Selling my Mamyia RB67 on Craigslist, am I getting scammed?
 

Need to make some quick $$ for Christmas.
Pull my old Mamyia out of the closet because I have not touched it in years.
I'm in Los Angeles areas so use that Craigslist.
After a few hours I get a text.
"What is you firm price?"
"$500" (listed in ad as firm and "I looked these up on ebay and that is a fair price.")
"Do you have a paypal account?"
"I would prefer to be paid in cash."
"OMG of course I will pay you first!"
"What is your location?"
"New York"

I have sold a few things off craigslist but always face to face and for cash.

Can't help but notice CL say "avoid scams, deal only localy".

Big problem is the camera is HEAVY, comes with the factory fitted aluminum case, two lens, a couple backs, prism viewfinder, so shipping will be rather pricey.

Mamiya RB67 Pro S

I have no idea what that is, but it looks to be worth more than $500. I'd drive to LA to buy it if you dont get any takers.

Yes, you are. I got a bunch of those when I listed the RX-8 for sale. I said in the ad: "No texting, phone calls only." Got a bunch of these texts. I told each of them that I had PayPal and that my e-mail on the account was scams@fbi.gov. They didn't bother me after that.

It is truly a work of mechanical art... breaks my heart to sell it but it just sits unused... I need to look into some of the photography boards about selling it.

If it's digital, then I'll be there on Monday to pick it up, LOL.

And if it's not digital, then I'd trade a Leica V-Lux 1 and cash. That way you have both a camera and cash for the holidays.

Holy smokes, OK so it's a film camera. But there is an adapter to convert it to digital. The adapters are over $1K. Used versions of your camera range from $250 to over $500.

It is 100% manual, that is the marvel of it all it does everything it does with no batteries, the build on it is mind boggling.

One reason I don't work with it is with the help of one of the photographers here I went to the dark side and picked up a used Nikon D80.

However there is something very cool about getting out the light meter and setting the aperture and shutter speed.

Heck, as an object de arte it is worth $500!

And if you note to the left of the picture it has a Poloroid back!

My dad would go ape sht over that camera.

Cool camera. Sounds like a scam to me.

Facebook is also full of sale groups that are tied to a specific area. You may want to check that avenue out as well.

I did list it on a couple local Facebook for sale pages... but...

A brother pelican just messaged me and we are meeting for the transaction tomorrow!

Is there anything PPOT can't do?

I sell a LOT of stuff on CL and always have 5-10 ads running. I do my homework first and price items to sell quickly. I also take very clear pics in good light, and add a link to a published review or description so they know exactly what they are buying. I have zero tolerance for flakes, lowballers, and scammers so I always include screening language something like this:

Local cash and carry only. Price is firm so if you don'y have $500 cash please do not respond to this ad. Flakes, lowballers and scammers, this is not the gear you are looking for, move along.

The result: An ad runs for a week or two, a legit buyer responds, sets an appointment, shows up on time, hands over the cash and takes home the gear. It really is that simple. I get almost no bogus response from bozos out of state or trying to grind me on the price before even seeing the item.

I am sure my screening language turns off a few legit buyers who prefer to wheel and deal and have cash to spend but I don't care. They can consider themselves pre-screened. The immense peace that comes from only dealing with the top 10% of legitimate buyers is worth it to me. I often stay in touch with these "zero BS" local buyers as we share common interests and we may do trades or business in the future. Skimming the cream off Craigslist...

I only sell/buy a few things a year on craigslist and I need to get better with my salesmanship... my biggest problem is when I sell the items are usually "my babies" guitars, amps, this camera... so I make a half hearted attempt. I have a fairly decent Nikon digital camera but you can see in the ad I posted the pictures are mediocre mostly because I had just got home from work and was tired.

CL is like dealing with people off the short bus at the BEST of times. I occasionally use search tempest which gives me access to CL ads across the US when I am looking to buy.

50% of the time there is no response....the rest freak at PP and/or shipping. They take the "deal locally" to heart.

On occasion I can make a deal. It's worth it because pricing in other areas is a lot different than CA.

But this is as a buyer, never sold long distance. GLWS, it's a crap shoot. I don't smell scam but a phone call wouldn't hurt....

Don't get me started on CL people that want to meet in a parking lot....

What s wrong with that? I sell in CL a lot and I would NEVER invite someone to my house. There's simply no upside at all to that. I always meet in a parking lot or at a nearby park (public place, daylight hours).

Inviting a stranger into your home is begging for trouble down the road - I don't need someone casing out the place for a return visit later (or worse). Eff that.

My concern would be that once the buyer has the item, he will file a dispute with PayPal and they will essentially force a refund. If you have a bank account or credit card linked I believe they will skim the funds right out without your authorization. Unless it's eBay, then cash only, face to face, not at my house.

The percentage of no shows is high. Schlepping the crap to a neutral site sucks. If someone is going to come over and rip me off they will leave in a body bag or never be found again. Depends on how irked I get.

My property is gated so sometimes it is more convenient to meet at a BofA or Starbucks nearby. It depends on the item so if they need to plug it in to test it we meet at my house. If not, usually at BofA with cameras and security nearby. Sold about $800 worth of no longer used gear in the last 2 weeks. Like anything, you gotta find the method that works best for you. Screening buyers heavily raises the signal to noise ratio a lot for me and makes CL a useful tool.

I would NEVER put my phone number in a Craigslist ad. Plus, email is a good way to vet the REALLY stupid ones. I've also found that the cheaper something is, the more flakes it attracts. And giving something away free is the absolute worst.

Guess how many people asked if the mattress came with it when I posted this:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...aigslistad.jpg



I posted this fake ad to make a point but I don’t think anyone got it. :)

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ay/Ebaycam.jpg

Thanks Scott, it was nice meeting you today. The Camera is FAR better than described, beautiful.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1481500161.jpg

Is your item still for sale? How low will you go?

Seriously - take down the ad - seems it's been sold. :)