This article provides safety tips for buying and selling items on craigslist.

We’ve put together a guide on the most common craigslist scams, how to avoid them, and how to stay safe while selling or buying on craigslist.

Trust your instincts when vetting buyers.

Fortunately, craigslist has instated a few deterrents in the system over the years, but scammers continue to find clever ways around them.

Requests to wire money are scams.

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Stay safe when a buyer comes to your house.

9 essential tips to avoid craigslist scams.

Avoid becoming a victim by understanding how they operate and what types of tactics they use.

Meet in public and bring a friend.

This can help you avoid falling victim to craigslist scams.

If you're on craigslist, you should take heed to protect yourself with these simple tips.

Requests to deposit a cashier's check are scams.

For more craigslist online safety tips, visit the service's avoiding scams page.

Scammers often use unbelievably low prices as bait.

Even if you don’t detect anything suspicious (but especially if you do), follow these best practices whenever you buy or sell through craigslist:

Always use a proxy email address or phone number.

Vague or overly generic descriptions:

Home and apartment rental scams.

Legitimate sellers typically provide detailed information about the item or service.

If the listing is vague or uses a generic description that could apply to.

In a rental scam, someone on craigslist will list a property for rent to steal your money or your personal and financial information.

Understand which red flags to look out for when using craigslist to either buy or sell items.

Use a secure form of payment.

In this guide, we’ll cover some of the most common scams on craigslist sites and tips for keeping your money and identity safer.

If you don’t plan to use a real estate agent to look for a house or apartment, be on high alert for scammers.

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Never wire money in advance.

First, we’ll look at the various scams and then we’ll talk about how to avoid them.

Provide or accept payment before meeting in person.

Evaluate listings carefully before agreeing to meet.

Requests to pay with gift cards are scams.

Plan details in advance.