Is it safe to sell a MBP on Craigslist?

Question

I am interested in selling my MBP on Craigslist in the Bay Area. With all the laptop crimes etc is this safe? What's the best way to do this?

Answer 1

I haven't used Craigslist.
I get the impression that it's intended for more local trades, but I am in Alaska.
Anyway, I have never had any problem with electronics sales when I've followed these guidelines:
1) Use PayPal when possible to be assured that the money is legit and not counterfeit (such as fake money orders).
2) If you accept a money order or check (please don't accept checks), then cash them at the bank they are drawn against. This assures you that you have cash in-hand. If you deposit them at your bank, and the funds are later found not to be sufficient (or some other problem arises), then they will pull the money out of your account. By cashing it at the bank that it is drawn against, then you know you have cash, and you know instantly if the funds are available.
3) Always get payment before you ship. Get that money in-hand first. Only ship after you have received the payment and are sure that the money is good (see number 2).
4) Ship with delivery confirmation. If possible, insure your shipment. I usually place the insurance option as a responsibility of the buyer (expecting them to pay the insurance cost). But, always make sure you get a delivery confirmation attached to the package when you ship. You want to be able to prove that they received it. And, if the potential loss / risk of shipping without insurance is significant, then pay to insure it even if the buyer won't.
5) Talk with the buyer several times during the transaction. You can usually get a feel about a person through the course of continuing conversation. Pay attention to how promptly the individual responds to your messages. Pay attention to any story line, and make sure you don't find inconsistency's in their messages. Most conversations will have some discussion to them, watch for inconsistent stories (even if the inconsistency is about what they did today and has nothing to do with the sale). Inconsistency can give you a clue that the person is not 100% truthful.
I've passed on many potential sales (or purchases) because the buyer (or seller) demonstrated a slight inconsistency that concerned me. For example, one flag that I remember was when I was talking to a guy about a portable computer he had for sale. He told me he purchased it from a store, then in a later message told me that the one he was typing on at the moment was acquired in a trade. But, he had previously told me that he only had the one computer.
Buyers will make similar slips on occasion. They might discuss payment options, or reasons for using a certain type of payment, or they might discuss their address / residence / shipping location, and later say something that doesn't fit with their previous statements. There are any number of things that could come up in casual conversation. Just watch for stories that don't fit together.
Bottom line:
Always make sure to receive payment up-front (and have it in your hands physically before you ship), and always make sure you can prove that they received the item you shipped. And make sure you are comfortable with the person before you enter into an agreement.