# Toronto Craigslist



## sesroh (Sep 5, 2006)

hey guys, 

some guy tried to steal $700 from me last night and I ended up putting his name and email up on craigslist to warn people. He contacted me through a want ad. Now he's making numerous ads against me with my name and email in them claiming he was the one being scammed. If you see my name (jon charles) in any ads, please flag. I have the emails from him and craigslist emails (to verify and publish your ads) to prove my case. If you receive any emails from a guy who goes by Lourne P, don't make a deal. He was trying to set me up to go somewhere to rip me off. Have a safe holiday season.


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## Guest (Dec 22, 2008)

Do tell. From what's left in the CL for Toronto it appears you were going to sell him an amp. He claims you gave him the wrong address and some how that means a scam (how that one works I can't figure out). What's the full story as you see it?


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## lyric girl (Sep 4, 2008)

Sorry to hear about this.

This is why I personally don't like Craigslist is because you have no idea if the guy is an asshole just trying to rip you off because they'res no feedback.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I don't know if this is ok by forums rules, but could you post the email address as well? In case he's going by any other name.

I have items for sale on there right now, so I'd like to have any info I can get to avoid the guy.


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## sesroh (Sep 5, 2006)

His email is [email protected]

Basically I saw a 1969 super reverb ad and I tried to reply but the email bounced back so I made an ad that said RE: 1969 Fender Super Reverb and said in the ad to contact me if it was you selling the amp. I then get him claiming to be the guy so I said to send photos of the amp and details. he then says he now wants $700 when the original listing said 1200. he sent a photo of a twin reverb that was apparently taken at 9pm on a cellphone although I could clearly see daylight coming from two windows in the background. He said numerous times that I could go and check it out that night so basically he was trying to get me to show up somewhere to steal my cash.

In an earlier email with him I offered my Orange AD30 as trade because the original listing said he was into trades for modern stuff. He said no thanks because he doesn't play much anymore which had me thinking.

anyway, after I put his name and email up on there he started making bogus postings saying I was selling him an Orange AD30 for $1100 but when he showed up to my house after a 45 minute drive to toronto (I don't live in toronto.) that night it wasn't my house and that I screwed him around. Basically that didn't happen. He just wanted to mess with my credibility on there as I have made numerous for trade ads and for sale ads for gear over the years. anyway, watch out for scammers. I've talked to a few people who have almost been scammed over the last week. 

It's that time of year that there's a lot of theft going on so you gotta be careful. I refused to see his amp unless I saw photos and when he sent the photo it was totally not the original seller of the amplifier.


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## ssdeluxe (Mar 29, 2007)

good to know these things, thanks for sharing.

always good to practice due dilegence, and ask all the right questions, which you did.

I always ask for a land line phone #, current pics, and I ask for a specific pic so that they usually can't use stock net photos, and usually want to talk directly to the person, and by that pnt. I have a pretty good feeling how its going to go.

gr8t to share the info, watch out folks !


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## Guest (Dec 23, 2008)

Thanks for posting the full story. That's pretty crazy. I've done a lot of CL deals over the years, many while living in Toronto, and the worst I can complain about is tire kickers and no-shows. It only takes a few to really put the taint on it all, eh?


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

Would have been nice to show up with muscle or cops.


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## sesroh (Sep 5, 2006)

yeah meeting in a public place/anywhere that isn't a place of residence is risky. You never know what can happen. I've done it before but never through craigslist or kijiji. I have met people from forums in random places to make the transaction like my college's campus, mall, streets etc since most posters don't want to ruin their credibility or reputation, especially if they are frequent users. I've met a lot of people from the fiveonenine.com (people within the 519 area code board. I believe there's one for 416 and 905 as well)


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

Paul said:


> I sold a bicycle on CL once.....we met at a well populated neutral location. It was a most uncomfortable process. I went in knowing that he was going to test ride the bike and I had no guarantee that he'd ride back, and he came in knowing that we both knew he had $1000.00 in his pocket.
> 
> My stepson uses the lobby of the apartment building across the road from him as the meeting spot.


I bought a laptop from a guy when I was in England...same kind of thing, I didn't want some random guy coming to my house knowing I had $2000 in my pocket, so I had him bring it to work. I was working at the LMB in Cambridge, so when he arrived he had to park on the inside of electronic crash barriers, then walk past security, under surveillance cameras, and be let through two sets of locked keycard doors. He might have tried to stab me and take the cash, but he wasn't getting far if he did. It does feel a bit like entering Porton Down if you're not used to it. (The whole thing went uneventfully.)


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## Michelle (Aug 21, 2006)

devnulljp said:


> Would have been nice to show up with muscle or cops.


Or packing heat!! 9kkhhd


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## Guest (Dec 23, 2008)

In Toronto I was lucky enough to have an atrium in our building with a concierge and a little room off to the side for product inspection. This was a handy place for sales. No one ever came up to our unit. Here in Ottawa I've used work as the meeting place save for when I sold my Les Paul Special and the guy came to my house. I have to admit I wasn't thinking straight when I agreed to that. Had I been living anywhere other than an apartment building I would have called it off. Definitely I won't have people into my home here now that we're not in a building.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Ya not all of Craigslist/Kijiji is bad. I have sold a ton of items on there, and never had anything but good experiences. I just sold my Swamp Ash Les Paul Studio today to a guy a Craigslist as well.

You can never be sure of course, but in my case I find communication is the key. If someone isn't communicating properly, or won't give out a phone number so we can talk directly, I just don't get involved in the transaction. I know I have also been lucky, and that anything can happen too though. Overtime, you do develop a sense for people and transactions on there though.

I also have a built in 'filter' that works wonders though. I live an hour North of Toronto. But Toronto is the closest city to post an ad in. So the only people who even contact me are serious buyers that are willing to make the drive. EG the guy who bought my LP came from Whitby today. I don't have to deal with the tire wasters and tirekickers.

I'd rather sell through this forum no question. But we don't have the userbase Craigslist and Kijiji has, so I have to use one or the other in most cases.


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## devil6 (Feb 24, 2006)

I've done a few deals through Craiglist and always been lucky with meeting up with people. I either go down to meet them outside or have them meet me outside if i am going to their place. If I were to get a bad vibe(which hasn't happened) I would just ask to do the deal in public or call it off. It also helps that when people come here my roommate has a big dog with a loud bark.

I've had a few people try to lowball me stuff i've put up, negotiating is fine put making a $300 offer for something listed at $900 is insulting and i just don't bother replying or I send them a few choice words.


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## sesroh (Sep 5, 2006)

I don't think I've ever had a bad bad experience with craigslist or kijiji. Kijiji seems to be the better one though. Seems like there are more weirdos on craigslist. 

The only time that was annoying was one day a guy who contacted me through craigslist wanted to buy the thing that night. I told him I had to be at band practise at 7 (this was at like 5ish) and he came at 6:45. He basically sat deciding if he wanted it or not for about 40 minutes or longer. He literally sat there for what seemed forever as I was anxious about getting out the door to not be late, which I already was by that time. He ended up buying it but I almost didn't care if he bought it or not because I was freaking late. 

I've never done this to anyone. You usually know within 5 minutes if it's what you want and then you're on your way. I always test things out before buying but I don't try it and then sit there staring at it for 45 minutes thinking whether or not to get it.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

sesroh said:


> I don't think I've ever had a bad bad experience with craigslist or kijiji. Kijiji seems to be the better one though. Seems like there are more weirdos on craigslist.
> 
> The only time that was annoying was one day a guy who contacted me through craigslist wanted to buy the thing that night. I told him I had to be at band practise at 7 (this was at like 5ish) and he came at 6:45. He basically sat deciding if he wanted it or not for about 40 minutes or longer. He literally sat there for what seemed forever as I was anxious about getting out the door to not be late, which I already was by that time. He ended up buying it but I almost didn't care if he bought it or not because I was freaking late.
> 
> I've never done this to anyone. You usually know within 5 minutes if it's what you want and then you're on your way. I always test things out before buying but I don't try it and then sit there staring at it for 45 minutes thinking whether or not to get it.


Ya I agree with that. I find Kijiji much better. Plus I seem to sell way more on there. 90% the items I have sold have sold through Kijiji, not Craigslist.


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