Crazy Craigslist Curiosity!

[Star and Goldie]

Very random trail of thought here... nothing to do with doodles at all....

Craigslist gives me the creeps more often than not but I must admit I have bought several things from there.  When you have a toddler and you are living on a very tight budget buying toys and things new that they will grow out of or bored of in just a few months isn't always reasonable.  I've have landed some pretty amazing deals on CL including a brand new $250 dollhouse still in the box for $40, $150 play kitchen for $20, Suzuki drum set less than 1 year old $30,the list goes on.  In toddler cash this all adds up!

Of course I am so overly cautious when I arrange a pick up that my friends and family completely laugh at me. I text the name and address of the person I am meeting to at least 3 friends/family members. I will make one person my point of contact and tell them when I am pulling up to the location. I tell them I will call them in 15 minutes. If I don't call they are to call me. They are to try 3 times and if I don't answer then call the police.  Thankfully, it's never gotten to that. Yes, I'm THAT paranoid. Haha. You can never be too sure. 

There are several things in my house that I have acquired over Craigslist and actually I have met some pretty nice people.  There are people in wealthy areas near me that sell kids stuff in excellent condition for so cheap because they don't really need the money. On the flip side I've met single parents selling anything they can for cheap just to get money to feed their children.  Sometimes it's an eye opening experience.  Sidenote: the movie Craigslist Joe was very eye opening as well. A gentleman who lives completely off of CL for 1 year. Very interesting documentary. He had to eat, sleep and survive solely off of people he encountered via Craigslist. That took a very open mind!

Whenever you hear the word CRAIGSLIST it seems to have negative connotation and I suppose, rightfully so (think Craigslist killer and all of the nightmare stories you hear). Thankfully, I have never had a bad experience and I don't go into anything blindly.

However, I am just on there looking for legit sales and not browsing the crazies! Apparently there is a pregnant woman in NJ selling POSITIVE PREGNANCY tests on CL. What in the world???

Do you have a safety plan when you purchase something on CL or any other kind of community online sale?

What's the craziest thing you've seen posted on Craigslist?  There is some really WONKY stuff out there. From positive pregnancy tests, haunted coffee cups, people looking for impersonators, searching for the person they saw once from a distance at the hot dog stand that they fell in love with,  someone renting out their extra bathroom as a room, the list of crazies goes on!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I bought a car and a phone on Craiglist but that was before the Craiglist killers, who BTW are from my town

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/20/us-craigslist-murder-idUS...

The phone purchase was made at the FRONT DOOR, of Sam's Club

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

My next door neighbor is a CL junkie.  It kind of gets on my nerves.  He just is addicted.  Junk in. Junk out. 

This weekend, I saw him with a very young girlfriend.  I asked FJ, " How did he ever get hooked up with that young girl?" 

FJ said, " CL"

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

ROFL!

I just love FJ! If you ever think about posting him on CL, Joanne, please give me a head's up! 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

:) 

[Star and Goldie]

I've never seen this Craigslist Killers story. That's crazy!!!

I remember in 2009 when a pregnant woman went to buy baby clothes from someone and the person murder her, tried to cut her baby out of her and stuffed her down in the crawl space. That's the one I think of every time I go to buy toys or anything kid related. People are sick.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I have only used Craig's list 3 times. I didn't know anything about it so I inadvertently ordered an e-collar from someone in California. I then ordered another one from someone in NY. The first guy was kind enough to ship it to me for $5. My son picked up the second since I had already agreed to buy it. Eventually I got a second doodle but I hardly ever use the collars. I use one on rare occasion for a refresher with Luca for "Here". 

But I did find my office rental on Craig's list and about 5 years later I'm still there.

I would be cautious in general but more so if I were the seller. I'd feel safer going to pick something up than having someone come to my home.

[Star and Goldie]

I agree F! I definitely feel safer picking something up then I do selling. When I sell something I try to meet in a public place unless it's something I just can't move. I've had several people come to my house but I always go get my neighbor and have him pretend to be my husband. Ha!

[Jennifer and Jack]

I would only ever meet in a public place and I would have someone on the phone with me when I did it... I just asked them to hold on... 

[Camilla and Darwin]

We don't buy things of craigslist or local classifieds usually, because of safety but also because of the hassle. I kind of prefer ebay... 

However, I bought our couches from our local classifieds, an almost new love seat and sofa set for 200 dollars total. It was the slip covered set from IKEA that I had been eyeing for a while but new at the store they are outrageously priced! I was extremely satisfied with the savings. :-)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I am baffled by people's fascination with Craig's List. I have used it twice, once to buy an inexpensive crate for a foster, and once to post a non-doodle foster dog for whom I was trying to find a new home. The many people who responded to the ad for the dog were beyond crazy, they were downright scary. I had people curse me for asking a rehome fee, people who offered to pray for my soul in lieu of paying a rehome fee, people who cursed me for refusing to allow them to come to my home to meet the dog, and people who really weren't interested in the dog but were apparently very lonely and desperate for any form of human interaction. 

When I bought the crate, the seller was just as nervous about meeting a possible serial killer as I was. No phone numbers were exchanged, we communicated solely by email. He insisted on meeting in the parking lot of a certain restaurant at a very specific and odd time, like 2:20 on a Wednesday afternoon as I recall. I of course brought my 6"4" stepson along for the ride. The exchange of money for crate went off without a hitch, and that is the one and only time I have conducted any business through CL. 

Otherwise, I never even look at CL, unless someone sends me a link to a post where someone is trying to sell or give away a doodle, and then I let Adrianne and Jacquie handle it. 

Star, you might want to check for a FreeCycle in your area. It's kind of like CL, but no money at all, people who are just giving away usable things they don't need to people who can use them, rather than bother with having a garage sale, pay to have them hauled away, or see them end up in the landfill. I used FreeCycle to get rid of extra furniture, books, toys and household items when I moved. The people were much saner than the ones on CL. 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I posted one of my fosters on CL.  It was winter and no one was applying for this beautiful black dog.  Of course any emails I responded that she could be adopted through this link.  I also wanted to keep her close to me and hoping someone local would adopt her.  The email I got was wild.  One email was from NC ( I love her but her name skips me right now).   It was a DRC email urging me to go to them for more info. etc.   I responded with this...

I am gettin' rid of this bitch because she ain't given me no good puppies. All are stinkin ugly.  I can't make no good money with this one. You can have her.  I'm gettin me another good lookin doodle I applied for from the DRC adoption. Then I scrolled down, way down, and told Kristin ( finally remembered her name) that it was me and not to worry.  I scared her to death. LOL

I never put a foster on CL again.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Okay, I think you had to be there to find this one funny.  Oh never mind. I was just trying to scare Kristin.  I did.  Or sound like so many idiots with dogs on CL. 

The pet section, I now have to stay away from. If I do go there, it is only to flag posts.