Additionally, if an item has sold, take down the ad! There's little more annoying than finding a deal you've been searching for high and low, emailing the seller, then never getting a response.

I tip my hat to this post. It's never a bad thing to err on the side of being well-mannered.

It always bugs me when people sell the item, then go back and edit it with "Sold" in the title, why not just delete the ad.

This happened to me on Monday. I waited around and canceled a slew of errands for a woman who never showed up and then didn't answer my emails or her phone. I should have known by the embarrassment of exclamation points in her original email.

Is your lamp still available!!!!!!!! I want it if it is!!!!!! Call me!!!!!!

Ccoberty: because of situations like the one mentioned in this article. I tend to not delete an add till I have cash in my hands and the item is out the door simply because it seems like 80% of the time my "done deal" was not so done.

People should really describe any damage accurately. Early on in communications, I ask whether items have any scratches or damage. On my second to last transaction, I was assured that the item was in mint condition, but just minutes before I was about to leave my apt to pick the item up, the person sends an email about how they just noticed some irreparable damage. On the last transaction (which fell through), I show up for a desk that supposedly has only a thin 1 inch scratch to find a big 2 inch piece of veneer missing from an edge.

the "no shows" irk me to no end. The last time I had something listed I even passed on an offer because someone else had made an appointment to pick it up... and never came. The problem with anonymity is the lack of accountability.

Or what just happened to me not too long ago, I made an appointment to pick up a vacuum cleaner. When I emailed to confirm our appointment the morning of, the seller told me he had just sold it to someone else. Didn't bother to email me when it happened, though. That was particularly rude.

On the flip side, I hate it when I put up something for sale and people immediately start haggling with me, sight unseen. If you really want it, come and look at it first. I'm perfectly willing to negotiate with someone in person. But not via email. It's a waste of time, especially when they don't even bother to show up. Thanks for this post.

I have been flaked on so many times I don't give stuff away free on CL anymore. I ALWAYS end up waiting for a no show.

I tell people in my ad that they need to tell me when they can pick items up. If it is a large item that won't fit in a car I tell them they need to tell me they have a way to pick it up (truck etc).

Doesn't stop the flaking though, but I don't respond to anyone who doesn't give me a time.

My other pet peeve is people haggling with me when I tell them the price is firm multiple times- no, really, the price is firm. And no, I don't deliver (especially for things I am giving away free).

When actually purchasing something off CL I've had excellent experiences. But when I email someone and never get a response, and the ad is still up for hours before they pull it down I get furious. Seriously, just respond and say you've sold it, or that a few people have inquired before me and that you'll let me know if it sells or not. Don't just ignore me! The only time I've ever had to ignore emails is when I've gotten about 50 for something I was giving away free. Then it's tough. But if you're selling something for hundreds, like a sofa, then how many emails could you have had? Geesh. Playing the waiting game is just the worst. If I'm late to look at/buy something from someone, I call. People who don't and show up hours later are terrible.

Annoying things that happened when trying to give away a mattress we didn't need anymore:

* asking us to deliver. no, if i am giving you something free, i won't deliver.
* asking us if it will fit in your XYZ car. like i know! google the dimensions of a queen mattress and figure it out yourself.
* asking us if fat people ever slept on it. um. rude?
* asking us if we can hold it for a few weeks. no. it is free, 100 other people want it, and we don't want it in our garage anymore.

I sell small items on CL. I have been asked to do crazy things.

Someone wanted me to take a weight bench on a bus, to a different city. AND asked to pay less. Really?

When selling a TI-83 calculator this guy wanted me to deliver it, pay half price.

I had four folks contact me about the calculator, set up pickup times, and never show.

My strategy now is to write a humorous list of what I won't do, and not make special plans for meetings. I'll meet when I'm home, but so many people ditch out, that it's the only convenient way to deal with it.

My favorite recent one: I have been selling a few items in preparation for a move. One responder asked me to reduce the price on an item, and then wanted me to meet him in the inner part of the local city. He said he couldn't borrow his mother's car that day and that if I came to "his friend's apartment" it'd be half-way for both of us.

So you can't borrow your mother's car to meet me and my husband in a public place, but you can somehow get transport to your "friend's" place so I can "meet you halfway" to deliver an item you want to buy and for which I have other responders?

No, I don't think so.

I had a woman who told me she was a music therapist for the blind and asked me for a huge price reduction. Thinking I was helping someone who probably didn't make much money, I accepted the offer.

She picked up the item in a new, white, Cadillac Escalade.

Maybe bartering skills are why she can afford a big *ss SUV and I drive a beater with 200,000 miles on it.

Shame on me. (and shame on her for the SUV)

With all the flakes out there I decided to not necessarily sell items to the first person to answer but the to the person who seems the most reasonable. If they respond with a clear pick up plan and can write a coherent sentence then I'll contact them rather than some flake who can't use punctuation. It has been working out well. It been a while since someone flaked on me.

Bee T,
That transaction sounded a little creepy to me. Good thing you declined. Let's all remember to use our instincts when meeting with strangers.

If I have someone picking up an item when my husband isn't home, I keep my dog on a leash at my side until I'm comfortable.

I once had someone ask if my dog is friendly (she is) and I just said, "Well, if I like you, she likes you..."

Nothing bothers me more than a craigslist flake. A text takes 2 seconds to send if you are not able to come.

I automatically delete people asking for a lower price sight unseen. It is a used item. I usually include a good description and price accordingly. Come look at it, give me a fair assessment and we will go from there. If I wanted to be nagged to death and deal with 50 e-mails, confirmations and BS I would have put it on e-bay. I also negotiate better in person where I can judge a person's character, had a hand shake etc.

I wish more sellers of furniture and artwork would include dimensions in their selling posts. I can't tell from a photo if a painting is 20x30 inches or 40x60 inches, but only the first one fits on my wall. Similarly couches range from 5.5feet to 9 feet...

I have an appointment tonight I hope my buyer doesn't flake!

I've had a TON of fake buyers who send a bogus check etc.. pretend they are blind and deaf and can't pick up the item in person, send a delivery company, and make all sorts of excuses.

I always end my listing with "please respond with your phone number and a good time to call." Since I started doing this I have not had a "no show".

on the other hand, I think it's really rude for sellers to set several pickup appointments with different people without disclosing this. if I'm taking an hour of my time to come to your out of the way apartment, I don't want to get a text ten minutes before I arrive saying 'sorry it already sold'.

I just got a call to go pick up some free moving boxes I'd emailed someone about. I had loaded half of them into my car, when someone else turned up - they were hours late, and as I had let the box-giver know I lived right nearby, they had decided to ring me so they could get the boxes out of their house. The person who was late was quite aggressive, swore at both of us, and made threats ("I know where you live"). The person giving them away had stayed home all Saturday morning waiting for them, when they were doing the favor by giving away about $150 worth of boxes. I think that especially when you are getting something for free, you should turn up on time.

Exchanging phone numbers *early* (like, right away) helps since it makes you a real person, not some internet entity. If you can speak on the phone, even better. I'll often include this in a post, seems to cut down on flakers:
"Please reply with a phone number and I will call you back right away.
This post will be removed when [the item] is spoken for."
And the best thing about a phone number is that when somebody does flake (and somebody will!), you can call them and tell them you can't keep waiting. Or, more likely, leave a message since the flaker won't answer :)

its frustrating to see no shows as much as people not taking down ads...and someone looking for that thing would go crazy mailing them and ends up with no response...most of the time seller must have created the mail id for just that sale and forgotten all about the ad.

A CL buyer want to haggle price before they have seen an item is similar to a someone showing up to a garage sale before it is open and asking you to reduce a price.

I think it's bad etiquette to assume that if someone's driving a big SUV, it must be theirs and they must have paid for it. Sure, I probably find Escalades as distasteful as you do, but I also know that people borrow cars or win them or are given them by rich relatives and can't bear to deal with the drama if they were to sell them.

Two weeks ago I arranged to buy the cutest loveseat from a Craigslist seller. At $250, this was no real bargain. We exchenged emails, confirmed a time to pick it up, and we also exchanged phone numbers. This woman did seem very reliable.
Since we live in SF and don't own a car, my husband and I rented a U-Haul (I really loved this loveseat) to drive to one of the most high-traffic neighborhoods in town (top of Lombard St). When we arrived, right on time, I called the phone number and she didn't answer. We waited for another 30 or so minutes, trying to call a few more times...and nothing. I left I pretty scathing voicemail as we drove off $50 in the hole from a wasted U-Haul expense (not to mention a wasted Saturday afternoon) only to get an email from her the follow morning that read: Oh, sorry about that, I sold the couch. Happy furniture huntin'!
That apostrophe nearly sent me over the edge. Needless to say, I'm done with trying to score large furniture items off Craigslist.

Sellers who list the price as $1 in the title, no matter what the actual price of the item is in the add. Buyers who agree to buy, show up to pick up the item, then try to low-ball you on the agreed upon price.

I have heard stories about people posting ads on Craigslist for free items left out on the curb and had stuff taken off their porch as though they had advertised that anything outside their house that was not nailed down was up for grabs. People are weird. lol

I've been lucky and have had good experiences both buying and selling.

For giving away free items, I've had MUCH better luck with freecycle. No flakes and polite people.

No shows are the worst. They annoy me more than obvious scams and low ball emails.

And yes, Freecycle people really are nicer. And they usually seem to have transportation, too.

I hate when people immediately ask for a lower price. If I put it up for $100, I want $100. If you email me 20 minutes after I post the ad and offer me $75, I'm going to say no because I'd rather wait a little longer to see if someone else takes it for $100. I also hate when someone offers way less than the asking price. If I post it for $100, don't offer me $17. That's just insulting.

Here's a question: I am interested in a rug I saw earlier in the week on CL. I was debating it when I noticed today it was reposted with a reduced price. The thing is I can't tell if it is exactly what I want from the photograph. I've never gotten something from CL that I wasn't already 100% sure about, so I'm wondering if I don't love it in person is it bad form to not take it after seeing it? I neither want to be stuck with something I don't love nor do I want to be a jerk.

craigslist staff never answers my emails! why?

I've sold a lot on Craigslist and I do get frustrated. My top pet peeves with buyers:
- First I set a price, then when they show up they try to lowball at the last minute.
- People will email NAKED PICTURES of themselves (seriously, I got at least 20 emails with naked women just from a guitar I posted-- yuck)
- People who act very interested, emailing back and forth for days, then bail out last minute for a dumb reason, e.g. "Oh sorry, I can't pick it up for 2 months". This happened to me today.
I have started setting strict terms for my Craigslist ads and I'm not ashamed of it. I require a phone number for replies, I refuse to acknowledge inquiries with lowball offers, and I will not hold items for any reason. People tend to think I'm a pushover because I'm a small, young woman, but I've become pretty cold-hearted when it comes to hagglers.