CL, NIB, stolen?

[cpw]

I am looking at a New-In-Box tool on Craigslist. It is normally $280 at the store. Listing is for $200. It's pretty sizable, not like you could just walk out the door with it under your coat. Do you think there's much chance it's stolen?

 

[Raymond]

Hard to say. See if they want to meet and where - if it is an area you would normally be leery of - see if they will meet you near the police department - if they won't - there you go.

 

[woodworker2000]

I wouldn't assume it is stolen. I've sold several things on CL myself that were "new in box". Some things I purchased because the price was right and I thought I might need/use it (but never did). I have a friend who works for a shipping company. It's more common that you might think for a shipping company to misplace goods while in transit and not locate them until after they've reimbursed the shipper. The shipping companies end up bundling these items on a pallet and selling the whole pallet. What is interesting about this is that the pallet will be mixed goods and you only see the outside boxes on the pallet so you never really know for certain what the inside boxes contain. Sometimes, my friend buys one (or two) of these pallets and resells the items on CL (I often help him do it). The boxes are usually beat up pretty good since they were shipped everywhere but where they were supposed to go but the stuff inside is new/unused.

 

[TENdriver]

Hard to say. See if they want to meet and where - if it is an area you would normally be leery of - see if they will meet you near the police department - if they won't - there you go.

I would agree with Raymond on this. I bought two DW735s for a Rube Goldberg plan of mine. One is sitting NIB next to the other one.

I would have sold the NIB one on CL, but the Boss said “NO CL sale” so there it sits.

Does your local PD facilitate CL sales? If so, I would go to the station and do the deal there.

 

[gator]

From my limited knowledge, "HOT" items would go for no more than 25% of the new cost. The "seller" wants to get in and out as quick as possible and not wait around for a better price or try to haggle over a few dollars.

George

 

[chris_goris]

I am looking at a New-In-Box tool on Craigslist. It is normally $280 at the store. Listing is for $200. It's pretty sizable, not like you could just walk out the door with it under your coat. Do you think there's much chance it's stolen?

Not necessarily stolen. I have a friend who buys up Lowes clearance items at extremely discounted prices and resells for about half of the clearance tag price and still makes a huge profit.

 

[cpw]

Thanks for the feedback. I guess one thing against it being stolen is that it has been on CL for 20 days.

 

[Gotcha6]

Funny story about damaged boxes; got an order in the other day with the corner of the box all crumpled in severely. LOML was outraged and ready to file a claim immediately, complaining that the carrier should have been more careful. I wasn't as concerned as she, and she asked me why I wasn't. "It's a pair of trailer tires I ordered from Northern Tools. I doubt there was much to damage in the corners of the box in any case."

 

[DSWalker]

I wouldn't assume it is stolen. I've sold several things on CL myself that were "new in box". Some things I purchased because the price was right and I thought I might need/use it (but never did). I have a friend who works for a shipping company. It's more common that you might think for a shipping company to misplace goods while in transit and not locate them until after they've reimbursed the shipper. The shipping companies end up bundling these items on a pallet and selling the whole pallet. What is interesting about this is that the pallet will be mixed goods and you only see the outside boxes on the pallet so you never really know for certain what the inside boxes contain. Sometimes, my friend buys one (or two) of these pallets and resells the items on CL (I often help him do it). The boxes are usually beat up pretty good since they were shipped everywhere but where they were supposed to go but the stuff inside is new/unused.

There is a place in, Smithfield I think, that does this and advertises the pallets on CL regularly.

More likely to be something like this. $80 off retail isn't that deep a discount for stolen. Well, I wouldn't think it is anyway. lol :O

 

[Travis Porter]

You also have those that don’t manage their finances. Go buy stuff on credit and then sell it to get cash.... Short term gain for a long term problem.

 

[ScottM]

A few years ago I picked up a NIB Dewalt scroll saw for $150. Value was $500. It was at a moving sale. The owner had received it as a gift and never had time or desire to use it.

 

[dazart]

I would agree with Raymond on this. I bought two DW735s for a Rube Goldberg plan of mine. One is sitting NIB next to the other one.

I would have sold the NIB one on CL, but the Boss said “NO CL sale” so there it sits.

Does your local PD facilitate CL sales? If so, I would go to the station and do the deal there.

Boss allow sale on NCWW?

 

[tri4sale]

There is a place in, Smithfield I think, that does this and advertises the pallets on CL regularly.

More likely to be something like this. $80 off retail isn't that deep a discount for stolen. Well, I wouldn't think it is anyway. lol :O

I've stopped by the place in Smithfield few months back, 80% of the stuff shoved on the pallets were clearly opened, and had a preponderance of housewares items. Many had the returned labels from the stores on them, so you could clearly tell they were store returns, but not all. They day I went no tool stuff, looked mostly like Wal-Mart and Kohl's and those types of stores, but inventory varies so some days may have the BORG returns. For me I felt his prices were high considering unknown status of stuff if it works, or missing parts, but I can tell people buy from him as once he started advertising on Facebook, soon after a lot of people were selling "new, we didn't ever use it, still in box" items that were clearly the returned items (you could see the returned stickers).

 

[toolman0701]

Wouldn't surprise me a bit if it was stolen. It wouldn't have to be "under your coat" to walk out with it. It happens multiple times every day at every BORG I am aware of. If a loss prevention person isn't making the apprehension every one else has to just let it walk out.

 

[Willemjm]

I am looking at a New-In-Box tool on Craigslist. It is normally $280 at the store. Listing is for $200. It's pretty sizable, not like you could just walk out the door with it under your coat. Do you think there's much chance it's stolen?

I don’t spend much time on Craigslist, but I do shop around online. Often one finds the same new item popping up at a huge discount.

 

[toolman0701]

I don’t spend much time on Craigslist, but I do shop around online. Often one finds the same new item popping up at a huge discount.

I work for one of the BORG. Things walk out every day. High dollar things. They know we can't stop them. While I am sure that "some" of the things on craigslist/offerup/letitgo are legitimate, very many, if not most, of the NIB items are stolen. If you see a deal that is too good to be true (a new item for substantially less than BORG or Walmart retail) then it is very likely stolen. It is not possible to buy things cheaper from the manufacturer than Home Depot, Lowe's or Walmart can, and I can assure you that the markup on power tools is not enough to mark a $280 item down to $200. Depending on manufacturer and promotions going on, that $280 item costs us $240-$250. There are slim profit margins on tools--much higher on accessories. Personally, if I had an extra item or one I never used I'd take it back to the big box even if it was only for a store credit.