Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Why Buying Locally Just Makes Sense

Months before Connecticut Free Classified was up and running, I needed to sell an item online so I posted it on one of the many online classified list sites only to be disappointed in the end. It all started with selling some tools I didn't need anymore, namely a table saw for $450.00 Within a day I received an email asking me if the item was still for sale. Still for sale? I was so excited I couldn't type the email fast enough and hit SEND. The buyer then called me on the number I had provided him in my last email. He told me he was sending me a bank check for the full amount, and would I mind packing it up for his shipper that he would hire at his expense and have at my house in a few days. I said sure and then we hung up.

A few days later I received the bank check in my mail box and I opened it up and found a check in the amount of $4,500. At first I just stared at the amount, then I realized he must have made a mistake, so I called him right away. He told me his father had been in a terrible accident and he must have told the teller at the bank the wrong amount. He quickly apologized and then told me to just cash the check and send him the difference back. He would have his shipper come by in the next day or so and pick up the saw.

I started to feel uneasy about the whole thing so I took the check to my local bank branch and asked them to run a security check on his bank check. Within a few hours I was notified that his check was a fraud and that no such account number existed anywhere. At first I saw mad, then just bummed out. I really wanted to sell that saw and get some extra cash. After a few days I found out that Nigerian scammers were all over these classified list sites trying to extort money out of people using this same method.

That's when I decided to sell my stuff locally to people I could meet and get paid in cash. This is where a local classified web site comes in real handy. I feel so much more comfortable dealing locally with people right here in my home state that having to ship things out of state and dealing with cashing out of state checks, never knowing what you're going to run into. My guess is, a that a lot of people feel the same way that I do. If so, then http://www.connecticutfreeclassified.com/ should be a hit right here at home in Connecticut. Good luck selling those household items you no longer need, and please be careful of people who prey on folks like us!