I HATE THIS !!

http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/2210051799.html

Advertise it for $1. I email the guy saying sure, $1 I'll pick it up tonight.

He come back with "Make me a resonable offer."

WTF? Isn't it required by C-List to have a price?

Dan

Technically, $1 IS a price. Just not the price that he wants to sell it for. Still not right, but within the rules, if it requires a price.

Three emails later he fesses up to wanting $4,000.

This and "keywords". So that my search for "Sti" brings back 15% Sti stuff, and 85% Civics, Hyundaii, Lancers, Eclipses...

"Hey everybody, let's render search completely useless by mentioning every possible keyword for a category in each ad so that any search under cars by owner returns every listing in cars by owner..."

Er, back on topic... It's a dilemma. Half the time I enter a minimum price to filter this stuff out, but the other half of the time I'm overcome by the fear that I'm missing out on something...

In either case, it's all I can do not to flag both of the above issues. If the flag reasons were more granular, I probably would.

I would flag it but the guy worked so hard at a response ....

Just flag 'em. It's an automated thing, and it requires multiple flags to take an ad down, then the person is allowed to re-post it if they want.

To me, a wrong price, keywords, anything that clutters up or makes Craigslist irritating, earns a flag.

His ad says plainly...

"Considering trades, cash or cash with trade offers"

I really dont see a problem with that. We certainly dont need more stupid nazi controls on ad sites. Offering an item for 'offers' is one way of doing business. Expecting any car ad that has "$1" in the ad line to actually sell for that is unreasonable to say the least. lol...

The thing is...to my knowledge, Craigslist does NOT requrie you to enter a price. If you're going to put something up for offer or trade...no problem.

If you list something for $1, you'd damn well better want to be offered a dollar for it, or I'll flag because it makes me angry.

I typically start my searches, however, at $2 for exactly this reason (it avoids the ads listed at $1 which avoids a blood pressure spike on my part).

Clem

metalman wrote: His ad says plainly... "Considering trades, cash or cash with trade offers" I really dont see a problem with that. We certainly dont need more stupid nazi controls on ad sites. Offering an item for 'offers' is one way of doing business. Expecting any car ad that has "$1" in the ad line to actually sell for that is unreasonable to say the least. lol...

It's unreasonable to advertise a price of $1 if that is not the price. In the world of commercial advertising, they have an name for it, and it's illegal. In private ads, it's just a E36 M3ty way to do things.

The real question is, what do you all flag it as? Spam/overpost or Miscategorized?

I think I've settled on spam/overpost...but we might as well solidify a convention here...

I hate it when people will put $33 in for the price when they actually mean $33,000. My min price for searches is $100.

I flag for various reasons. One of them is inaccurate or evasive pricing.

Inaccurate pricing means if you post your item at $1, I don't expect you to ask for more. If you post it at $33, you better not mean $33,000. I also flag dealerships masquerading as private citizen sales.

I just see this sillyness as a way around being honest about a sale.

It's also why I typically start my searches either at $10 or $100 depending on the price I expect to pay for what I'm searching for.

Sheesh, what a bunch of sandy vaginas. Its like freakin miata.net here. Dont whine and bitch like women with PMS. lol....I would expect better from car guys. Posting ads with $1 is a rather OBVIOUS thing, an 'accepted' method of getting people to read ads....it works...and often results in VIEWS and a price NEGOTIATION...which is exactly what sellers usually intend. I never let ad wording stop me from pursuing what I am interested in....which is probably in part why I have scored more 'needle in the haystack' deals then most. But...if you want to let that stop you...feel free...that makes it all the more easier for me. ;-)

There are at least three scenarios that really require a poster to put something other then the actual price on the ad line in CL....

1. List of parts/items etc.
2. Seller seeking offers
3. Want to buy

CL's goofy system doesnt allow for any of these...in the AD line. THEREFORE: When you see $1 posted in this fashion it just about always means there is more then one item, OR offers are desired OR the price will be determined on the specific item offered. When I see it that's exactly how I take it too. Seems simple enough.

In reply to metalman:

You do have a valid point there, though I feel there's some grey area. (EDIT: I was slow to post, this was in response to your prior post, without the numbered points. You have valid points in the latter as well, though I feel that multiple-bits listings are all too frequently a jumble and could be broken out better)

The flipside of the fact that you score more deals because of this is that sellers aren't reaching those of us who don't want to deal with it.

I can only hope that this means that people will eventually find that direct and concise ads work the best for just selling something, and leave the vague stuff to those of you who enjoy the negotiations.

At this point it's up to the seller to decide which path to take. I just get annoyed spending time wading through postings which are irrelevant to me and result in having to look at and dismiss a bunch of listings when my search should have turned up four items instead of forty.

I guess what we're saying here, Metalman, is that posting ads with $1 as the price IS NOT an "accepted method" for those of us with sand in our anatomy...which appears to be the majority posting here.

Like I said before...if it were not private party ads, it would result in legal action. People don't like bait and switch because it's unethical. There's no reason not to do it "right" in this situation. There is one spot on a CL ad that is clearly marked to indicate it is the PRICE of the item. Put the real price there or put nothing. it's actually extra effort to put in something altogether different.

And I must argue that the people who do this thinking they'll actually see some discernable difference in productive hits are fooling themselves.

Clem

And I also think there might be a misunderstanding.

When I use craigslist it does not require me to enter a number into the price field.

Am i missing something?

If I search listed by price, all ads with no price come up first. Is there any reason that simply leaving the price BLANK will not work just as well as putting in an purposefully misleading number?

Clem

And to that I say bullfeathers.

I have made my living off of 'once in a lifetime' finds...and the very first rule of doing so is this...

NEVER whine, bitch, & moan about ads OR their wording or 'legality'. Always TALK to the seller.

I will admit this, its much easier for me to do so while others sit by and complain like school girls.

metalman wrote: 1. List of parts/items etc. 2. Seller seeking offers 3. Want to buy

Sorry but Im with the flagging it crowd. It doesnt really generate more views because if someone is assinine enough to post it with a $1 price I dont read the ad I just flag it.

List of parts/items - terrible way to sell things, list them all individually and get better results from a search.

Seeking offers - this is another annoyance on many sites. Great I'll offer $5...not what you had in mind? No kidding, post a general starting point for negotiations and list obo (yes it will accept obo in the price field)

Want to buy - Theres a whole section for this, wanted ads in anything but the wanted cagegory get flagged for miscategorized.

It's what you get for free. For the most part I think if people had to pay money the would put a little more thought into their ads and make it more targeted.

Sorry but Im with the flagging it crowd. It doesnt really generate more views because if someone is assinine enough to post it with a $1 price I dont read the ad I just flag it.

Well that reaction (not reading)is in my view is the very definition of assinine. LOL

ClemSparks wrote: People don't like bait and switch because it's unethical.

There is no bait and switch...in this context. Only an idiot would presume a car is for sale for one dollar. Its simply a VERY obvious way for a CL seller to say "I DONT KNOW, MAKE ME AN OFFER".

Now, I dont generally sell that way...BUT, as I have scored many deals from those who do...I am quite happy for that practice to continue.

Dont whine, be happy!!!

I have no problem disagreeing with you...

Different styles for different folks. For instance, I haven't made any gender-derogatory or inflamatory remarks. (Nor have I offended any bulls, to my knowledge)

Simply put (I'm drawing on evidence of this little microcosm here), the majority of folks think that CL ought to work "right". They always say, the rules are for the small percentage of folks who wouldn't do it right anyway...most folks will of their own accord.

I hear you saying you've scored many incredible deals ONLY because the seller posted $1 instead of a real price. What I think you really mean is that you look for good deals regardless of listed price...and I also think you mean you use this $1 listing tactic a lot yourself. [edit, we posted at the same time and you said above you don't...]

I don't like it...we disagree...cool. But if I don't tell you I don't like it, you won't know.

What if you were in a store and they had a $1 price tag on something, you took it to the register, and they said "$4,400 please?" Either price it what you want out of it, or don't price it. In the case of multiple items, don't put a price or put a price that would actually buy something.

Wanted ads don't belong in the cars for sale section. They belong in the wanted section.

Obviously if you're making a living at it then it's not working for the sellers. They're getting a lot less money out of the item than they could have if the ad was priced and posted right. I don't care, of course; that's their problem and your advantage, more power to you. But defending the ads written like that when they are a loss for the seller seems odd.

p.s. Accusing people of PMSing and sandy vaginas is not only misogynistic but rude and dumb and a poopy head thing to do. ;-)

Clem, I think you have no idea of what you speak when it comes to what I do or dont do.

I also think your views are very narrow minded.

Dont whine, be happy.

metalman wrote: Its simply a VERY obvious way for a CL seller to say "I DONT KNOW, MAKE ME AN OFFER".

I disagree...I think putting NO price in the price field and "make an offer" in the ad text is the "Very obvious way" to do this.

Dont whine, be happy!!!

I don't know...I'm not really whining, just arguing a point. And...I am pretty happy. See->

Clem

metalman wrote: Clem, I think you have no idea of what you speak when it comes to what I do or dont do. I also think your views are very narrow minded. Dont whine, be happy.

Well...I thought I had some respect for you until just now.

I think you have no idea about the breadth of my mindedness.