Craigslist Etiquette (aka: How not to be a jerk)

Dear Craigslist Shopping and Selling Aficionados,

I am writing today to put something on the table.  I'm getting annoyed.  Okay, I have been annoyed for awhile.  But it's time to say something about it.

I have a couple of scenarios for you.  Play along with me, will you?

Imagine you are shopping in an old-school, bricks and mortar store.

Scenario #1

Shopper:  Excuse me, ma'am, do you still have this sweater that is on display?

Clerk:  Let me check.

She then leaves to search the store room and comes back.

Clerk:  Why yes, we do.

And the shopper doesn't say a word and walks away.

Scenario #2

Shopper: Excuse me, sir.  I heard you telling someone that you had a great watch you were selling?  Can I come look at it?

Clerk says nothing, simply ignores them and walks away.

Scenario #3

Shopper:  I would love to buy this bed!  And I can even pick it up in my truck

Clerk:  Wonderful.  We will lug it from the store room to the main floor and have it sitting in the front entryway this afternoon.  What time works for you?

Shopper: Well I was really hoping I could come on your day off.  You don't mind coming here on your day off do you?  And I will pay you when I show up.

Clerk: Okay, sure I can make that work.

The clerk drives in on the day off, lugs the mattress to the main floor and sits there waiting for an hour.  The people never show.  The clerk now has a mattress in the front entry.

Scenario #4 

Shopper:  I would like to buy this.

Clerk:  Great, it's worth $900 but through an amazing stroke of luck for you, we are selling it today for $90.

Shopper:  Okay, let me go get cash.

Shopper comes back...

Shopper:  (holding four $20 bills)  Gee, all the machine would give me was $20 bills, so can I just pay you $80 instead?

Now imagine all of those scenarios on Craiglist.  Pretty easy to do because they happen ALL THE TIME.

As much as I love Craigslist, more often than not, I find people to be incredible flakes when it comes to buying or selling there.  They fire off an email, you respond, and they never write back.  They promise to come and buy something and never come.  They make excuses to try to get something for less than the agreed upon price.  Or you go to buy something and the person isn't there.

Cheap. Rude.  Insulting.  And just down-right clueless on how to act like a decent person.

The worst?  I once had a woman I worked with contact me to buy a lamp.  Of course, she didn't know she was contacting me because of the whole anonymous email thing on Craigslist.  But when I responded I let her know that, indeed, it was me, her coworker.  We arranged a time for her to come by and she never showed up.

So here is my appeal.  Cut it out.  Be decent on Craigslist.  Do what you say are going to do.  If you are selling stuff, be honest, answer questions, and follow through.  If you are buying stuff, bring the money, bring correct change, and show up.

Of course, in the scheme of issues and problems with Craigslist (safety, prostitution, you know, little stuff like that) this isn't a big deal.  But it's annoying.

Thank you.  Now back to figuring out what I can list on Craigslist for people to say they will buy and then never show up to get.