Is this a common CL problem?

[Keith Avery]

For last 2 weeks someone has been advertising a compressor I am interested in, unfortunately the seller did not list a phone number. I have emailed him several times and gotten no response. I am not sure if this is a deadbeat or an email issue but it is truly frustating. I have been waiting 12 months for a compressor like this to be listed locally and now I can't even go look at it. I have sold several items on CL and always list a phone number and never had an issue. Are these people paranoid, clueless, or what?

[Jeremy Greiner]

Sometimes email'spammers will harvest emails through craigslist using such methods. I'm not saying that's what this is, but it does'happen. If you really want the item and suspect your email is being blocked or his via some spam filter try creating a gmail/yahoo/hotmail account and try emailing him though that.

[Shawn Christ]

I don't list a phone number in my ads either. Probably paranoid but prefer to not have my number floating out there among the masses. But I do check emails daily and if an inquiry seems legit, I will respond individually with a number or a phone call. Hopefully the seller had something unexpected come up and will get back to you soon as the first in line. Best of luck to you, I know the waiting game for that perfect used machine can be frustrating.

[Cary Falk]

CL is a crap shoot. I have met some really nice people and then there is everybody else. I really hate people that waste your time and say they are going to show up and don't or send you and e-mail to see if something is still available and then is never heard from again. Ever try to give something away for Free on CL? They are even worse then the people that want to pay for something.

[Matt Meiser]

There's something posted here that I'm interested in. Its about 45 minutes away so I asked for better photos and model numbers. No response. Then they reposted so I mailed again and asked for the same thing and got part of it. I mailed back and asked again and never heard anything so I gave up. They've reposted a few times and keep lowering the price. I wonder how many interested buyers they've ignored.

[Brian Kincaid]

Yeah, anything can happen with these. If they sell they will ignore. If they check once a week it will look like they ignore. Really depends but I have gotten some neat stuff off CL, and met some cool people.
-Brian

[John Nesmith]

I think it could be a problem with CL's email masking system. In general, if there is some sort of technical problem, it will be ignored by CL unless it is in one of the few markets that are generating revenue for them. (Through paid employment ads)

[Kelly Colin Mark]

It happens to me all the time. In most cases, I assume the seller has already sold it, but for some reason does not see fit to send a courtesy email or delete the posting. And a lot of people don't check email frequently.

[jonathan eagle]

Having sold a few things lately. If I get a low ball offer, I don't bother responding.
I figure the guy isn't serious.
The other thing that happened, is getting numerous calls. My approach is first come first served, so I let the first guy know, he has to come right away.
I let the others know about it.
Jonathan

[Gene Waara]

I think it is the exception, not the rule. i have bought numerous items off CL and the times the seller did not get back to me are very few. If there is not a quick response I assume the items has been sold. I have been surprised a few times however, by a seller who contacted me a few days later because he was "out of town". Probably an excuse - why advertise and then leave town? I feel your pain though. Like Matt, I have been trying to get together with a seller about 45 minutes away for an item I would like to buy, but is not a "must have". With the price of gas I want to combine it with another errand but timing has not yet worked out. Good luck, I hope you eventually score your compressor.

[Jim Terrill]

I don't list a phone number in my ads either. Probably paranoid but prefer to not have my number floating out there among the masses. But I do check emails daily and if an inquiry seems legit, I will respond individually with a number or a phone call. Hopefully the seller had something unexpected come up and will get back to you soon as the first in line. Best of luck to you, I know the waiting game for that perfect used machine can be frustrating.
Well this is why I have a google voice #. Use it, throw it away when you're done. Works great. Keep your actual number private.

[Chip Lindley]

There are as many scenarios as there are people out there. I doubt technical glitches within CL account for 5% of any email problems. Most motivated sellers WILL get back to you immediately. My first-ever major buy on CL was a bright blue Quincy 5hp 60 gal. 2-stage compressor (like new!) for $400! About 3 hours away.

192160

Some are scammers only wanting your email address or phone number

Some will not post a phone number out of paranoia

Some are computer-challenged and cannot post photos OR return your emails

Some already sold the item and will not delete it or send a courtesy email or phone call to let you know

Some are lazy or distracted and cannot take care of their business

What do WE expect for FREE??? Hang in there! You'll get your compressor!

[Chris Tsutsui]

Chip that is a painful gloat you got there, wish I could find something like that.

I'm not sure if I posted about this here but I saw a oneway 2436 lathe on craigslist and in 20 minutes I emailed the guy my offer of the asking price. Which was $1,000.

The lathe was in great condition and hobby used and came with acessories like spindle steady, jaws for stronghold, and hand wheel adapter, etc.

After no response in 2 days, I emailed again. No response again...

So I used an alternate email address and said: "I know you got a ton of offers for this and are hesitant to sell, I will gladly negotiate a FAIR price and I'll start at $3,000 which is about half of what you paid for this lathe".

I immediately got a contact back and the guy said we could work something out and he did in fact get spammed with offers and knew his price was too low.

So he held the lathe for me and I arranged to see it in person and of course I didn't pay $3,000 for it and we negotiated down to a price we were both happy with. The lathe was missing the 6" face plate and knockout rod and I had some justifications to reduce the price quite a bit.

So in other words... money speaks and to get somebody's attention you have to make your response "stand out" amongst the rest. He obviously priced his oneway lathe wrong at $1,000 and wasn't going to sell it at that price so I had to react quickly. heh

I like to price my items HIGH at first, then when I receive no responses at all I lower the price and repost.

If you get one offer per week, then you know you priced it right.
If you get 10 offers in one day, you are pricing that item to sell fast.

[Lee Schierer]

I don't list a phone number in my ads either. Probably paranoid but prefer to not have my number floating out there among the masses.

I hate to tell you, but your phone number isn't all that hard to find on line.

Most likely the seller forgot to post their phone number or messed up their email address and can't figure out why no one wants their merchandise. More than once I have typed earthlink.com instead of .net for my email......

[Shawn Christ]

I hate to tell you, but your phone number isn't all that hard to find on line.

You're right. I still contend that listing a phone number, or requiring ONLY a phone call for inquiries, dates back to the days when that was the only way to make contact. When I list something for sale I have email that goes straight to a smart phone, so it is not necessary to provide my phone number or house address until I find somebody who is serious about the transaction. People are searching for these ads online, not the newspaper, and they do have email addresses. I have no trouble making sales.

[Chris Nolin]

I've noticed that I get a better and quicker response from sellers when I make my email to them look as legit as possible, to make them feel comfortable that I'm not a scammer or shotgun low-baller.

I do this four ways:
1. Greet them in a friendly way (a simple "Hi" or "Hello").
2. Tell them I'm interested and then name the item specifically, and in a different way than it was listed (e.g., if they listed as "Industrial drill press", I'll say "I'm interested in your Powermatic PM2800". This shows that a bot didn't cut and paste their ad title.
3. Tell them what city I live in, or if it's the same city they listed, say what area of town I'm in.
4. Sign off with my first name and 10 digit phone number, and ask them to give me a call.

[Carl Beckett]

I echo Chris's comments, that my response rate improves based on HOW I reply. The more legit and serious you can make yourself sound when responding, the more likely to get a response back. Lots of spam out there and people kicking tires and everything in between so the sellers have to sift through all that.

But the bottom line is as someone once told me years ago: "Goodluck with the flakey Craigslist!"

Its true - you never know what you will get. But having said that, I have found some great items and have sold some stuff also. The biggest item I purchased was a used furnace/boiler for my house! (who buys a used furnace!?!?) I even got it installed and was all-in for about 20% of the market price of a new one. Years later and its going strong and good for another 20 with no problem. There is my gloat. But thats the beauty of CL, there is all kinds of crazy stuff on there.