TexasCHLforum.com

seamusTX wrote:

lkd wrote:What's the alternative? Ban Craigslist? Ban eBay? Ban newspaper classifieds?

How about being careful?

People (still after all this time) have a way of thinking that they live in a cozy neighborhood where "that kind of thing never happens." I guess that's why they don't lock their homes or cars.

They extend that thinking to internet-based transactions, and this kind of thing happens.

- Jim

Yup, that's precisely my point: You're meeting a stranger. Smartest thing you can do is be in maximum control of the situation.

Would you believe that Craigslist even gives people a simple guide for it? http://www.craigslist.org/about/safety" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (although they would never say "Bring friends with guns", because, you know, it's Craigslist)

kalipsocs wrote:This falls under the same heading as most other things...be prudent. I have sold lots and lots of things, high and low, on craigslist without incident. Bring a friend if possible, meet in a public place, and be courteous but mindful. What about buying a firearm privately? How many times has that stopped any of us? Just need to be careful like with anything else.

Yeah, anytime I see a "ooh, Craigslist is scary", I recall that this SAME crap happened with classified ads before the Internet. To claim it happens with "increasing frequency" seems to ignore the fact that 1) Craigslist is a place that homogenizes the bartering experience and 2) Google searches for "Craigslist robbery" are guaranteed to "prove" your point (See all those pages of hits? SEE? Told you so!).

Get a grip, folks. I've bought and sold tons of stuff. So have hundreds of millions of people.

What's the alternative? Ban Craigslist? Ban eBay? Ban newspaper classifieds?

Good luck with that. The bad guys will just find another way to take advantage of unsuspecting people. I'm sure they have for untold thousands of years.