Getting Robbed at GunPoint when buying from Craigslist

MK7 · Jun 18, 2013

Am I missing something here? If they don't have a car and need to buy one, why would this seem odd?

Could happen, although I've rarely seen such where someone takes the metro and the bus to see a car. I'm not a car dealer, but I used to flip cars as a hobby. Not many, but have had quite a few people check them out and this was the first time someone didn't get a ride, etc.

Your comment about them acting strange and "seeming weird" after you 'nonchalantly' showed them your weapon is weird itself. I think most people would be nervous when a seller finds it necessary to show that he's packing when he's riding around in a car with them.

I'm always packing anyway, and especially when showing cars for sale. This one time, I let it get exposed on purpose. If coming to someone's house, thus knowing where they live to call the cops should something happens...and seeing a guy coming home from work in a suit & tie with a gun makes people nervous...meh, I didn't lose any sleep over it.

You make it plain that you view every young black guy as a potential criminal.

Stop making crap up. I said that them being young Black guys coming to my house to see a not so cheap car by metro, then bus was what made me feel uneasy.

Why didn't you just go in and put on street clothes and have it at the ready if needed,without having to display?

They got there when I just got home. You want me to go change and make them wait? What for? What's wrong with me wearing a suit? And it's already done. I let them see my gun. Only did it once, ever. You have a time machine to change all of this or something?

To me that just shows you're paranoid.

I have no problem with this. To me, it's just being cautious. I have guns strategically placed all over my house too, including the bathrooms. Don't want to get attacked while taking a dump.

I've bought and sold many times on CL and it's not rocket science to arrange a meeting in a safe place to buy or sell as mentioned above, the best being your bank or credit union.

Maybe you have plenty of time on your hands but at that time, I owned insurance agencies and was very busy. Selling cars was a hobby almost. I didn't have the time to go home, get the car for sale and drive it to different meeting places. Most convenient for me was at one of my agencies or at my home.

MK7 · Jun 18, 2013

boohoo, so much crying.

user 423 · Jun 18, 2013

Be careful out there. It's a big scary world. Even in the crapper, I guess, LOL.

MK7 · Jun 20, 2013

yea, some of us don't have the luxury of needing only 1 gun with our crapper being in the same space as our bedroom, living room, dining room, rec room and kitchen, lol.

drivebyandy · Jun 23, 2013

I hear a lot of fear talking in this thread. Are you sure you guys want to go live in a van, on the streets, or in a forest? I realize a lot of people here, like me, are still only on the path to vandwelling or living in an RV but to me that's kind of the whole point of it. Stepping out of the norm, stepping away from the day to day comfort and SAFETY of sitting in a recliner watching TV and doing the same thing. It's valid to have fear, but sometimes you just have to go for things and start making a life full of adventures for yourself. Be smart about the choices you make, trust yourself, don't put yourself in situations you INSTINCTIVELY don't like, and then get out there and enjoy the hobbies you newly discover or the ones you've longed to have more time to do. If I was that scared of the people and the area in which I lived, I'd be infinitely more motivated to get a van and get the hell out of there.

MK7 · Jun 25, 2013

What's fear and paranoia to some, is just being cautious to others. Cops are probably the most paranoid people people out there if you study their behavior as compared to average citizens. Some have a different barometer for what's considered adventurous and risk taking. I have guns all over the place, it's just comforting to me. I also fight MMA as a hobby/amateur fighter. Lots of risk for bodily injuries including long term brain damage to even death. Love hitting people and trying to knock them out, while getting the same happen to me. I'm willing to accept those risks for the adventure/fun factor. But 2 young Black kids coming to my house w/o a car to see a car, I become very cautious....although still gave them the test drive and was nice to them just the same as anyone else (only difference was pretending to accidentally expose my gun). Another time, 4 thuggy young Russians or some other Eastern Europeans came by, that put my spidey senses up even higher right off the bat. Here's one of the reasons why I have a gun nearby while in the house and ALWAYS have it in my back waistband in condition zero whenever I come to the door.

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mlts22 · Jul 11, 2013

After my last terri-bad experience with CL where I was looking to buy a tape drive, and the seller kept saying not to look up the serial number, I asked him if the drives were hot.  He then hung up. At the minimum, use a disposable, prepaid phone or a Google Voice number, and a dummy E-mail address.  I'm glad I did.

wagoneer · Jul 11, 2013

15 years ago I listed my Cartier auto ss wrist watch Got a call on Sunday these guys came over up a long flight of stairs ( victorian house top floor) and took a quick look and pulled out a check that looked like was taken out of the trash. I told them hey no checks just cash, well they started getting huffy and accused me of being a racist doing the color thing I told them the only color I was interested in was green. So they even more excited My flatmate and good friend was doing his usual gun cleaning thing ( very tidy guns he had) like he did every Sunday and overheard the ruckus he was working on his US army issue 45 auto He simply cocked it and with that familiar sound. These guys turned white as sheets apologize and hustled back down the stairs. Last time I sold any high ticket item on Craigs.