Buying or Selling Used Gear on Craigslist? Arrange the Meetup at a Police Station

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If you’re planning on buying or selling some camera gear with the help of Craigslist, here’s a simple tip: the lobby of your local police station is a safe place to arrange the meeting with the stranger.

An increasing number of police stations across the United States are officially offering their lobbies and/or parking lots as a place for people to hold their Craigslist transactions.

It has long been recommended that Craigslist meetups be held in a public place around other people, but having police officers nearby rather than civilians can be an even better option.

Craigslist officially updated its “Personal Safety” page this week, recommending that its users “consider making high-value exchanges at your local police station.”

Here’s a segment about this tip that just aired on NPR’s Morning Edition:

Police stations are generally open 24/7 and have surveillance cameras keeping an eye on their premises at all times.


Image credits: Header photograph by David Schott

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