Craigslist question

[penman]

I was going to ask about people's experience buying from Caigslist, but then realized the response would range from greatest - worst (not very helpful) So I'll be more specific..Has anyone had a bad experience or come across any specific scams (other than obvious crapophones) in the Phoenix-Tucson area. I'm always a little leery about craigslist.

[need4art]

Hi Penmen,
craigslist has worked out OK for me though driving across 60 miles or more in this heat to look at something that looks good in photos and I am told is in great condition may not be what you thought it would be. Point in fact a Victor credenza 90 mile round trip that needed so much work that I was afraid that it was going to fall apart getting in my truck. On the other hand I picked up an Oak XVI that needed very little work sans albums and 1 needle cup for $200. Craigslist only seems to work if you are really ready to put the time into running around-and if you want to talk to some folks who think their $200 Victrola is worth $2000.

I live in the Mesa area and was planning to drag my wife to the CAPS show in Aug. But she would really rather not go. Any thoughts about going?

Abe

[penman]

Abe:

Thanks for the reply. I sent you a PM with some info.

gf

[oldtvsandtoys]

Well I have bought 3 machines off Craigslist. A Victor P for $75 A victor 11 humpback for $125 and a Victor E for $500 all were very nice and original. I kapt the 11 and E sold the P for $900 So I think Craigslist is great. But as with everything you have to be careful

[Phonofreak]

I have done very well with craigslist, Like the other posters have said, you have to be careful.
Harvey Kravitz

[estott]

I've had generally very good results buying a variety of things on Craigslist. The worst phonograph experiences I've had have all been the same: a machine is decently priced & I message the seller. I offer to buy, the seller might even say Yes- but I never hear back. Once the seller even set a time to deliver the machine to me, but never turned up, never returned phone calls. It was pretty obvious that someone else made a higher offer.

On the good side I got my Crederza from Craigslist, within a reasonable drive- Orthosean helped me pick it up. The seller told me she'd gotten a higher offer from Ohio, but she didn't want to wait for him to arrange shipping.

[Guest]

I got my Credenza off craigslist, payed $500 for it in almost perfect shape, except for needing a reproducer re-build, which Walt Sommers did for me. The seller was great, the machine has changed my life - no problems at all.

[SonnyPhono]

I have done very well using Craigslist as well. You can usually tell when something is too good to be true and is a scam. I haven't seen many scams involving phonographs. (knock on wood.) My advice is if you can get a hold of the person selling the item, ask them when the soonest time would be you can come to have a look. Tell them you intend to buy, but need to see it in person. Then get there as fast as possible. Most important, don't get your hopes up...pictures can be deceiving.

There are deals on Craigslist all the time. If anyone is interested, there is a VE-XVII in Chicago that was on craigslist awhile back. I emailed the seller and she removed the listing after intending on selling to another buyer. I received an email today that it's still available if I was interested for $200. Not bad for a XVII. The lid has bad damage on top and would need replaced and there is a small spot of missing veneer on the bottom of the backside of the cabinet. But everything else including the light under the lid works well. If anyone is interested, send me a PM and I will get you her information.

[FloridaClay]

You just have to be prudent, realizing that you are going to be dealing with total strangers most of the time. I snagged a VV 9-15 for about $300 that had been in a family since new. It needed significant work, still ongoing, but the cabinet is nice and they are pretty rare so I took it. I also not long ago found a Pathé 75 for $80 that basically needed only cleaning and finding a good vertical cut reproducer to go with it, and the seller threw in about 125 78s in decent condition. I will have to admit I was a bit nervous in going into the neighborhood where the Pathé was, but it turned out my fears were unfounded--just a decent person down on his luck.

On the dark side, about a year ago someone I don't know started trying to buy things off Craigslist using my name, address, etc. Fortunately a couple of sellers smelled a rat and were smart enough to contact me first to verify that it was really me before they took a bogus check for some quite expensive items.

Clay

[penman]

Thanks to everyone for their comments, as with everything these days caution rules. It's good to hear however that in phonographs the good outweighs the bad. I've found that for real antiques (or collectables if you prefer) people who deal in them are generally honest. Looks like people have gotten some good deals from the list!