Craigslist ipod deal

I love craigslist. I sell and buy things regularly on it. There's always items that people don't need, and others want. So craigslist is a great forum for putting buyer and sellers together.

Today I was able to get an ipod shuffle combo with $15 itunes card on craigslist. The price was cheaper than retail, and it's brand new too.

There are scammers out there who prey on sellers. Here are some suggestions for setting up a successful transaction on craigslist.

1. Either create a new email address or use a non-work email address. For example, open a gmail account. Some companies are tracking emails, so use non-company email accounts instead.

2. When selling. State the condition of the item. New? used? scratches? original cables and packaging? Still working well? needs new battery?

When buying, ask the seller as much info as you require.
Why are they selling?
Is it working properly?
Any issues I need to be aware of?

3. When selling, state the price and if you are willing to negotiate. Ex. $30 firm. $30 or best offer, or if you want to entertain offers to trade. Maybe you have a wii game and you are willing to trade for another game.

You can also search craigslist and see what prices are for similar items in similar condition. That way you can attract buyers with a fair asking price.

4. If you priced your item correctly, you will have a high probability of getting email inquiries from buyers. You will sometimes get scammers asking about the product you are selling, or some lowballers trying to offer a very low price-- the best thing to do is just ignore these emails, don't even bother to respond.

So both buyer and seller can now negotiate via email on the price and answer questions on the condition of the item. Exchange emails back and forth, then see if you can agree to a deal or not.

5. Beware of scammers. The best rule is to meet with buyers or sellers locally. DONT Ship the item. Don't accept checks. Cash is indeed king.

Scammers will offer to send you a check for hundreds more than your price, and ask you to mail the object, but later the check will bounce, and you will have to pay your bank.

So to avoid this, just meet locally and deal in cash.

6. Meet at a public area with people nearby. Coffee shops are ideal, like a starbucks. Bring a friend if you want extra help.

It's better to meet at a public place, rather than meet at someone's workplace or residence. Because this will require both parties to travel to the place, this shows the commitment of going thru with the deal.

7. Finalize on when and where to meet. There should be an exact date and time to meet. Otherwise one party may flake out.

8. Once you have agreement on the price, location, and time, you can then exchange cell phone numbers. That way you can avoid missing each other, or if there is traffic and you are late.

On the day you are meeting, it would be good to call or email the person a few hours before the meet. Just to confirm, and see if they remembered.

9. Meet and complete the transaction.
a) Get the object and let buyer inspect. Turn on or try the product to see it works.
b) Pay the cash. Let the buyer count the cash.
c) Once both buyer and seller are satisfied. It is complete

Sometimes the buyer will try some tricks like ask if you can lower the price.
So if you are the seller, you have to consider this possibility. If the price is fair, then state that it is a fair price and this is your best price.

For the buyer, if the item is not as described, then the buyer may not be happy with the stated condition versus actuality. So it is important to ask as much questions early on about the condition of the item. If the seller can provide a photo, that's even better.

Both of you need to decide whether to stand firm or work it out.
Both you stand to lose on the time spent travelling to meet. And if you are the seller, you have to repost it again.

Hopefully you can sell or buy the item you want. Good luck.