Buying on Craigslist


 
Cee El

Cee El

TVWBB Super Fan
I've bought all my grills new, but I've read on this forum and others stories of people finding incredible deals on Craigslist. How safe is this and how far would one be willing to travel for a deal? Just wondering.
 
Cee El said:
I've bought all my grills new, but I've read on this forum and others stories of people finding incredible deals on Craigslist. How safe is this and how far would one be willing to travel for a deal? Just wondering.
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You are dealing with strangers of course, so you have to use some common sense. I tend to stay away from really isolated areas or bad parts of town. Also try to do all meetups during the day. How far I'd drive depends on the grill and the awesomeness of the deal. I did a 3 hr round trip to pick up a early 79's redhead with a corn and tater rack and a shish kebob ring. I did a 4 1/2 hr round trip to pick up a Ranch Kettle.
 
To me, the key is the grill and how badly I want it. Always use safe practices when going anywhere and maybe take a BIG friend when area is questionable. Would never go at night. You can get some great grills if you are willing to do some hard work. My 20 year old Genesis 1000 Redhead has been a great addition to my home. We use it all the time and my wife uses it more than I do. Good Luck.
 
I've bought two performers, one E320. two silver kettles, a smoky Joe and a 18.5 WSM.I also bought 5 1000-2000 Geneses to flip. Using common sense as stated in the posts above you should be fine. All of the grills I bought I gave a thorough inspection and asked lots of questions. The nearest was two blocks away( WSM) and the furthest was a 250 mile RT to Phoenix for the E320 which is NG so they are harder to find so I made the trip.
All of them with the exception of the Genesis were a little clean up and good to go. The one performer was brand new, assembled but never used, that was my best find $75. If you're buying a summit or a later model Genesis look carefully for rust in the firebox on the Summit and rust in the cabinet of the genesis especially the floor of the cabinet.
 
I've seen great deals in either Oklahoma City, or DFW area. Unfortunately, I'm about 2 1/2 hours away from either. Locally, I rarely see anything, and if I do, they know what they have.
 
I recently just drove 2 hours each way to pick up a Performer that was in excellent shape for a great price.
 
People are pretty decent for the most part and there's a digital trail. Text, ask for more pics if you need to make sure you know what you're getting.

Most people are just trying to get by. Once in a while you'll find a weirdo I'm sure, but I wouldn't be too worried - they're trying to get by too. Take precautions if you're uncomfortable.

I try to be extra nice... a couple weeks ago I thought a guy was trying to charge me more than advertised (he was asking $25, I thought $15, he sold it for $20 - not a grill, an Acropora Millipora coral) & I shorted him, but I made up for it by saying "sorry, I didn't mean to short change you". That paid off bigtime---2 or 3 free corals after I paid it the next time.

I bought another thing off a FB group today - met the guy's mom at her work :) . I saw the $300 original priced, still functional unit for $50, figured WTH...hope that it works for me :)
 
I have never bought a weber grill new. I have bought my WSM, blue performer, lime green kettle, SJ gold and SJ silver all off craigslist. Webers are pretty durable and I don't mind buying used. Can find some great deals. In terms of safety I have been buying and selling on Craigslist for years. I have never had an issue but you should be safe. I always make exchanges in public places. My preferred spot is a parking lot of shopping center near my house. Always has a lot of people and is well lit. I have heard some fire stations will allow you to exchange items on their property. Adds a layer of safety.

WSM $80
Blue performer $20 plus hand tool trade
lime green kettle $75
SJ gold $20
SJ silver $10
 
I must of had beginners luck. Monday, of this week, I found (what I thought) was a good deal on a C&B gas-assist light green Performer. It was $150 and six miles from my house! This was my first time ever on CL. The post was about 5 days old so I e-mailed to see if was still for sale, they e-mailed me back about 1 hr. later saying that it was. I picked it up the next night after work, cleaned it up real good (it needed it) and could have cooked some dinner on it that night if I wanted. It was a great first experience.
 
I bought a somewhat abused Performer with gas assist for$50.00 off Craigslist. Did some clean up an swapped a couple of grates and I was good to go. I have used that grill extensively and LOVE the concept. Sometime later, I picked up a brand new Smokey Joe (still in the box) for $15.00. But, just to show you how things can go, I read on this forum where Home Depot was getting rid of their left over Performers because Weber changed to the new steel table. I immediately stopped by Home Depot and they had a new floor model. I talked to the manager and ended up paying $50.00 for it. Best buy I'll likely ever make. It doesn't have the gas assist but Weber cubes are great fire starters for my chimney and I ALWAYS use a chimney to start my fire (even with the gas assist Performer).

If you're buying off Craigslist, just pay attention and stay alert. There are some scam artists around and even some armed robbers have been known to use Craigslist. Just use common sense and be street smart. You'll be fine...

FWIW
Dale53
 
I have bought all kinds of things off of CL including some of my grills and have never had a problem. Just do as some others have suggested and try to do the exchange in a public place.

I also have a concealed carry permit so I almost always go armed when I buy off of CL because there have been a few bad incidents happen in regards to CL ads.

Wayne
 
Thanks, everyone! The great tips you all gave helped me successfully sell my WSM to a good home yesterday.
 
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