Warning: Don’t buy from craigslist sellers unless you meet in person.
That is very dated advice. While I am not advocating buying a CL item sight-unseen, which is why I recommended caution, the days when CL is strictly a local service are, I think most intelligent Internet users would agree, now well behind us. Like eBay, Amazon, or other online tools, CL has grown to be a major and valuable sales phenomenon, albeit one that should be used carefully (as should they all). Savvy online shoppers now routinely search CL nationwide using Google and other tools. But this debate is academic. Readers can choose to use what I hoped to be a helpful bit of information or not. I leave it up to them.
What is more concerning is the implication that I am untrustworthy or somehow nefarious. Have you even looked at my other posts?
this relatively new poster is promoting this craigslist ad, multiple times. And posting the ad owner’s phone number. They also claim to not be related. No one in the history of this forum has ever done such a thing.
My first reaction to a statement like that is, well why the heck not? Why aren't more (experienced) people on the TMC forum choosing to help others find difficult-to-find Tesla accessories? (Of course, some TMC members are. For example, see:
Chademo Adapter is back in stock)
First, AFAIK I have not promoted the CL ad "multiple times." I put one post on TMC.
Second, I have done this before
for a different CL ad. It helped a TMC reader buy that item. See:
FS (on Craig's List): CHAdeMO
My previous post there was greeted with thanks and "informative" and "love" ratings. With such positive reinforcement, I assumed it would be good to do again if I found any other bargains.
Third, my motivation for this was, I thought, primarily altruistic. I wanted to give back to the community for the help I have received. Plus, I have made clear in posts my distaste for price gougers who buy up charging accessories on the Tesla website to sell for much inflated prices on the 'Web. I (still) want to promote good bargains by conscientious sellers.
Early this year I myself was looking for a CHAdeMO adapter. It took effort but I discovered that the SF Bay area of California was a fruitful area to look. By setting up various Internet searches, I eventually found one for me. But since there are people in the US and Canada who really need these things, I thought I would share my subsequent findings (since I already had the mechanisms in place). Easy for me; beneficial for others, or so I thought.
Fourth, the seller's phone number is in the CL ad for all to see (when the respond button is clicked). It is how they want to be contacted. I was just trying to make things convenient for TMC readers.
The poster also blocks information about his profile, something that is also very rare for this forum.
I don't even know how to respond to that accusation. So I won't. (Frankly, I do not even remember how I setup my account last October.) I'll just say this: there is an old psychological truism that people who complain about others are frequently echoing their own insecurities and inadequacies. (Interestingly, we have a national leader right now who frequently demonstrates that axiom.)
If a person were to examine my posts and threads they would find that they can be divided into the following categories:
- Requests for information.
- Humor (or lame attempts therein).
- Providing information.
I don't always "hit it out of the park." But I try to leave the place better than the way I found it.
If you had doubts about my intentions, one (better) option would have been to PM me and inquire.
Not everyone has been a member since 2015. (Thank heavens. A healthy organization/country is a diverse one.) Everyone has to start somewhere. Not that it matters, but I was seriously test driving Model S and Model X cars at several dealers in 2016. But circumstances (and a December 2016 auto accident) delayed my path towards Tesla ownership at that time.
This year, TMC content has really helped me become more knowledgeable. I have tried to give back.
Lastly, for readers wondering just what the heck this dust-up is all about, I'll provide one possible analogy:
"Judge Elihu Smails" (Ted Knight) versus "Al Czervik" (Rodney Dangerfield) in "Caddy Shack" (1980). (Or was it "Carl Spackler" versus the "Gopher?") Maybe I just don't belong?
