Today i got to experience my second transaction on craigslist. I wrote about my first time here. This time i was the seller, selling an old monitor that belonged to my parents. I have to admit, some of the same uneasy feelings came back as it got closer to our agreed upon time.

The same paranoid wonderings about whether this person would show up, would they haggle with me, would they pay in quarters (i hate coins) were popping up in my head. Even brief thoughts about what if they held me up and took everything in the office (we agreed to meet at our office). Stupid yes, but i couldnt deny the possibility and the “what-if” factor.

I’m happy to say that it was a breeze. The person i sold the monitor too was very cool and really in need of a monitor. I was happy that i was able to help the guy out. The whole thing took about 5 minutes.

Of course i rated the person on rapleaf about the great transaction and he was kind of enough to respond. You can view my rating here:

http://www.rapleaf.com/profile/UxKVSVVc

You can view his rating about me here:

http://www.rapleaf.com/profile/5rMeGqiI

I was thinking about how many transactions it takes before i’ll feel totally comfortable buying and selling on sites like craigslist (during my 5 block commute to work). Maybe it varies per person. I think once i have a few more transactions under my belt, those thoughts will disappear.

I also think that a service like rapleaf can greatly reduce the number of transactions necessary before reaching the “comfort zone”. Hopefully it can help remove barriers from more people participating and adding value to communities like those on craigslist and other places.