Gear Tales: Adventures in Craigslisting

Selling gear on the internet can lead to some strange encounters|

Craigslist is a good place for musicians to move gear, to buy new stuff and sell unwanted stuff. Craig Newmark began the site in 1995 to promote local events; he incorporated in 1999. Headquartered in San Francisco, it has grown to listings in over 70 countries, with over 20 billion page views per month.

I have been an active CL user for many years and have bought and sold lots and lots of gear. While it can be great for reaching prospective buyers, the site also has a bad rap for scammers using it as a means to weasel their way into our lives. But I find if you are careful and proceed slowly with the connections, you meet normal people trying to conduct normal trade outside the mainstream. Nothing wrong with that.

This installment of Gear Tales features stories from buying and selling on the craigslist circuit.

Déjà Vu

About 15 years ago, I wanted to sell a guitar amplifier and listed it on Craigslist. Being a good quality name brand amp at a fair price, it attracted several interested parties, all of whom seemed legit.

After exchanging emails, I settled on a fellow who lived in San Jose. Splitting the geographic difference, we agreed to meet in the parking lot of a public school (quiet during this summer month) on a well-traveled street in the Berkeley area.

The guy arrived within minutes of my arrival. He was memorable in appearance, a George Costanza doppelganger. We exchanged pleasantries and I showed him the amp. He handed me the money with no haggling and placed it in the trunk of his red Trans Am. He did not examine the amp in any way. I asked him if he wanted to plug it in at the nearby coffee shop, and he replied, “No, it’s for my son.”

I thought the whole thing was a bit odd, but he was getting a good amp, so no problem should arise.

Then about 10 years ago, I wanted to sell another guitar amp. I took several photos, and oh so very artful they were. Advertised at a decent price, it too attracted several interested parties. Via email, I choose one to contact and later arranged to have the buyer meet me in at a public space in Sonoma.

I had been waiting for only a few minutes when a familiar car pulled up. Same guy, now looking like a middle-aged George Costanza. He again told me he had driven up from San Jose. He handed me the money, put the amp in the trunk of his red Trans Am. I asked if he would like to plug it in, and he replied, “No, it’s for my son.”

I have sold a couple of amps since then, but I have not seen George since.

The other kind of green

Another fun story, an “Only in the Green Triangle” story, happened just this past week. This Craigslist interaction was either in the spirit of a measure on the Sonoma ballot or a result of this harvest time of year.

I have listed a guitar for sale, not a cheap guitar. There has been very little interest in it, but two emails arrived within three days of each other from different addresses.

The exchange went like this:

Buyer 1: “Would you be willing to trade for cannabis?”

Me: “No, thanks.”

Follow up email, Me: “Just out of curiosity, how much cannabis are you offering?”

Buyer 1: “2 lbs.”

The second buyer…

Buyer 2: “Trade for fresh buds.”

Me: “Just out of curiosity, how much cannabis are you offering?”

No response from Buyer 2.

A fair trade?
A fair trade?

A second chance

A request for stories about other’s dealings with Craigslist buying and selling was sent out a few days ago, and local band leader Michael Ahern submitted this curious gem.

Ahern had a band dissolve, as bands often do. He “inherited” a massive amount of gear that they had used to perform publicly. The gear was technologically a bit outdated and was not receiving a lot of action on Craigslist.

Ahern wrote, “Eventually a fella named Jake called me up and introduced himself. Jake said he had just gotten out of prison and was putting his band back together. Sound familiar?”

He continued, “I had to meet this guy. The following Saturday, Jake arrived in a battered pickup truck with another fella. Both sported some impressive tattoos, shaggy hair and rough smiles.”

After guiding the two would-be buyers through the gear, Ahern said, “I gave them a great price, they loaded up and off they went. I like to think they were on a mission from God.”

Pass on any interesting Craigslist stories of yours to me. A good adventure is always worth sharing. eltimcurley@gmail.com.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.