Craigslist Common Sense

by: Brotha Tech (http://brothatech.com/) You all know by now that a brotha loves free (who doesn't actually?). If I can't get it free, I am looking for the best deal possible, which in a great deal of cases, my searches have led to multiple purchases via Craigslist. BUT my crusade for the ultimate deal does not cloud my judgement. As a result, I will not fall for the "oke-doke" and you shoudn't either! So today I will give you some tips as to how to safely shop on Craigslist. I am pretty sure you all have heard the horror stories related to doing pretty much anything on Craigslist. People have been robbed, you can read "Jacques Story" over on The Berry Reporter. Some folks have even been killed doing "business" on Craigslist. So you can see why many people are leery when dealing with Craigslist. But it doesn't have to be that way. You just have to know the deal. Here are a brotha's good tips when dealing on Craigslist. The Lowdown Do your research on the product first. Get the model number from the listing and do a search. Find out approximately when the product was manufactured, what was/is the retail price, what (if any) recent upgrades or recalls are associated with the product. That way, it will be easier to spot a bogus item WAY BEFORE YOU MEET UP WITH THE SELLER! Pay attention to detail. Notice how much detail is in the description of the item. The more the merrier. Crooks and low-lifes want to give you the LEAST amount of info as possible. If there isn't much detail, contact the buyer and request more (Original date of purchase, additional pics, etc). If they still don't offer up any specifics, move on. Which leads me to contact the seller – and when you do, get a phone number and REAL email address (NOT that lame craigslist-general product-specific email addy either!) In addition to setting up a meeting location, Contact the seller anyway, and get a first-hand idea of why they are selling and the condition of the product – Verbally, would be best. The idea is to bring the person out in the open. Somebody looking to do a shady deal is gonna want to keep all contact to a bare minimum. IF the seller is short with all your inquires, BE AWARE! …and now the meat and potatoes to dealing on Craigslist MEET DURING THE DAY IN PUBLIC! I always meet at a popular store, or the food court of a major mall. This should be basic knowledge, but since people still are falling victim, I will give you some places where NOT to meet. - At ANY RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. If it's too "problematic" for the seller to leave the house, it should be too much of an inconvience for you to buy! - In a parking lot. Even during the day, you can get robbed pretty quickly, and nobody's gonna help, they just want your parking spot! - AT NIGHT, unless it's the inside of a well-lit public location. C'MON Son! You should know this already! Remember, YOU ARE THE BUYER, so YOU set the terms of the meet! If a seller can ONLY meet at such and such location, ONLY during such and such time, they must not want to sell the item bad enough, so you should just move on! Here is Craigslist's take of being safe (just in case you don't believe a brotha!) BE SMART AND SAFE FOLKS…don't make me have to tell you twice! If there any other tips, tricks or experiences I missed that will ensure a SAFE AND SECURE Craigslist experience, add your .2 cents! Tagged: Craigslist, online buying, scam alert

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