Craigslist observations

I have noticed that calls and emails about items I have for sell have dropped tremendously since this time last year. At first I was concerned until I started thinking about the nature of the calls and emails. The emails 70% of the time were scams and they still are about 50% of the time now, but the major change is with the calls. Last year probably 70% or more of the calls were from "tire kickers" "bargain hunters" or "pickers". I would say only about 25% of the calls I get now are from those types. In fact so few people are calling with the tired "Whats the least you will take" or "Whats your bottom dollar" lines, that I have been able to chase those callers and emailers off and not try to deal with them like I was last year. Although the phone has been quiet, when it does ring it tends to be a serious customer.

Have you all noticed any changes on Craigslist?

Have you all noticed any changes on Craigslist?

I don't track it closely, but I can tell you it has been WAY DOWN from a year ago.
I used to sell 2 to 3 items a month pretty regularly, but in the last 6 months or so I think it's been
more like 1 a month or sometimes less.

I don't have any assessment on WHY this is the case.

I have put a few on lately, so will see what happens.

The emails 70% of the time were scams and they still are about 50% of the time now,

I'd like to think I had something to do with reducing those.

Whenever I get one of those I always respond to them with misleading information. Just recently I got one of those I'm on the go so my shipper will pick up the item, I'll send you a bank check with some extra for your troubles, so please pull the ad, yada yada yada. So I replied back with a phony name, address and phone number. Just this morning he sent me FedEx tracking information for the check he sent me. LOL, I'd love to see his face when he gets it back. I figure that if everyone does this, they will go broke over the FedEx charges alone.

In hind sight, yeah, I see a shift. Never paid attention.
I'm thinking, with my listings, is I've had pretty specific demographic items listed.
Add that I do this for enjoyment, hobby, little extra cash....whatever you want to call it, so I list pretty low as it is. Move fast and move on.
So between they are not looking to resale but want for themselves and good price.....
But it use to be nearly every listing I had majority off calls trying to really talk me down. Like pennies on the dollar. Lately it's been a few but most seem to want haggle for the fun of haggling. Knock off five bucks and they are happy.

As for scams...
Right now I have several sets of floor mats and all weather floor mats. Not a single email
Very specific items. Have to find a person that wants new mats and has the exact car I'm selling for.
But was expecting the work from home scam emails.....but nothing.

Theory?
I can only guess that that scams are down due to CL being a bit more on top of things. Being hit so hard by fed's over the whole CL killings they are over seeing things more.....?

People trying to haggle?  Im thinking cause a lot of people are getting back to work, economy is getting better (slightly). Not so many people are desperate and vultures aren't circling.

I'd like to think I had something to do with reducing those [emails].

I KNOW I had something to do with my ZERO reception of scam emails.

I check the little radio box that denies emails from being sent. I use a phone number for them to call.
I have had no problems with this.

If they call one day and want to see it the next day (or later) I tell them to give me a call about 1 hour before
their desired appt time. If they don't call me, I call them. This eliminates 99.9% of people who flake on appts.

I have my Clist sale items at my permanent storage unit, OR if I have it at home, I take it to my storage unit as it is only 1 mile away.

Thought it was just us. Granted we had a retail outlet for most of our CL items last year. We are having to do more CL and sells are really slow. 

Sells are slow in the retail also, but believe due to other reasons not related to buyers.


Could be most of the buyers have become the Noobies at the auctions and they don't need your stuff, they have an $800 sofa with no cushions.

Just my .02.

Liking Clist today. Just sold a china hutch for $475 taking me into the black on a recent $1900 lkr buy.
See post #57 in Auction Scene #5....May, 2012 for details

Edit:

Really liking Clist now...3 hours after selling the china hutch, sold the table and 6 chairs to a guy who drove
50 miles without seeing it (except for pics) and bought it for $400!  One more elephant out of the barn.

I'm a little late but way to go Movieman.

Update:  July 15,2012

Have had good luck the last 4 weeks with Clist ads. Sold several big items from the big lkr I got in early May.

HOWEVER, the weirdos continue to be a sometime problem.

***

Got a phone call about 9 pm (which I always think is odd for a business call) and guy wants to know if I still have a particular item. It's hard to find, but not valuable (I was asking $30) and he said he lived in "x" city and wanted to know when he could come over to look at it.

Well "x" is 109 miles from me in "y" and beforeI  looked it up after the phone call I had told him it was a good 90 miles one way. His response..."Well, if you haven't sold it by next Saturday, I'm interested."  Imagine a 218 mile round trip at say 20 mpg, that's 11 gallons or so, at $3.55 a gallon here in CA and you come up with about $40 in gas, NOT TO MENTION the roughly 3 to 4 hours of driving....in my book this qualifies this buyer as a total idiot.