Problems with Buying a Thinkpad off Craigslist

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simms · #1 Post by **simms** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 10:38 pm

How do you know if you aren't buying a stolen laptop or if they rip you off? Imagine yourself buying a T-series for $850 or some amazing deal. They know you have $850 in cash, and you are buying their laptop.

They could either rob you of your money, or the laptop could be stolen, etc. A number of problems.

Yet a number of you have bought off Craigslist, so any general tips?

What I was planning to do was to go to the guy's place, test out the laptop, take down the PN and SN and call IBM to verify the registered owner.

Then, I log onto Paypal and pay him via CC or EMT. I would use EMT as a last resort because it is non-refundable, but would send Paypal CC.

What do you think?

#2 Post by **BillMorrow** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 2:08 am

personal pickup is the best way to do it if you are unsure of the honesty of the seller..

you know, of course, that few ever report a lost or stolen thinkpad to ibm/lenovo..

so let your gut feel be your guide..
if the seller appears honest then he probably is..

happy hunting..

a31pguy · #3 Post by **a31pguy** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 6:21 pm

Paypal is best when dealing with craigslist. That way you don't have to carry money to the seller and you can trace him back if it's stolen. Paying cash is very much like gambling.

Craigslist is very quickly becoming infested with theives - as stolen laptops are showing up there. It's simply faster than trying to "fence" somewhere else.

I always do a personal pickup and I ask the seller to establish a paypal account and pay with a credit card that has fraud protection on it. If they refuse - oh well. They way I look at it - at least I'm not contributing to the problem.

I actually was ripped off the first time I tried to buy an "new" Thinkpad A21 - for $2500 (back in the day). The seller told me that it shipped "yesterday" and that they would put a trace on it. That was the last I ever heard from the seller.

Luckily - paypal and my credit card company covered the loss.

So be careful. There are good people out there - but the criminal elements are learning to use the system.

muffd · #4 Post by **muffd** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 4:34 pm

I have bought about 6 Thinkpads from people from Craigslist since 2004. I usually check the warranties and serial #'s before we even meet. When we do meet, I usually meet at a Starbucks or something leaving the money with in the car. I then go inside to the Starbucks to try everything out before making any kind of agreements to the purchase. Oh, I usually carry a nice "little" knife with me just in case.

a31pguy · #5 Post by **a31pguy** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 4:37 pm

Check out this story

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... EO6CE1.DTL

Nolonemo · #6 Post by **Nolonemo** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 5:19 pm

a31pguy wrote:Check out this story

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... EO6CE1.DTL

Value of laptop: $2,500

Bought outside apartment for: $300

"I didn't know it was stolen": priceless

pianowizard · #7 Post by **pianowizard** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 5:23 pm

About a month ago, I noticed that an X40 with docking station was sold with the BuyItNow option for $300 plus $15 shipping on eBay. Must have been stolen!

On the Boston Craigslist, a T43 is currently for sale for only $600:

http://boston.craigslist.org/sys/153598705.html

Do you think that's also suspicious? Although, based on the spacing of the desktop icons, the screen is probably just an XGA.

#8 Post by **draco2527** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 10:04 pm

This one looked fishy too....

http://detroit.craigslist.org/sys/143357588.html

muffd · #9 Post by **muffd** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 10:51 am

In the past, I've emailed some guys that post really great looking deals on CL but then they would email me some crap like they're from the Ukraine or Europe. If I can't meet in person with this person, I want nothing to do with them.

Problems with Buying a Thinkpad off Craigslist

Problems with Buying a Thinkpad off Craigslist

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