How often do you use Craigslist and does this news story give you pause?

I’ve read stories like that all the time. People who place or answer Craig s List get robbed about once a month or more. Last time it was a litter of valuable puppies that got stolen.

Haven’t used Craigslist since someone hijacked a friend’s condo for sales ad on a real estate site, posted it on Craigslist as a rental for a ridiculous amount of money ($1 million condo renting for $750 a month because the owner got a job with the diplomatic service, had to leave in a hurry, wanted to do something nice for someone because his living expenses were paid overseas.) They asked for serious renters only, and required a wire transfer of $2500 be sent to an abscure address. Someone saw the ad on Craigslist, and copied it to several friends who were looking for a place in that area, and one of them recognized the interior of the condo.

The scammers got $50,000 in deposit money, and it cost my friend $5,000 in legal fees to clear it up with the people who sent the deposit money.

I used Craigslist to find a rental house. It helped us find a great deal on a farmhouse and I couldn’t be happier. This is the only time I’ve used the site though.

I’ve never used Craigslist. The few times I’ve looked at the site, it just seems disorganized and weird.

I don’t use it either. I’ve heard too many bad things about it.

I do think Craigslist horror stories are given a disproportionate amount of media attention. People are mugged, robbed, or murdered every day with no involvement of any website and you don’t hear about every single one of them. People make a bigger deal about them because of the involvement of the internet (remember the infamous “Craigslist killer?”). Bad stuff might happen when you deal with strangers, whether the internet is involved or not; that’s common sense.

That said, I’ve never used the site myself.

@Mariah Very good point!

Any time you meet strangers to buy or sell something you’re in danger. It’s not just Craigslist.
My mom once had a bad experience with craiglist though. She found herself in a crack house. Lucky for her she was with my step dad.

I use craigslist all the time. Bought 2 motorcycles, a car, a truck, electronics. Never had any problems. I am very careful in my business dealings with strangers though.

I’ve had great success several times – looking for actors for theater and crew for film making. Come to think of it, some of the most talented people I work with only are part of my life due to Craigslist.

__I’ve also had communication with some real wackos from Craigslist. But if you can’t separate wheat from chaff, you’re bound to die under an avalanche of chaff anyway.__

There’s also the Craigslist Serial Killer on Long Island.

I’ve never used Craigslist, but I tend to agree with @Mariah.

Also, if I did buy something on Craigslist, I wouldn’t drive out to bumfuck nowhere or someone’s house to pick it up. Same goes for if I was selling something. I’d prefer to meet in a public place. To do otherwise, in most cases, is just asking for it. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

I used craigslist several times to fix my xbox 360. It kept dying after a few months after each “repair”. Never again! But I agree with @Mariah. Also, cultivation theory up in hyah. Never should the glowing rectangle be trusted.

I’ve used Craigslist to sell stuff a few times in the last decade and it worked GREAT but I recently got unnerved by emails sent me I couldn’t tell were from Craigslist or from scammers, asking me to verify my account info and stuff. When in doubt I delete but I don’t recall ever having issues before.

My rule for people buying from me was to pick one day during the week the items could be seen and picked up. I’d purposely say I’d arrange to be at the site (even though it was my own home) to meet them and give them the area but not exact address until the final day.

I use it all the time. It doesn’t really give me pause, because that’s bound to happen any time a certain number of people use a site. It’s that there are many people involved, not that it’s CL.

I’ve used Craigslist twice. I’ve always been very wary of it and probably shouldn’t have don’t what I did but it work out very well. I saw a typesetters cabinet for sale there and it’s something I’ve always wanted. I communicated by email with the owner and he seemed pretty normal so I drove down to North Carolina to pick it up and wasn’t raped, robbed or murdered. The second time I put an ad on for free fill dirt/sand and got some responses but ended up finding another source for my fill dirt.

Other than that I just get on there to look at the “Best of Craigslist” ad which can often be hilarious and sometimes I amuse myself reading “wanted ads” by people who want to find last minute, “preferably ocean front” rentals at the Delaware shore for less that $500 a week in the summer. That just cracks me up.

I’ve met several girlfriends via CL, including one who’s now one of my closest friends (but not my gf).

I use it all the time. Never a problem.

I use craigslist all the time. As a matter of fact, I found my job on there. Yeah I hear all the stories, but it’s not going to deter me. I have never had an issue.

I just posted an ad two days ago for my rental house. I have to admit, I’ll be making sure my husband is with me when I show the house to prospective renters. If I ever get any… I’ve only gotten one response!

I’ve never actually bought anything off of Craigslist, but if you’re smart about it, I see nothing wrong with it. The media hype over robberies and murders resulting from it seem a bit silly. If Craigslist didn’t exist, it would’ve been some other scam done instead. I’m more of an eBay man, myself, but that’s just me.

Hype, fear, and scare-mongering.

People get scammed at car dealers and computer stores every day yet there isn’t thi much concern. People get mugged walking down the street all the time, so d owe stop walking? People die in car wrecks and occasionally get shot just going down the road, so I guess we all have to stop driving too. And food poisoning happens, so lets stop eating as well. Oh, wait… air pollution! Guess what >: }

It’s okay to be cautious, but you always have to be cautious regardless of the medium or forum. If you let stories like that one scare you off of Craigslist though, then maybe you just are not equipped to handle life period.

I use it from time to time and have bought/sold/given away a few things.

I have had good experiences, but…because I am a single woman who lives in a secluded rural mountain setting I am cautious about strangers showing up.

I have had two families come for freebies, a futon, garden pots, wine barrels, etc. And one single guy for some camping equipment. It was fine…but…if someone wanted to murder me, no one would hear my screams. lol

I met a woman off of one of the freeway exits a couple of towns down the hill from me last year to buy the coolest, vintage, italian pod lamp and chinese chest. My wacky passions.

I wonder if anything bad has ever happened to anyone who used newspaper classifieds. You suppose? How about people who picked up those index cards they used to post at supermarkets? How about people who met an upstanding guy at church, maybe even the president of the Congregation Council, cub scout leader like that nice Mr. Rader. Do you suppose any of them every regretted going to church?

Watch out for those Lutherans. All I’m sayin’.

I’m armed to the teeth with locked and loaded geese and, if need be, have a great hangin’ tree and an 18 hand draft horse for the ultimate power burst and rope yanking action.
Craigslist predators beware. Not to mention enough land to bury you where you will never be found, or, better yet, leave you for the cougars and coyotes! lolol