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How do you buy something off of craigslist?

I want to buy something from someone who lives in NY and I live in PA. How would I buy from them off of craigslist? Thanks. Would it be through something like paypal?

Public Comments

1. Email the person who posted it.
2. don't do it...ive been buying and selling off craigslist for 3 years now...if you cant meet in person, do not proceed with a transaction..PLEASE TAKE THIS ADVICE OR YOU WILL GET SCAMMED Edited: This isnt ebay, you cannot trust anyone, if you cash a faulty check, your the one responsible not the other guy.
3. by emailing the person or the link to email the person or if they leave a phone number...Call them
4. you have to contact the seller, and he/she will tell you how to purchase it
5. you would contact them with the email or phone number that they displayed on craiglist
6. Well you should either email them at the craigslist email they were provided, which is included at the top of the post, or they give you special directions on how to contact them. Communication is key. Craigslisters are people. Also, don't believe anyone who says to just mail them a check or money order without getting what you are looking for first. If you don't live in NY then you need to go to NY and pick up the item. NY craigslisters may think you are a scammer if you don't provide real information like a working phone number.
7. Yea, paypal would work, but it is a little more difficult on craigslist than say Ebay. You pretty much just have to communicate with whoever is selling the item.
8. if they have a paypal account and you do you can. best to contact them thru craigslist
9. Craigslist was intended for face-to-face sales. Any sales that you can't meet the other party is in question. If you send money and the other party doesn't send the item, how do you get satisfaction? It would be extremely difficult. As many of the other answers here say, don't do it. If you can use PayPal or a credit card, you can dispute the sale and maybe get your money back. If the other person wants cash or money order, don't deal with them. It's simply not safe. Craigslist has a set of labels down the left side. Click the "avoid scams & fraud" button and read the information very carefully. The main points are at the top and are as follows: DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on craigslist. NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer. FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later. CRAIGSLIST IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification" NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.) AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION. So be careful on this transaction. You could lose your money.