A stranger took my couch
Craigslist is so weird. I’ve never actually purchased anything from there, though I’ve used it to look for jobs, apartments, etc. So I didn’t fully understand how the whole buying/selling stuff from/to strangers worked.
The Giraffe and I got a free couch from my mom recently, so we wanted to get rid of our old one (also a hand-me-down). After asking friends and family and posting it on Facebook with no takers, I listed it as free on Craigslist. Right away I got a response, but even though they give you an anonymous email address to have people send their interest, I couldn’t figure out a way to reply using that email. So I had to use my personal email address which has my last name in it, and immediately I got visions of stalkers and murderers tracking me down. Then I realized these people would be coming to my apartment to collect the couch! They’ll know where I live!
I ended up talking to someone on the phone about the couch, and she seemed very nice and extremely grateful. Also, very normal. So I said she could come over and get the couch. And I think everything went fine – she brought a couple people to help her load it up, they were only in our apartment for a few minutes, they all seemed nice and normal. But dude, what if they come back and murder us? They know my last name! They know where we live!
It all seems very strange to me.
Or maybe I’m just crazy paranoid.
(On the other hand, it felt really good to give a free couch to someone who clearly appreciated it greatly.)
I felt the same way about using CL. At least the initial anonymous email address keeps any spam programs from picking up your address and adding it to lists, and also if you get any responses that seem fishy, you can ignore them and they don’t ever know your real contact info.
I’ve been fortunate in that I could move my CL items to the curb and not have to invite the strangers inside, but even so it’s awkward that they know my contact info and address, etc. But like you said, it’s so nice to be rid of the stuff and know it went to someone who can make good use of it.
It’s amazing the response you get from people when you include the word FREE in your CL listing. It’s also an amazingly fast and easy way to get rid of stuff you just don’t want to deal with. Like a used box spring, old computer desk, 1940s single-pane windows. If you’re lucky, you might even make a few bucks, too. I was shocked when someone was willing to pay us $40 for the aforementioned windows. Woo!
But yeah, I feel ya on the strangers-know-my-last-name-and-address paranoia that accompanies posting a listing on CL. Just gotta be careful, go with your gut on who you let come to your house.
Nope! Unless I’m crazy paranoid too. I felt the exact same way when I sold the giant tv that my parents gave us that didn’t fit in the armoire. I hated having to break from the private e-mail to the public and then tell them where I lived! The $250 made up for it though.
In fact, my parents want to use craig’s list to sell something and I’m trying to get them to use e-bay. Sure you have to pay a little, but at least there is an opportunity for fraud protection.
I’ve bought my couch from Craigslist and I have recently sold a mattress through Craiglist. I do understand your sense of “paranoia” though because you never know who’s going to come and get your stuff.
Once one “craiglists” successfully, one gets comfortable. I’ve recently started Freecycling and it’s great… not so many crazies and overall more dedicated picker uppers. If it makes you feel any better, I met my husband on craigslist and have some of the coolest things decorating my house from there. When it comes time to having babies (if that’s in the future, of course), CL becomes your best friend. So environmentally friendly and good for the pocketbook too!
Oh, I should add.. Craigslist hasn’t brought the crazies to my house, but crazy e mails have come from posting, for sure! Oh, and we found our most fantastic roommate for 2 years and now great friend through Craigslist!
There are services online that allow you to send anonymous email. The first one I saw on Google is http://www.sendanonymousemail.net/ but I’m sure there are better ones than that. Just for future reference.
I’ve bought and sold much stuff on CL, always found everyone very normal thus far (knock on wood). I LOVE the site.
Oh I had the same feeling when I sold my car on craiglist. Fortunately for me and, possibly, unfortunately for my one sister, my car was located at her house. That is where the guy came to look at it and we made a deal. It was still nerve wracking.
Dude, this is how I’d look at it (since I’d be crazy paranoid, too):
It would be a lot of work and heavy lifting to come get a couch as a way in to murder someone. Much easier ways of accomplishing that goal without begging up a moving crew and all that.
So you can rest easy. Who’d move heavy furniture for that end?
I think if they wanted you dead, they would have killed you when they came for the couch, and probably would have used the couch as some way to hide your body. Since you’re still alive, I think you are fine.
I always offer to deliver because I’m paranoid about them having my address. I figure it’s the one bonus to having a fiance who drives a truck.
I think that if they were going to kill you, they’d already have done it.
Of course, though, I’d feel the same way.
I completely understand your paranoia – I’m currently trying to sell stuff on kijiji and refuse to give out a home phone number and insist that I meet the person in a public place. Luckily I’m not selling items I can’t carry otherwise they’d have to come to my house but if I did see large stuff, I’d totally be weirded out at having strangers in my home, perhaps eyeballing my stuff.