craigslist scam
 

I think I may have seen a thread about this on here but didn't pay attention to it at the time.

I listed a couple of things for sale on craigslist and I've received about 6 emails today, all with the same story.... husband/boyfriend/son's birthday coming up..... willing to pay more than I'm asking, etc.

Can someone explain this scam and how it works to me?

Its just a scam, tell them to F off. Do you go to the store and offer to pay more for an item than what the store is asking?

On CraigsList, if an offer (buying or selling) seems too good to be true, it is a scam, don't get involved.

I know it's a scam, just wondering how it works.

Is that the whole email? Usually you are asked to take a certified check or money order to deposit in your account. Then someone will pick up the item and the check/mo eventually bounces as fake. Sometimes they pay extra so you can give money to the person who picks it up as their fee.

As someone who buys and sells on Craigslist regulary I can tell you that it's no big deal because the seller holds the cards. The only time I will ship is if I get a USPS money order that can be cashed at the Post Office. I won't even take Paypal because I'd rather not ship. That's only happened once for me selling and I used it once to buy. Most sales are cash and local pickup.