Craigslist 101: How to buy and sell safely

Anna Marie Ronning of Minneapolis couldn't even give away an entertainment center on Craigslist. A little creative marketing was needed. As she and her kids were baking peanut butter cookies, they decided to change the subject line to "Free: Plate of melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter cookies with furniture." Not only did someone arrive quickly to pick up the cookies and entertainment center, but her ad was chosen as the "best of Craigslist." More than a few responders said they didn't need the furniture but asked for her cookie recipe. Most Craigslist transactions like Ronning's take place without incident. She also has bought more than 75 items through the popular classified-ad website with no problems. But Craigslist (minneapolis.craigslist .org) also has become synonymous with scams and tragedy, based on news reports of crimes committed using the site's free classified ads. It's enough to scare novices away from using the world's seventh most popular English-language website, which a...