You have to sell it to me" "Going to file a complaint to the BBB and tell everyone I know on the internet"


This was a private individual, and it happened long before algore invented the internet. Absolutely no legal recourse ... I DID mention that I was a cop back then ... Chicago Police Dept is sometimes affectionately known as "the World's Largest Street Gang" ... I think this guy is probably still getting parking tickets ... just a wild guess.

[Larry Edgerton]

There is somebody on the list that is advertizing different cars way too cheap, and I found the same cars in different locations/citys. A 2008 Toyota Tundra for $8800, but its listed in many locations. I noticed a lot of BMW's that are the same way.

[Mike Cruz]

I have to say a big OOPS. I think the title of my thread was a little inaccurate or maybe misleading... This was an honest mistake by a CL seller. He wasn't pulling a bait and switch or anything. He was truely happy that he got such a quick response to his ad, and truely surprised when I said he had it listed for $150. I have no ill will towards the guy. That is also why I didn't just say, "OK I'll take it...be there in an hour and a half." Then show up and have to argue with the guy about the price. I didn't NEED this (or any other) band saw...I already have two. But if it had truely been $150 for a 20" BS, I think I would have sold my 14"...

[Mike Schuch]

My father once saw a CL add for a Powermatic 71 12" cabinet table saw for $1. Hahahah!!! I can't believe my father was actually gullible enough to call on it!!!! I have just finished rebuilding that 71 and yes my dad did give the guy $1 for it!!!!! The guy even went out of his way helping my dad load it up on his trailer.

[Mike Cruz]

Mike, so you are saying that the ad said a dollar. You dad bit. And the guy was REALLY selling it for a dollar? Sounds like he just wanted it out of his garage...

[Mike Schuch]

The saw was from a window factory that had moved. The guy rented the space and wanted the saw out of the way but didn't want to just scrap it.

It was UGLY!!!!! The mobile base WAS welded to the cabinet. I spent a few hours grinding on it then stripped the cabinet, did a little bondo magic and repainted it. My father replaced all the bearings and had a buddy make a new elevation shaft to replace the very worn but usable original. The Besimeyer fence even had divots in the rail where the fence was always set.

http://www.hitechengineering.net/DNN/Portals/0/MyShop/powermatic/3n73m83p95V15S65R5a72958274a36d021ae6.jpg

I need to get an after picture up. It looks and works like new! (5hp 3ph)

And YEP... $1... a lot of the guys on OWWM didn't call on it because they thought is was BS or "Price to be determined"

http://www.hitechengineering.net/DNN/Portals/0/MyShop/Powermatic/100_2702.jpg
(http://www.hitechengineering.net/DNN/Portals/0/MyShop/PICT8122.gif)

[Mike Cruz]

Yes, post some finished pics of it. Before's and afters are always fun to see...

[Paul Symchych]

I once had a sailboat for sale. At lunch with a mix of friends and strangers one asked about it and what the boat price was. I told him "23". An hour later I got a call wanting to buy it sight unseen for cash -for $2300. It deflated his excitement when i told him it was $23,000.

[Mike Schuch]

My father also picked up a 10+ year old Jet 8" jointer for $100. It had original knives that were still razor sharp. It is in his garage shop as he decided HE was keeping that one. Sold his HF 6" jointer a week later for $125. (He paid $50 for the HF 6" at a garage sale).

Then there was the time he picked up a PorterCable 505 half sheet sander off of E-Bay. Some A--Hole kept bidding him up on it.... I didn't realize it was my dad I was bidding against! :rolleyes: And he still gave me the PM saw years later (OK... several years later:D). I was going to give him my PM 65 10" cabinet saw in return for the 71 but he decided his Rockwell contractors saw ($25 from buddy at StVicent DePaul's) fit in his garage better and did everything he needed.

[John Kali]

I have never once found a great deal on craigslist! Maybe one of these days...

[Bruce Wrenn]

Here a couple years back was an open stand Delta 14" for $125. Seller stated that it probably needed some new brushes as it wouldn't run. A friend got there first and got it for $100. Took it home and when he pushed the little red button on the motor, the brushes magically healed themselves. Last year, I bought sight unseen, a Sears 1.0 HP air compressor (two cylinder cast iron, belt driven pump)for $25. It was on CL a couple weeks. When I called seller said he hadn't had any responses. So I took a chance and mailed him $25 in cash, and would get my son to pick it up when he was working close by. Son didn't have any jobs in that area in the following weeks, so that didn't work out. Seller calls me and asks where I lived. He and his wife were going to put flowers on her parents grave, which happened to be only a couple miles from my house. He brought me the compressor and saved me a ninety mile round trip. Compressor works GREAT!

[Kelly Colin Mark]

This incident appears innocent enough, but there are thousands of scams out there for every simple mistake. Once, several years back, I answered an ad for a nice boat that was a very good price .. not a steal, but a bargain. The ad read $8,800 OR BEST OFFER. It was probably a $12-13K boat, so I figured it was long gone, but I called anyway. Guy said it was still available .. I asked if I could come right over to look at it. "SURE" .. we'll be here ... no problem. Well, it's about a 2 hour drive, but we jumped in the truck and headed straight to the bank .. got the cash .. then headed up to the boat location. Inspected the boat .. started it right up .. GREAT CONDITION .. told the guy I'd take it, and started counting out the money. "OH NO" he says ... can't take that ... I asked why not ?? that was his asking price, and I saw no reason to bargain. He says the ad was for $8,800 OR BEST OFFER ... and he already had an offer of .. get this .. $16,000. I wanted to beat him so bad, but I was a cop at the time and didn't want to get fired, but he certainly did not enjoy the tongue lashing we gave him.
You also could have been robbed.

A friend of mine was offered on the street a computer for a price that he knew was too good to be legal. The story was that the guy had stolen it off the back of a FedEx truck. It was still in FedEx packaging but as often happens, you could clearly see a Dell box underneath. My friend knew he shouldn't buy stolen goods, but people get greedy. They arranged to meet at a McDonalds.

They sat at a table, talked about the deal for a few minutes. The other guy asked that they exchange the money in the bathroom as he didn't want to be seen selling the hot computer in public. They both went in. The guy asked him if he wanted to check the computer before they exchanged money. My friend said that it was OK, and that he trusted him. My friend paid him. They shook hands and the guy left.

A little while later, my friend opens up the box. It was stuffed with junk of exactly the weight of a real computer. He was really mad that he didn't check the box in the bathroom. I told him that if he had gone into the bathroom and opened the box, he probably would have been robbed, maybe knifed.

I've bought a bunch of expensive lenses through Craigslist, up to $5000. I'm very wary of showing up at some known location - even if it is public - with that much cash in my pocket. Usually, after corresponding with the person, I'll Google their email address or their name. I'm looking for anything to suggest that they actually are photographers: websites, posts on camera forums, etc. If I find anything, I feel a lot better about what I'm doing. I also ask them for their phone # in case something comes up and I need to reach them. Scammers and thieves are not usually going to let you to have their phone #.

[Mike Cruz]

John, CL is you friend. You just have to be on it diligently, and sort through the junk. Anything worth while that is a real steal is usually gone quickly. Just about my entire shop is CL deals...and really good ones at that. I've been extremely fortunate with my finds. That's why this thread was kinda in tongue and cheek. I've gotten some real honey deals. That BS for $150 would have been right up there with some of my best.

Bruce, great stories. Glad to hear they worked out well...

[Jeff Nicol]

Mike, Why do you need more tools? I thought you were out of room in the shop? HA! HA! I am just like you I check CL every day and I find things that I would like to have, but I just don't have the room for most of it. I have found some dandy deals on CL but you have to stay on it and get in like Mike did with the first call or the first one their with the cash. I have gotten a couple free treadmills that I took the motors and control boards out of for use on projects. One was less than a year old and it just quit working so the guy bought a new one and got rid of the one he had. We got it home and one of the wires for the circuit breaker was a little loose so when it heated up it would open the circuit and stop. I wiggled it on tight and it worked like a champ, but we tore it apart any way! The last thing I bought was an old Atlas metal lathe that had $1500 worth of accessories and chucks that I paid $900 for!

Too bad on the BS Mike, you will find one some day soon, I was just looking at my antique 26" that I got for $150.00 with 4 new blades. I am working on moving all of my welding stuff out to the little shed and getting the big saw in the wood shop.

More projects to work on,

Jeff

[Mike Cruz]

Jeff, like I said...I didn't NEED it, but for $150 for a 20" band saw in good condition? How do you pass that up? I'm in the position now that if I get something, I have to get rid of something. So, IF I had gotten it, I would have replaced my 14" band saw with it. That way I would have ended up with two 20" band saws. :)

Great deals on that treadmill and metal lathe. How's that lathe coming along? Weren't you going to refinish it?