trading for wii on craigslist

variant

Hey guys so I'm trading my 360 for a wii on craigslist, the guy is down to bring it to my house and let me check it out and so that he can see the 360 in action...
Is there anything specific i should look for, I haven't really heard of Wiis having any random problems like the RROD but just wondering...

Lord Yod

If it's at all possible, you should avoid having people from Craigslist come to your house. That said, if it turns on and runs a game it should be okay. There's the possibility that he bricked it but that will show up right away. Be sure to check both video outputs, and I'd get a Gamecube controller to check those as well.

Saddler

A few people have complained about graphical issues related to overheating, and there was one person in G&T that had a failed power supply or something recently. Maybe you could ask him to boot up a game. Overall though, it's much more likely your 360 is going to crap out on him than the reverse though.

Here's a little data, but it comes from unscientific and unreliable sources.

variant

I looked up his email on facebooks, it's just a 18yr old thin asian kid, me and a friend will be home when the guy comes to check it out, so it shouldn't be a problem...I'll fire up some Wii Sports on it if he adds that to the deal, if not, I have the Wii Zelda, I'll just use that to test it....how long does it take for the overheating/graphic glitch to show up if it has happened?

Improvolone

Ask him when he bought it. The Wiis that were available at launch were the ones that were susceptible to video card rot. It's not a guarantee of course, but after a few months I think they fixed that somehow.

clsCorwin

The point isn't that hes gonna steal your stuff then, its so he can see what you have and makes plans to have friends help clean you out. Meet somewhere that isn't your house.

Better safe than sorry.

GPIA7R

Yeah, not to get too off topic... but inviting anyone, especially from Craigslist, to your house is a very dangerous and careless thing to do. Pick a Starbucks, or some local populated area. Got a gun? Carry it. Craigslist is a breeding ground for filthy people... and there have been murders/rapes/stolen items related to it in the past. The limits of your simple "background check" are just that, limited. Anyone can create a false online persona (and they do) to help get past people.

Otherwise - Look at the Wii, make sure it looks real (not a fake thrown together), power it on, put a game in, navigate a few menus, make sure it plays well and receives input from the controller(s) (If this is possible to do in the location you have chosen.)

MichaelLC

Not a great idea to meet at your house, really not a good idea to have him come inside so he can scope out your place.

Can you at least drag a TV to your garage or something?

When we sold our CRT TV, I brought it down to our lobby and used a digital camera to show him it powered on, colors were OK. etc. Turned out to be some kid and his mom, but you just don't know.

GPIA7R

Saddler wrote: »

GPIA7R wrote: »

Got a gun? Carry it.

Hehe, not joking though! Last time I dealt with a Craiglist purchase, I was selling my Wii to someone at Starbucks. Funny enough, we both carried. He had a nice Glock 19 at his hip, I had an XD9sc an in IWB holster that, after seeing him and finishing up, I opted to show him and have a nice conversation about it.

Never be too careful dealing with the possible scum of the internet.

CygnusZ

That must be cultural, because I'd never do business with anybody that I knew was carrying a weapon.

variant

well he emailed me back and saying he's down to meet sunday, my house or his, and I said that's cool I can drop by around 4pm and he was cool with it and gave me his address, i just found out my Xbox is outputting in Black n White over composite...but works fine in Component, so I guess I should mention that to him before Sunday.