Almost everyone has sold something on Craigslist, or at least bought something on the site. But what happens when the buyer demands to try it before they buy it? Well here’s a major nightmare story every seller should hear:

Joecooool418, who we will call "Joe" was a Florida resident who simply wanted to sell a Seadoo to a happy buyer. He listed his watercraft as pickup only, however a “very serious buyer” from Georgia was greatly interested. The buyer, who we will call Randy, was so exceptionally interested that he offered $100 cash just for Joe to meet him “half way” which was Clifton, GA… a 2 and a half hour drive from Joe in Jacksonville, FL.

Like most large-ticket-items, Joe was accommodating and accepted the offer and reluctantly drove almost 3 hours to meet Randy at a gas station in Clifton, GA to do the trade-off. However, to Joe’s surprise, when he arrived at the gas station, Randy who was in his truck with his son, insisted on making sure the Seadoo worked and begged to drive to the local lake to test it out. 

Not wanting to look like a scammer Joe agreed to follow Randy and his son to the lake to prove the Seadoo fully functioned. And this is where things went from bad to worse:

Randy and his son proceeded to “test” the Seaoo for over an hour which ran the vehicle out of gas prior to returning it to the dock, at which time they informed Joe that they changed their mind and instead would rather purchase an actual boat. While Joe was dealing with the empty-tank Seadoo, Randy and his son proceeded to hop into their truck and drive away. In case you’re wondering, NOPE, they never even paid Joe the $100 for the 2.5 hour, one-way transit, which meant Joe drove 5 hours round-tip and came home with a Seadoo that was out of gas.

LESSONS LEARNED:

1. If someone wants to “test” your item, ask to hold their drivers license. In the meantime, snap a photo of the front and backside.
2. Better yet, YOU drive and they can ride shotgun.