Why is Craigslist going downhill?

[alohaspirit]

Since I dont make much I use Craigslist to help supplement the income.
My dad has packrat tendencies and I mostly sell odds and ends to help clean the house.
(Its been great as I can almost access the sliding door )


In the past year Ive noticed that a lot of people have gotten flakier and generally unpleasant.
I used to notice it more-so in the cars/auto parts section
but now no-shows are in other section like arts & craft & antiques.

I post my ads once every few days (per CL rules)
but sometimes my things still get flagged for no reason.
One day I got 5 calls about 4 items and no one even showed to look at it.

And to make matters worse, some of the sellers are rude or just plain clueless.



Sorry about the rant. I have had some good experiences but
Hawaii is supposed to be a happy place and I hate stupid people.

[Christ]

I agree. Completely. I've had similar issues, to the extent that I'm almost ready to go back to the local newspaper. At least then, the only idiots you get are idiots that are already wasting their money on a paper they don't know how to read.

[blueflame]

Ha! I'm glad its not just me. I was starting to think it was ME that had the problem. Its global. And sadly, I think its not going to get any better any time soon. I blame television.

Makes me try harder when I'm in a good space. That way, other traders are pleasantly surprised and in my site feedback congratulate me with words like: friendly, honest, good to deal with, good communication...

Spread the love....dont let the *******s get to you

[Peter7307]

Alohaspirit,
I don't think it is either unique to Craigslist or to Hawaii.
Stupid people abound and with the economic slowdown there are more of them with more time to waste (yours and theirs) and a chance to show of their "attitude".

By the way if you ever run low on them there let me know...we have a few million here you can have !

I second the advice above from Blueflame.
"non illigimum carborundum" as the old saying goes. Don't let them grind you down.

Pete.

[shovel]

Agreed, they really need to change the name of it from craigslist to bunchofa$$holeslist.

Half the things I post for sale/free get flagged to death almost immediately, when the entirety of the post may just be a description of what an item is, what condition it's in, and what it's good for (like what vehicles it fits if a car part, what accessories work with it if an electronic item, etc) ... and then a matter-of-fact photo of the item.

I asked once on the forums why this happens, and the craigslist forums are an utterly diseased, unfriendly, unhelpful wasteland of jerks who apparently live just to cut people down in text and provide no insight or assistance whatsoever.

I spend as little time on craigslist as possible these days. Just get what I need or post the minimum possible information about what I've got for sale. Any additional effort spent to describe an item in full, or take many photos for the benefit of shoppers basically just results in being flagged and wasting my time.

[alohaspirit]

I like to put a detailed description and a few good pictures
(hosted off-site since the site ones are way too small)


its my half-baked attempt to block any stupid questions before theyre asked


doesnt always work though as I was selling a car one day
I didnt put down 5 spd because I provided full exterior/interior shots
and a lady still called to ask if it was automatic
(when the shifter was dead center with a huge shift boot)


or the people that call to ask one tiny question and then hangs up

them: is that a 400 watt amp?
me: yes (it was in the title)
them: ok, thanks, bye

[wagonman76]

I believe it is because it is free and anonymous.

With ebay they have your info. So if you encounter a dishonest seller or buyer, at least you have a chance at some recourse. Also there are selling fees, so it's less likely for someone to make up an ad just for kicks.

With the local paper, same thing, they got your info and unless it's the super savers it costs to post. So it is much less likely for someone to post unless they are serious about it. And since it requires talking to an actual person on the phone to answer the ad, it is less likely for someone to hide behind the internet and fake interest then not show.

I subscribe to several local "cheapcycle" and "freecycle" groups, and it is a constant battle of the same thing. A LOT of no-shows, and a quite a few dishonest sellers. It gets old, but once in a while it becomes useful.

[Christ]

When I was a local freecycle member, before the yahoo group, we posted notes in town hall... we never had problems. It's also a town of less than 2,000 people, with some residents of nearby towns participating.

The Yahoo groups seem to make people think that giving away your old stuff is a new concept.

[Johnny Mullet]

Ever since they lost the "Exotic Services" section by law, the place made a huge nose-dive.

[alohaspirit]

Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet

Ever since they lost the "Exotic Services" section by law, the place made a huge nose-dive.

makes sense i guess

shut down the insane asylum and crazies will walk around your neighborhood