Craig's list or the like
 

Never having sold or purchased via Internet sale sites I am curious about safety precautions. I was thinking of selling a singer treadle sewing machine, but don't really want total strangers coming onto my home and does one ask for cash..I don't think I would trust a check.....just wondering if others have sold and how you did it.

do you have a deck or porch you could meet them on? I have sold many items on CL, from my home. I usually had the item outside (except for the time we sold a treadle!!) Have someone with you, of course. I don't think scammers would target sewing machine sellers. Cash only, of course.

If you don't even want people knowing where you live, then maybe CL is not for you, for something as heavy as a treadle.

Yes, state in the ad cash only. People who are honest will not be offended. Also state you will not ship and that you will deal with local buyers only. Scammers will respond, along with non-scammers. The scammers will offer more money than you are asking, in the form of a money order. They may also say they will have an agent pick up what you are selling. Very important to not even respond to them. (When they respond to the ad, they do not see your email address. When you respond back to their inquiries, then your email address is revealed.).

It's not just scammers that you have to be concerned about, but criminals as well. I have purchased things from people on CL before, but I usually ask them to meet me in a public place if possible. I have bought many things from eBay, and most of my experiences have been good, but there is fraud on there as well. You are likely to get more money by listing it on eBay. If you decide to do that, you might consider selling the machine separately from the cabinet, and the attachments separately from the machine. I've seen this done more than once. It maximizes your profit. On eBay, you can do pickup only, if you choose not to ship it. I have never been a seller before, only a buyer, so I am speaking from that perspective.

I tried selling a machine, got a "certified" CHECK but it didn't look right, went to the bank and there was no such account. Lots of rip offs so I agree, cash only and a public place

It sounds like a dilemma to me. My grandsons have sold several items on CL, but they always meet the buyers in a public place. The police department in a nearby suburb has set up a special area in their parking lot that is observed by video camera especially for CL buyers and sellers to use. All of this tells me that it may not be safe to have strangers come to your home, whether you are selling a sewing machine or baseball bats. I buy things on the internet frequently and so far, no problems. I use a credit card or Paypal, never cash or check. But how to sell a treadle machine that you probably can't transport to a public location, I don't know.

I wasn't very clear. Obviously scammers are criminals, but when I mentioned the need to be concerned about criminals, what I meant was--people who mean to do you physical harm. You probably have heard a few horror stories in the news. So have I. I know I sound like Captain Obvious, but be very cautious if you have someone come to your home and make sure that you are not alone and that you have means of protection if need be.

A potential buyer for a treadle is probably going to want to test it out. Asking for cash only is pretty normal on craigs list.

Don't do it. Period.

Speaking from the very recent experience of buying a second hand HQ 16 via my local online classifieds, I would buy this way again. I have also given away quite a bit of stuff via my local Freecycle and it was always having someone come to my house.

When I went to see the HQ I was on my own, but the seller's husband was home for the first bit, then he left to run errands. I was in her home for at least one hour and had brought $500 cash to use as a deposit.

So from a buyers perspective, I was going to a strangers home with a considerable (for me) amount of cash in my purse. I paid the deposit, then returned the next day with the balance in cash. Together the three of us loaded the machine into my car.

But I live in a safe area where thefts and scams of buyers and sellers for online goods is very rare. I would buy and sell through local online classifieds again and would not hesitate to go to someone's home or have them come to mine. One couple delivered a sewing table I bought when they realized I did not have a truck and was going to have to rent one. It turned out their daughter's dance class was 1/2 mile from my home.

I am not sure that I would use Craigslist to sell, I like that the local online classified is less likely to get negative attention. I have bought via Craiglist in the past.