After diving head first into the world of Craigslist, here are some nuances I've noticed.
1) Through the power of Facebook, I can now pull up a potential buyer's info and picture about 80% of the time. This has been pretty handy in the screening for potential rapists/abductors/robbers process. This afternoon I had to act surprised when one buyer said she had just moved from New York. Little did she know that I had chosen her out of several potential buyers for that very reason (mission accomplished - she offered to email me some NY restaurant/bar recs). So sneaky! slash creepy.
2) You will be irrationally judged on your email address. Gmail - you're a trustworthy candidate. UCLA.edu - welcome to my home, fellow Bruin. AOL - a little suspicious, but you're probably just over 50. Yahoo or Hotmail - you are a potential rapist/abductor/robber who will most likely not get a response regarding the couch (unless you check out on Facebook, of course).
3) Stick to your story. Any wavering and wishyness in potential buyers' emails throws up red flags. One buyer told me she was interested in my table, but that she didn't have a big enough car. She then started asking about my couch, which, last time I checked, is bigger than the table. Another wrote that while we'd like to come pick up the TV stand today, we're a one car family, and it's currently down in San Diego. Nice try, Namibian lottery. In all seriousness, these examples probably seem innocuous and silly, but when you're a 112 pound single female who lives alone, precautions must be taken.
4) Not everyone is a rapist/abductor/robber. I've made five sales thus far, and to my surprise, each one has been a pleasure. Courteous, quick and easy transactions with no haggling, sprinkled with friendly chit chat. I'd like to think it's my rigorous (read: paranoid) screening process, but deeper than that is the fact that there are plenty of normal people out there just looking for cheap furniture.
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