My CL experience today.

[Woody Sound]

So I've had two raw speakers up on CL for a couple of days at a really good price, just not using them. Eminence Patriot and EVM-12L. So a guy emails me around 5:30, says

"I'll take the Patriot, can I come out today?"
me: "Sure, np. Can you come between around 7-8"
him: "I'd really like to come over right away, can I come now?"
me: "Well I'm just sitting down with my wife for dinner, but OK. I'll go down and hook everything up so you can test it."
him: "Great! I'll see you as soon as I can get there."

So I leave the table, go down to the studio and spend some time getting everything hooked up, then come back upstairs to the dinner my wife cooked which is now cold. Then I check my email.

"Hey sorry, I'm gonna pass."

END OF MESSAGE. No explanation. I just don't get peoples' inconsiderate behavior these days. What a jackass.

[wintermoon]

CL is a weird place. I've sold a lot of stuff there, usually inexpensive things, though I can count on one hand the amount of truly good deals I've gotten purchasing.
But yeah, it's frequently flake city. Tire kickers, bottom feeder/low ballers, scam artist/personal info sellers. A lot of people complain about no shows w out notification though that's only happened once to me but like your experience I've had my share of last minute cancelations for no reason.
On the other hand I picked up a really nice ladder today from the free section and the person couldn't have been nicer/more communicative.

[Woody Sound]

It's really hit-or-miss. The last guy to I dealt with could not have been more nice and considerate. He bought a cheap student strat from me for his grandson, then came back in a few days for a cab for himself.

But it's the inconsiderate crazies that can ruin things for everyone.

[DawgBone]

So I've had two raw speakers up on CL for a couple of days at a really good price, just not using them. Eminence Patriot and EVM-12L. So a guy emails me around 5:30, says

"I'll take the Patriot, can I come out today?"
me: "Sure, np. Can you come between around 7-8"
him: "I'd really like to come over right away, can I come now?"
me: "Well I'm just sitting down with my wife for dinner, but OK. I'll go down and hook everything up so you can test it."
him: "Great! I'll see you as soon as I can get there."

So I leave the table, go down to the studio and spend some time getting everything hooked up, then come back upstairs to the dinner my wife cooked which is now cold. Then I check my email.

"Hey sorry, I'm gonna pass."

END OF MESSAGE. No explanation. I just don't get peoples' inconsiderate behavior these days. What a jackass.

Over the course of dozens of fair deals done through Craigslist with just about every conceivable item I've never invited anyone into my home during a deal. That's asking for trouble.

[wintermoon]

Over the course of dozens of fair deals done through Craigslist with just about every conceivable item I've never invited anyone into my home during a deal. That's asking for trouble.

I meet at the police station, there's a designated area for exchanges w cameras.
The only time I had someone over was when I sold my old Hammond B-3 and Leslie.
A funeral director and his helpers took it out.

[Mick-7]

Do you folks feel the same about other advertising venues such as Facebook?

It's really hit-or-miss. The last guy to I dealt with could not have been more nice and considerate. He bought a cheap student strat from me for his grandson, then came back in a few days for a cab for himself.

Seems to be a generational thing, many who grew up using social media don't appear to know how to behave in the real world.

[DawgBone]

Do you folks feel the same about other advertising venues such as Facebook?



Seems to be a generational thing, many who grew up using social media don't appear to know how to behave in the real world.

It's red flags for me if the person asks more than a couple specific questions, regardless of what site it's listed on. I think it's somewhat generational as there is now a legion of younger people who do not understand, and are often deeply offended by basic haggling tactics also. I dealt with a guy like that on reverb who ultimately sold the guitar for less than I had offered him six weeks later, lol.

[Gitterbug]

I have over 12,000 e-mails in my toobspeakers inbox. A lot from the continental US, 6-9 hours behind my time zone in Finland. Thanks to my old-age insomnia, I often manage to reply immediately, individually and in detail. I actually like it. Not the silence that often follows. A thanks but no thanks isn't too much to ask.

[garybaldy]

I meet at the police station, there's a designated area for exchanges w cameras.
The only time I had someone over was when I sold my old Hammond B-3 and Leslie.
A funeral director and his helpers took it out.

That's a good idea.
I bought a Tokai Strat type in a Tesco carpark. Both the seller and I travelled about 100 miles for the rendezvous. He brought a battery amp with him but I was happy not to bother with that. And it was a nice day out in the car for the missus.

[Christian Miller]

Just make sure you position snipers around the perimeter if the deal goes south.

Also, non sequential bank notes.

[AllanAllen]

Seems to be a generational thing, many who grew up using social media don't appear to know how to behave in the real world.

Don't take it personally, rudeness is a popular pastime over here now-a-days.

Dude, this isn't new behavior, and the rudest most entitled people now-a-days ain't the young ones.

[Stringswinger]

I have bought and sold with mostly positive experiences with CL. It is not a place to sell for top dollar (most CL buyers are looking for a deal) and it does have flakes and scammers from time to time.

If you want a hassle free buying and selling experience (for the most part), buy and sell through well established, reputable dealers. You will pay top dollar and will get 75% of top dollar on consignments when you sell, but you won't have to put up with the flakes.

[garybaldy]

Dude, this isn't new behavior, and the rudest most entitled people now-a-days ain't the young ones.

Are you sure?

[AllanAllen]

Are you sure?

My sample size is small, but every time I'm at a store or restaurant and observe somebody manner-less and rude, it's not the young employee.

[garybaldy]

My sample size is small, but every time I'm at a store or restaurant and observe somebody manner-less and rude, it's not the young employee.

Could it be the consequence of the young person's ineptitude?

[pamosmusic]

Could it be the consequence of the young person's ineptitude?

Could it be you don't work in the service industry?

I worked in a jazz club slash restaurant in New York. I also worked for a boutique instrument maker. Now I work teaching elementary schoolers.

Take a wild guess which group was the best-behaved.

[Sigmund451]

Most people I deal with in my busniness are pretty cool and I work closely with my customers even though its via email.

There are occasional idiots. When they are idiots and cost me time and money I write their name down and never do bussiness with them again. Luckily, the list is extremely short.

[AllanAllen]

Could it be the consequence of the young person's ineptitude?

This mentality is called “entitlement” and it’s the problem I’m taking about.

You don’t get to verbally abuse the help at the arts and crafts store because they don’t live up to your standards.

[pamosmusic]

This mentality is called “entitlement” and it’s the problem I’m taking about.

You don’t get to verbally abuse the help at the arts and crafts store because they don’t live up to your standards.

Cant tell you the number of times I had two guys yelling at me because they both requested table 72 and could not conceive of the possibility that someone else did too.

Once had someone in my face about declining to hold that table at a Maria Schneider concert, not knowing that Maria’s husband was sitting there.

Another guy asked for it, was thirty minutes late for a sold out show, and didn’t answer the phone when I called twice, so I gave it away and saved him spots at the bar. He ordered $200 worth of food and then bounced on the bill.

I have made no comment about the ages of the parties involved. Speculate away.

[Sam Sherry]

That's a good idea.
I bought a Tokai Strat type in a Tesco carpark.

A few months ago I bought a Guild M-75 off Reverb in a public library. It was a 30-minute midway point for both of us.
No, I did not bring a guitar amp to the library. Shhhhh!

I brought a VOM and a guitar cord to check that the pickups, pots and switch worked. Hand-inspection; done & gone.

[Mick-7]

Dude, this isn't new behavior, and the rudest most entitled people now-a-days ain't the young ones.

I didn't say it was new, just much more common, perhaps in every age group as you say, but it definitely was not like this in pre-internet times. Then again, there wasn't the huge income disparity between the rich and the working class we have now.

My sample size is small, but every time I'm at a store or restaurant and observe somebody manner-less and rude, it's not the young employee.

A poor analogy, employees risk being fired if they're rude to customers.

[pamosmusic]

I didn't say it was new, just much more common, perhaps in every age group as you say, but it definitely was not like this in pre-internet times.

Me and Allan are the young whippersnappers around here I guess, but bear in mind that we're not THAT young.

Which is to say, I remember people being plenty rude in the dial-up days.

[garybaldy]

Could it be you don't work in the service industry?

Why do you ask?

[rpjazzguitar]

I'm not sure what we're discussing, but if it's about age and rudeness, I'd offer this.

In my experience Customer Service is better now than it was, on average, years ago. Or, maybe, I'm better at being a customer.

But, maybe it has something to do with businesses wanting good reviews on-line. Or education promoting inclusion.

I've been hanging and playing with some much younger people lately (I'm a certified geezer). They're a lot friendlier to an old guy than I was when I was that age.

So, I am not one of those curmudgeons trashing the younger generation. Quite the opposite.

[Mick-7]

In my experience Customer Service is better now than it was, on average, years ago.

You're saying you enjoy chatting with the robot gatekeepers who screen most businesses calls now-a-days?