[Cajundaddy]

I buy and sell regularly on CL and just learn to sniff the flakes quickly. As a buyer, I always respond with something like:

"Hi, I am interested in your 2010 BMW, is it still available? If so I would like to see it soon. Have cash, no games."

This just lets the seller know I am a serious buyer and not another loser/flake. If they respond within 24 hrs, make arrangements to see it soon and be on time. Serious sellers appreciate serious buyers. If you ask 20 questions in your email or are unavailable to go see it, the seller will lose interest and look for a cleaner transaction. Making a lowball offer sight unseen kills your credibility.

If a seller fails to respond quickly or is unavailable to meet within a few days, move on. If a seller makes you uncomfortable in any way, move on. It's a free service and the signal to noise ratio is low, but 3/10 CL sellers are golden, and you can get like-new at 1/2 retail price or better.