Your Craigslist Classifieds Authority Site

If the seller does not contact you

If you wait and the seller does not contact you, write him another email, or if you have his phone number, give him a call again. I will wait 24 hours before I do this. This may seem like a short time, but Craigslist is a fast moving game, and if you move slow you will miss out and lose.

If you wait another 24 hours and still no contact, try one more time before giving up. Send another email or put in another call, but this should be the last one. I play with the “Three strikes – you're out” rule. You don't want to be accused of harassment, and if the seller gets three messages he gets the picture that you are interested in the item, so just leave it at that.

The seller emails you back

The seller has contacted you back via email. Read what he has to say and if he has not left arrangement plans to do the deal I will suggest them myself. When you make arrangements, make sure that the location is in a safe neighborhood. You will be carrying money as the buyer so you want to make sure you are safe.

Even though you are making arrangements via email, give him your phone number again and ask him to give you a call. I like to do this because 1) I can solidify the arrangement by actually talking to the seller and making myself more real to him and 2) I just like to talk someone in person or on the phone before I deal with them, just to feel them out and see if they are legit. So if you can contact him by phone, do it.

Let him make the location arrangements as the seller. It is kind of unspoken Craigslist etiquette that the seller does this. Plus, you want to make it easy for him to sell the item. It gives you an advantage over other prospects that may be more difficult to him. Once you have arranged a place and time to do the deal, that is all you can do for now.

Carrying out the deal

First and foremost – BE ON TIME. It is professional and good business to be on time. And you don't know if you are going to be doing deals with this seller in the future so you want to make a good impression. What if he has an item in the future that you really want? He will remember you if you have a smooth transaction with him.

When you meet him, before you pay or show any money at all, examine the item and make sure it is exactly how described in his posting before you pay him. If it is not in the condition described, it's not always a bad thing. Take the opportunity to get him to lower the price. Say something like “You didn't mention this scratch in the post, can you take $10 off because of this”, or “What?! It doesn't come with the battery? That's another $50 I need to spend in the store!” The seller will usually lower the price a bit in this case.

If the item is just trashed, cancel the deal, and don't do business with that seller anymore.

Once you are satisfied with the condition of the item, pay him the amount agreed on.

Prepare for future deals

Before leaving the location, give the seller a business card if you have one. Or if you think he may have items that you may want in the future, tell him so and to keep you in mind. Tell him you'll give him a fair price and to contact you before even posting the item on Craigslist. In other words, set yourself up for future easy buys if you can.

Next Page