So I came across these two booster boxes on craigslist, two separate ads from the same person. I of coarse began salivating at the price they were listed at! I figured maybe someone just needed some very quick cash or that they were just stupid and lazy and didn’t know the price. They were 2000 miles away from me so they would have had to ship them. So here is how our interaction went!
Scumholes messages are in grey, mine are in yellow.
So there that is! After the first day when they didn’t respond to me after mentioning PayPal I was pretty sure it was some kind of ruse. Then when they wouldnt respond for two days I was even more sure. But I figured I’d keep going and try in Hopes of a good outcome. So I’m not sure if this was designed as a scam the whole time or they just saw an opportunity with me being so far away and needing it shipped. If youre in Helena montana, perhaps they will meet you in person and you can really get them at the price! If so I want royalties! Either way, whether this was actually a dude and his wife doing all the texting, or just one person. They are scumbags and freaking suck.
That was a lengthy read. Lets get a TLDR next time.
Anyways, I don’t think this couple are Scammers.
For starters, Craigslist is meant for locals sellers and buyers, it’s not a back alley eBay. You’re suppose to meet up and exhange cash. That’s the norm for it. With that being said, most of the sellers I see on Craigslist are unfamiliar with Paypal, heard bad things about it and most have in their listings “Will not use Papyal”. Too many people use Paypal to try and scam on the site.
To me it sounds like this couple is of an older age. I base this off the way they speak in text, their reponse time and the want to use Facebook as a payment method. They probably went on Craiglist hoping to sell locally for cash. You come along and ask them to use Paypal (which they probably have a bad feeling about). So they ask to use Facebook since I’m sure that’s what they’re familiar with. Older people tend to stick with what they know, and going to download Paypal and go through the process probably isn’t something they want to do, no matter how easy you think it is.
Their reponse time sounds like to me like it’s not a priority to sell the boxes. They’re probably working middle-class middle aged people who aren’t on a smart phone all day like most of us.
The “Pay Half Now, and Half Later” part to me validates it more to me that they are probably older. Most contracted workers work this way when it comes to business. Older generations didn’t have all these payment methods like we do now.
Either way, I don’t get bad vibes at all from these sellers, and calling them Scammers when they didn’t scam you isn’t right just because you couldn’t work out a deal and payment option in your favor.
Alright, in that case. It just felt like scammers to me (but not guilty until proven otherwise…).
My husband is a police officer (sure), I had the impression you weren’t interested (clearly where, getting offended as soon as you explain why you don’t just send a ton of money to strangers, if we do the deal NOW you can pay half up front (sure). A few more things made my alarm bells ring. But of course it could be an older couple selling things for too little money and don’t know what PayPal is but do know Facebook transactions.
The seller isn’t at fault because the OP wanted to use a payment method that isn’t the norm for Craiglist and isn’t the norm for the average person.
A large majority of my friends use Venmo, and have never used Paypal. I don’t see the seller not wanting to download one app for a random Craigslist person being their fault. Craiglist is a Meet and Pay Cash based site, if you want to use another method and the seller can’t or won’t that doesn’t automatically mean they’re a scammer.
They even said “We don’t like to sell online”… which is exactly why they’re on Craiglist in the first place.
I don’t think they’re scammers either, although you’ve noticed that the payment option they are looking for isn’t buyer-protected, so I personally wouldn’t proceed since I don’t like rolling the dice no matter what the chances are.
You can be anyone on the internet to be fair. Also I know some people who don’t have a clue of what PayPal is like I don’t know that you could pay via Facebook.
The pictures in the listing are consistent with each other, meaning they came from the same place. I don’t try to read in messages too much because anyone can be anyone online.
Base line is, if you aren’t comfortable taking that risk, then let it go. There will always be another card/box to buy.
Don’t think they are scammers, if Im selling smth locally I usually dont want to deal with paypayers and other Nigerian princess lol But who knows, maybe they just know how to play it more realistic.
No one in 3 days decided to purchase the boxes locally for a combined $1600 (probably less if they haggled)? I find that super hard to believe as its basically a free rocket box with purchase of base 2 box - that is what I would find strangest of all. And imo the half first is a common tactic among scammers to make you feel like YOU have any power and are safe with an unknown seller.
Sounds scammy. If someone inquiring was getting on my nerves from a Craiglist deal I would usually just say oh too bad it’s sold or someone else if offering better it just straight up say I’m threw dealing with them and block their number. Saying your paranoid is like using shame to try to convince you to send the money. Just sounds out of line for any deal I have ever done on Craigslist.
For all you who dont think this is a scam, go ahead and give it a shot, send them money and watch you get nothing in return, the persons number is right there in every screenshot haha. Ill bet anyone a ranch in Texas you get freaking scammmmmmed.
But anyway I have an update! They texted me back (which I totally did not expect them to). Check it out:
The part of me having family in Helena is a total fabrication but we will see if they respond and agree. If they agree to a meet up then perhaps it’ll be confirmed legit.
This is how a scammer often operates: they try and get alot, when they can’t get alot they settle for less, and they keep changing the scenario and settling for less. $1600-> $800(half now, half later)-> $(whatever amount I wanted) → $100.
Agreed and I do believe this is a scam, for the record. I have come across a similar listing in the past, but might have been just for packs though. Wife, her husband is a police officer, too good of a deal, busy working/seems frantically trying to sell despite saying they are in no rush, and the over-usage/incorrect usage of commas throughout the conversation match what I encountered.
Could be wrong though, but like swolepoke said, just stay off CL. It’s really not worth it unless you’re meeting up in person with a seller.
