I get leery of some of these ads. My big concern is if they think we're coming over and no one's home, great time for them to send an accomplice to break in.

Wow, you're brave!

Glad you weren't duped.
Edit, to add after what Annie wrote, I would guess you didn't give them your address before you went to see the mattress.

Or there have been cases where the scammers wait to rob you, knowing that you have cash on you. I remember one involving a car sale and someone ended up being shot, maybe even killed.

That's one of the many reasons I am not a CL shopper. I would never have your good luck, Jen. Glad you did not go by yourself, either of you!

Part way through your post I too thought the ending was going to be your home was robbed. I still don't know what the sellers were hoping to accomplish. Who would take a full when they came for a Queen?!! HUGE waste of everyone's time IMHO.

Ditto Kswl. Scary!!

In our area there are several recurring type ads on Craig's. One is for mattresses - a bit different but similar to your deal. I think they might be places that sell cheap cheap mattresses then pick up used ones when they deliver then try to resell the used ones.

I just keep seeing the same ads... How could someone have that many mattresses to sell.?!

I have seen the guest room ads, too, and always believed them! Glad you were not scammed!

Sometimes if you craigslist search the phone number in questionable ads you can get an idea if they are from 'professional' craigslist sellers. Especially if hundreds of ads for the same items come up in the search results.

ML

A good lesson for all of us who love CL. I think you get a sense of who is a "pro" based on how the ads are put together sometimes. I also exchange emails with the seller/buyer a few times before actually meeting them, and that can be a good clue as to their authenticity, too. But in general, I meet people in a public place whenever possible, and if someone is coming to my home, I bring the item to the garage and that is where the transaction takes place. You kind of develop a sixth sense about this, and if something doesn't seem right it's always best to follow your instincts. And, I know it may sound like a lecture, but I wouldn't buy a mattress on CL, no matter what. Very glad this turned out ok, and you are lucky your DH comes along with you.

Ugh, that stinks. Luckily, I've never had a bad CL experience, but I realize I just jinxed it. It could be worse:

.

A few pretty throws, and you got yourself a fine couch.

Hmm, wonder how it would look painted .....

But does it meow and shred the furniture?

Those "ads" are hilarious, MizGG! Hahahahaha! Shoe rack indeed! (And - Heeeeeere, kitty-kitty!) ;-D

Gosh, it really never occurred to me that such an ad could potentially be a robbery attempt. No, we didn't give the seller our address, but it might have followed that the person I was texting with would have ASKED, since "she" said she would follow us in a truck to deliver the mattress. That's a frightening thought, and we will definitely be wiser in our future dealings. Having met some really nice people and having some excellent CL transactions may have made us let our guard down, but last night's weirdness may have been our wake up call.

I'm just glad we didn't have to go far to see the crummy mattresses the guy was actually selling. All told, it took about an hour of our time, and I was dressed partially in pajamas to boot. (I told DH I was glad I hadn't bothered to put on a bra for that little excursion.) ;-)

My husband has bought a few items (machining tools, etc.) on Craig's list, but I myself haven't. I'm leery of going into people's homes and I would never give a seller my address. The few home hubby has gone to, he's been very lucky - and I rode with him, waiting in the car with my cell phone in case something seemed out of place!! LOL

We love and buy many antiques pieces but never have I bought an upholstered piece second hand; and I would never buy a second-hand mattress. I have my limits! haha

Re buying upholstered pieces: I would never buy something that was not pristine, that's for sure. As with the chairs we recently bought from CL sellers - they were obviously just like new and honestly, I can't see much difference between buying items like that from a person's clean home and buying from a store where countless people have SAT in them. (The thought crossed my mind about our sofas from Dillard's. Surely lots of BUTTS had sat on them, since the pieces had been on the showroom floor for awhile.) YMMV, but I have no qualms about making a discerning choice to buy an upholstered piece.

I was just thinking I would never give my address to someone if I were selling on CL - but then I remembered that I'd done just that when I was part of a local Facebook group for people (mostly women) who wanted to buy and sell vintage decorative items. Again, only good experiences there - but you really never know.

Looks can be deceiving, but as long as you're comfortable. I get the willies sometimes sleeping in a hotel bed.

I remember a story about a guy who was collecting mattresses from the side of the street (that people had thrown out for garbage pick up) and selling them on CL. I don't remember what city it was in, but there was someone who'd been sold a mattress with bed bugs and figured it out. This person posted an ad right above every one of the this guy's ads. Something to the effect of "Don't buy a mattress from John at 555-1212."

Well, it seems to me that there are easier way to burglarize a house than following someone with a truck delivering a mattress.

Or luring someone to their house, so an accomplice can burglarize your house in the meantime? Doesn't seem a very foolproof way --- how do you make sure that the rest of the family, including the three sons who are police officers haven't invited their colleagues to watch a movie?

Good points, nsm! I seriously doubt that robbery was the motive last night. Trying to get us there and "tempt" us with a second-rate mattress? Yep. That was it.

Not only do I think it was a bait n switch, this part, "...into a room where there were several new-looking but obviously no-name,
very CHEAP-looking full-size mattresses stacked one on top of the other" leads me to think it wasn't a moving sale either. Someone got a deal or stole a bunch of mattresses and was trying to unload them.

I like CL for antiques, but if something is indoors, I don't go in without DH. I sometimes give things away on CL, but I recently received a creepy response signed with the name of two infamous serial killers. Ick!

My friend's former husband met a man in a parking lot to buy a "boom box" stereo years ago. Brand new! Never removed from the box! When he unpacked it at home they found the styrofoam filled with rocks instead of a stereo!

And yes, I think your experience was an attempt to bait and switch.

eta: hit submit too soon

I agree that if you shop for antiques, home decor items, (especially vintage) etc., you generally deal with a different CL community. Electronics, jewelry, etc.....forget it. Those items are quite often stolen goods. I never thought about mattresses, and I do see them listed frequently, but I'd steer clear of them since they are easily misrepresented.

Oh that is SO scary! I wouldn't have been brave enough to go into someone's house in the first place. I'm not a CL shopper and the seedy things I read about is one reason why. I've have sold two items on CL and even that felt kinda creepy <lol> The first was a mattress. I never gave them our address and we met them in town at a gas station. Recently I sold a Delta faucet (changed my mind on the color). I googled the guy and found some postings of his on line that gave me a "feel" for who I was dealing with. Then I read the dos and don'ts on CL and THOUGHT I sent my daughter an email that said "according to this, I shouldn't be dealing with this guy"...it went to the buyer...rut ro! He never acknowledged the email and the deal was made, again, at a major truckstop on the interstate.

Because the stuff you see on CSI NEVER happens at interstate truck stops. ;)

We have quite a bit of crime in our area that is related to CL. They could have easily robbed you while you were there. In Detroit, it wouldn't matter that there are two of you, they'd just shoot you both. I agree, they were probably trying to unload stolen beds. I just don't think I could buy a second hand mattress regardless of what it's for. Even though something was off, I'm glad nothing happened to either of you.

Thank you, ghostlyvision. It did not occur to me to report this seller, but report I shall.

Aaaaaaaaaand reported.

Yay, good deal (unlike that mattress). Many of us have been vicariously decorating through you, I just hate that someone has dared to try dampening the shopping fire. :) Is tomorrow purple chair day? I love that chair, it'll look smashing in your room.

Thank you! Looks like Purple Chair Day will now be Wednesday. Apparently our new street is actually located in The Twilight Zone and carriers cannot FIND it, even though it sits at the intersection of two main thoroughfares. :;sigh::

We had something like this...my dtr actually called the seller and bawled him out after seeing what was being delivered. I just made it my personal mission to flag his ad and post warnings.

I don't watch CSI so I have no idea what happens <g> This particular large truck stop is in a neighboring small town (not out in the middle of nowhere), I had my husband with me and we parked right at the front door of the station, 12 noon with a dozen other people around. Having said all that, I still felt a little uncomfortable. I have stuff left over from our recent bathroom remodel I could sell on CL but I don't think I will because of the bad reputation and incidents I read about.

Drrrr I was hoping to see the new chair in itas rightful place this evening. Well, something to look forward to tomorrow! There must be little Bermuda Triangles all over Texas, I've been waiting over 3 weeks for the second stab at a package delivered to the correct address.

You are very lucky something untoward didn't happen to you both.

I just started a thread asking if anyone does Close5 and the like.

I just can't bring myself to buy or sell on things like Craigslist, even though people I know have had ok experiences.

I wind up finding bargains and donating.