The incident happened in early November when the victim said he found five iPhones on Craigslist for $1,000 and agreed to meet the seller in an area of west Louisville.

I think that any deal that seems to good to be true should be avoided....

..Hmm, that does mean you may have to pass up on that ad mentioning a unopened box labeled "Medieval Madness" that some retired operator found in his attic and put up on CL for $500.

... only to find out later from a friend collector that he just got this amazing deal on CL

Hmm, tough world we live in.

I've bailed on Craigslist buys because something felt fishy. If I have to have them over to my house, the item is always in the garage and I lock the door to the house. If it's a smaller item, I always meet in public, usually near the front door of a grocery store.

I would never get in the car with a stranger, or let a stranger into mine. Just use common sense and you're fine.

+1 on that!

concealed carry

For small items like ipods and cameras, meet in the lobby of the local police station. I was selling a camera and was waiting at the cop shop. An officer asked if he could help, I explained I was meeting a stranger with cash, he said he wished more people would think smart like that. I left his picture as a surprise gift to the guy who bought my camera.

Unfortunately, this sort of thing has become all too common. There are just so many nutbags out there that will pull a gun on you without blinking an eye. I only bought one pin off craigslist, but it might be my last after hearing so many stories like this.

I never, ever go to CL meetings alone. Especially being a woman. I always bring my 9mm and some friends. I don't care how friendly they sound on the phone.

+1

I had actually thought about this. The police station is only a few blocks from my house, but I was afraid that the cops would frown upon this sort of thing. They don't want their parking lot to become a flea market.

They seemed to encourage it.

Probably less work for them to have you sitting in the lobby than laying in a body bag.

I was helping my boys post pictures of their old bikes to sell. Had to explain that you do not take pictures with your 4-wheeler or other items in the background. Just the item.

A friend of mine was robbed and murdered after a phony CL ad gone wrong.

+1

+1

I leave my house everyday with a helmet and bullet proof vest on ! All these scary stories make me nervous to leave my house ..

Jim

+1

Then I act as if I'm getting my wallet, and surprise.

Was he a Bottom Boy?

Pretty smart idea!
I talk to the person first over the phone for a bit maybe even a couple of times. Only when I am pretty darn sure it is legit I will go and try to make a deal. I have traded a pin and bought a pin using CL so it is a handy tool but always a chance something like this can happen. I hate to hear about things like this.

Oh come on Jim lets be honest it is your huge pinball collection that makes you nervous/hesitant to leave the house.

That might sound like a good idea but I really would'nt recommend
anyone going to such lengths,If you have never been robbed at gunpoint
or never had a gun shoved in your face you will never know what it feels
like and your concealed weapon will not do you any good if the robber
already has his gun drawn on you.You will be so nervous that even if
you reached for your gun you would probably shoot yourself because
your shaking so bad.Meet in a public place and take a friend with you
is probably the safest and best way.

I would be wary of certain people on pinside as well. Some people think it is perfectly ok to invite themselves to spend the night at someone's home even though you have never met.

Thanks for that dung, I'm sure it gets in the way of your rgp sleepovers.

Good to be cautious, and use some sense. I always bring a buddy with me, and I don't have the cash on me. (keep it in the car)

Never have had any problems, so I count my lucky stars.

You have to put some trust in the system or you will never get the good deals.

completely agree on concealed carry. i also have someone go with me and i dont put myself into any situations that might be dangerous.so far i have not had any issues with c/l sellers.

Common sense folks.....if you use CL it's buyer beware on many fronts....concealed carry is right...

I have had some real luck on " to good to be true" scenarios. I got a STTNG for $1200. Just be careful, meet during the day in a public place. I have never brought anyone with me to purchase a pin, but I always ask for personal pics of it to be sure it exists. As far as selling, I always tend to have a few people around when someone shows up to look at it.

The second pin I ever bought (Swords of Fury) was off craigslist. I responded to a random ad and drove quite far by myself to an unfamiliar neighborhood with a pocketful of cash. Looking back, I can't believe how stupid and dangerous that was.

Dude, why even bother reading the story...SELLING IPHONES...HELLO??? Total scam alert if not robbery alert. Avoid avoid avoid. Even the red flags I had when I finally ventured with a buddy (two bullet theory versus single bullet) to see what I thought was a sketchy pin in a sketchy part of town turned out to be legit. I don't think we have to worry about being lured by fake pinball ads...think about it this way: criminals are stupid and go for EASY money...aka, rich kids wanting a deal on new bling...not on oldtimers with pinball machine desires. /Rant.

I prefer to only deal with Pinsiders / (reasonable) Dealers / and people at expos.

A couple years back I saw a CL ad stating "MM for sale, $2000, husband passed away, still have box, etc.". I was 100% positive this was a robbery attempt so I didn't even attempt to see it. Come to find out the next day that the local pin vulture scooped it up and actually had the gall to TALK HER DOWN using burnt out bulbs as ammunition. About made me sick...

I've only had one CL experience where I felt that I placed myself and my girlfriend in real danger. we were in the middle of nowhere Nebraska to check out a gorgar. We didn't tell anyone where we were going and could have easily vanished without a trace. Now we always let someone else know where we are going and when we expect to be back.

Never really know what you might be walking into...remember the gimp from pulp fiction, or buffalo bob from silence of the lambs!

pulp_fiction3340.jpg

THE RIGHT TO CONCEAL AND CARRY, LOVE INDIANA FOR SOME REASONS,
JT

I agree with super8, I've been robbed at knifepoint in my life, I've had guns pulled on me multiple times, and I didn't feel scared about going to a different town for a pin, not even Detroit (assuming I would bother going that far to haul one back, need a bigger boat!).

Shady drug deals, running into random maladjusted people in the city in broad daylight, now THOSE are the people to worry about. Can you get shanked for an Iphone? Probably, but the odds on that are pretty slim if you're not the type of person to go out in the street waving your bling all around to show it off.

That's terrible! Jesus, some people man. Sorry to hear that Kwiki. That is f-ed! Craigslist has always been iffy. Bring some friends, don't carry tons of cash (you can always hit the bank after you meet), and hope for good luck I guess. Damn, that's a downer for sure. I hate hearing that stuff.

There are problems with CL but worrying about a pin deal is pretty far down the list. Some kid is stupid enough to want to buy 5 iphones for $1000? He must know it can't be legit. Even if the phones are real they're probably stolen. I guess everyone wants to get "the deal" but you have to use common sense.
Bought and sold dozens of times on CL including 5 pins and never had a problem- except for the occasional CL idiot, but that's a different story.

sfbay.craigslist.org link

This ad seems really fishy, too good to be true, plus the pics are of two different backglasses.