Buying tools from Craigslist. Stolen?

[Chris142]

How do you know if something is stolen or not?

My 3/4 impact broke. It was from HF so It wasn't worh fixing IMO. I looked at new ones at HF ($100-$269). Probly ok but still not up to Par with an IR, Snap-On etc.

Mac guy wanted $800.

Looked on Craigslist. Found a IR new in the box for $150.

Went and bought it. The seller said that he got it as a present and had no use for it. Older guy, nice neighborhood, hot rod in his garage.

I guess it's possibly stolen but he didn't seem like a theif. He said he's had it for sale for a long time, no buyers and he was tired of looking at it so he lowered the price to $150.

I got a great deal on it and didn't haggle the $150 price. I feel that I got a great deal on it so why take a chance at not getting the tool if I tried to loball him?

Thing retails for $600.

 

[gathermewool]

It's tough to say. Some one I know going through a divorce has TONS of stuff piled up in his apartment that he used to have plenty of space for in his house. He's thinking of selling some of the things he'll not need for more than a couple of years for a fraction of what he paid for them.

If he decides to sell I'll probably be getting a similar deal on a few tools that you're looking at on Craigslist. In the end you'll never know.

 

[defektes]

150 is a excellent price. I have often wondered myself if cheap items I get off of ebay and craigs are stolen. I guess theres no real way to know for sure. I remember purchasing a set of metric long sockets from ebay for 20 bucks. Snap-on, brand new. I showed it to my friend and price was much more and he did infact ID them as real.

I guess sometimes people just want to get rid of stuff and make some quick cash.

 

[demarpaint]

I always felt Ebay and Criags list was like a hot goods department store. But people do run into tough times and bad luck and are looking to unload things fast. You always take a chance buying from places like Craigs list. Ebay might be a safer bet than Craigs list. JMO

 

[ksJoe]

I think they're more like an online yard sale. Prices range from bargain, to fair, to overpriced. I watch local Ebay listings, and CL as a hobby. I view it as game where we keep score with money.

A few months ago I bought a 220v Craftsman belt drive air compressor, for $56 on ebay. Around here, the "pickup only" ebay listings often go way too cheap. When I went to pick it up, the guy selling it had listed it for his neighbor, who had gotten a new one. We wheeled it back to the neighbor's garage to get a 220v plug to test it out before I took it. It was obvious it wasn't stolen. The previous owner was looking around for the manual, and telling me it could use an oil change. I found the whole thing ironic. He replaced a Craftsman belt drive, that was just old enough to be a "real tool", with a cheap direct drive, china special. The old one wasn't as shiny, but was better by any other measure.

The funny part was, the guy was telling me if I needed to sell anything, he could do it for me. He just charged 20% and he would handle the listing, payment, pickup, etc. I politely thanked him and left it at that. I found it amusing since I only bought this because it was a poorly positioned ebay listing for pickup only. I could have flipped it on craigslist and made $100-$200. Instead I sold my old air compressor (10 year old Campbell Hausfeld, direct drive 4hp/11 gal) for $85.

When I told my wife I may be buying a compressor, she looked confused and asked why I needed another. I told her I'd only get it if they paid me to upgrade. Which is how it turned out. A few weeks later I saw Craftsman just like I had bought on CL for $250.

 

[SecondMonkey]

As many things as I've bought on ebay and craigslist over the years, I'm sure some of it has to have been stolen. I don't really care though, as long as it's not obvious, and I didn't commit the crime, it doesn't make much difference.

Obviously I'm not going to buy goods advertised as or obviously stolen or anything from somebody clearly high on meth...

 

[eljefino]

Remember there are those with massive credit card bills and impulse control problems who want "the best", and will impulsively buy stuff. They say the best used camera you can buy was owned by a dentist.

I'm wondering about this as I'm advertising my FIL's tractor on CL. He doesn't want to deal with appointments, phone calls, etc. I know very little about it, have no official title, one instruction manual, no receipt from when he bought it, etc.

 

[SubLGT]

Originally Posted By: defektes
...........I remember purchasing a set of metric long sockets from ebay for 20 bucks. Snap-on, brand new. I showed it to my friend and price was much more and he did infact ID them as real...........


Sounds too good to be true. Maybe they were very well done Chinese counterfeits?

 

[Carbon]

Originally Posted By: eljefino

I'm wondering about this as I'm advertising my FIL's tractor on CL. He doesn't want to deal with appointments, phone calls, etc. I know very little about it, have no official title, one instruction manual, no receipt from when he bought it, etc.


You will get offers to buy at asking price or more with a check. Check turns out to be excessive... That guy from Nigeria really wants your tractor, but isn't local....

http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams

Use a throw-away email address.

 

[Steve S]

That tool you just bought looked judt like the one I had stolen last week!!!

 

[HyperJinx]

How do you know if something is stolen? Well, in most instances you dont. The only thing you can do is follow your gut. I dont mind getting a deal and neither does anyone else. That being said, there are deals and there are shockingly good deals. I basically ask myself this: Do I have a reasonable belief or suspicion that there is something fishy here? If I do, I pass.

 

[SecondMonkey]

Originally Posted By: Steve S
That tool you just bought looked judt like the one I had stolen last week!!!

Might be a good idea to check craigslist for it being for sale! That's why it's good to engrave your DL number on expensive things....

 

[JHZR2]

A cross between hot goods and folks on hard times. Some folks do have bona-fide extra stuff to get rid of, but usually they are asking more normal prices, and/or more used stuff.