selling items to a minor? 0.0!

[rosierjay]

so i have a ton of ponies and monster high listed on craigslist.
and i got an email with an offer.
the offer was low (expected), but what threw me was her reason.
she said she was 12.
Can you sell items to minors?
i have all kind of red flags going up everywhere.
or course on ebay etc and sometimes in the area there is no way to tell how old the person is buying from you.
but i don't know. i feel like a creeper selling to someone underaged on craigslist.
it's mostly cuz of the meeting part, but still. ah!! i did email her back and said that i'd need to talk to her parents and know she had their permission and wouldn't meet up with her. but still.
feels like bad mojo.
is there a rule about this out there i should know about so, well for one, i can tell her sorry, have to deal with your parents directly, and two. i don't get in trouble for "swindling money from a minor"  ("maam no one would pay that kind of money for a single toy! obviously you cheated this poor unsuspecting child! its jail time for you!! ) Ah!

[Sunshine]

I thought you did have to be 18 to sell/buy on Craigslist? I'm not sure, maybe I'm just making that up. I honestly haven't used it in a while... but, I would also feel very weird about the situation... and definitely would not meet without their parents. But... even then. Craigslist meet ups sometimes freak me out. I've never had a bad one (I've purchased a number of things, a TV, a trailer for my tractor, and a pony) - but... I'm kinda weird and antisocial! 

I would just proceed with caution I suppose, I mean if the offer was too low anyway then, just pass...

^ and by that I mean, you know, don't give out personal info or say you're gonna meet if you don't feel comfortable but, if they email you back perhaps you can get a better feel of the situation?

[Shiromisa]

I think I'd back out of that sale. A minor is one thing, I mean, a 16 year old would be fine imo. But 12 year olds are notoriously flaky and prone to impulse buys, and it sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

[MaronaPossessed]

I wouldn't do anything with that 12 year old. Just say "Sorry but you have to be 18 years or older to be selling on craigslist" and cancel it.

[lunar_scythe]

ask them to have a parent contact you to make sure they are allowed, or say a parent has to be with them when they pick them up?

 I mean, Monster High dolls ARE actually aimed at that age range, but I would want to make sure a parent was present when picking them up and I suggest meeting them at, say, a McD's or something, do not have them come to your house.  I was about that age when I started buying things for myself out of saved up allowance, and buying things with money that you earned is awesome that first few times.

[Dewprincess]

Yes, I would let her know that she needs to have one of her parents contact you to complete the sale.  A 12 year old has no way of really setting up a place to meet you so she'd have to give out her home address (if I were a parent of a 12 year old, I would definitely not want my kid doing this!).  If she complains, let her know that you've sold more often on other websites like eBay and on here that require the buyer be of a certain age and you are most comfortable with those rules.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Deal with her parents; if they are uncooperative, then you probably don't want to be dealing with them.  Responsible parents would be helping their daughter negotiate sales on the Internet, not being clueless about it! 

[Sunshine]

Deal with her parents; if they are uncooperative, then you probably don't want to be dealing with them.  Responsible parents would be helping their daughter negotiate sales on the Internet, not being clueless about it!

This!

That's what I was kinda trying to say, Squirmy is dead on the money!

[ponylady]

Yes, I would let her know that she needs to have one of her parents contact you to complete the sale.  A 12 year old has no way of really setting up a place to meet you so she'd have to give out her home address (if I were a parent of a 12 year old, I would definitely not want my kid doing this!).  If she complains, let her know that you've sold more often on other websites like eBay and on here that require the buyer be of a certain age and you are most comfortable with those rules.

This, well said Dew.

Also I do not believe Craigslist has an age requirement in place to buy or sell.  I could be wrong but I remember seeing somewhere there was not.

[tulagirl]

I would not do that and I probably would mention to her the dangers of contacting adults on Craigslist for sure.  I wonder where the parents are of these kids that they are allowed to do these things.  Its sad to me because they could meet up with a very unsafe person.  For your safety I would back out as well.

[Thunderwing]

I don't sell to minors. And I tell anyone who wants to buy from me just that, in that same way.  I will get a person who wants to buy something from me (be it a rabbit or a used toy) and once things are mostly worked out, I give them my terms of sale. No refunds/guarantees/warrantees, I do not sell to minors (so parental pemission is required), in the case of animals I hesitate to sell to renters as well, pick up only, cash only, etc. and basically all the same terms and conditions you would put in an ebay listing.

[Dragonflitter]

Kids are doing things younger and younger these days, and as lunar_scythe says, 12 is about the time they start trying to save up money and buy things on their own. And kids these days are raised with technology at their fingertips, so it's not really that big a surprise to see one skimming through Craigslist. But as it's been pointed out, children doing things on their own online is insanely dangerous.

I would only go through with the sale if there's a parent involved that you've talked with. I probably wouldn't trust an email, since it could be the kid impersonating their parent, maybe ask for her parents' phone number and talk to them?

There's a real chance the kid could be trying to shop online without permission, so if you ask for parent contact info, she'll just vanish and never respond, knowing her parents would say no anyway.

[coinoperatedgirl]

I must be jaded, but my first thought was that this was an adult pretending to be a kid in hopes that you'd accept the lower offer, much like the people on Ebay who try to play the "Oh, but it's for my kid's birthday and this is the only thing she wants! Please give me a discount!"

[babylofty]

You don't know what you're facing here.  Either it's a 12 year old that doesn't have mom and dad's permission to go meet an ADULT somewhere for toys (warning bells here!), or it's a set up a la "To catch a child predator". You don't want to go to jail over this.

Either back out of the deal all together, or have their parents contact you (my guess is they won't, because the kid won't tell the parents).  It's not worth the hassle.

The only time I have sold to a minor is when they have been a registered member of the forums here or on the TP. Yes, it's made me a bit uncomfortable, but it's not like I'm meeting them in person or anything like that and every transaction has worked out.

[UrocyonFox]

You don't know what you're facing here.  Either it's a 12 year old that doesn't have mom and dad's permission to go meet an ADULT somewhere for toys (warning bells here!), or it's a set up a la "To catch a child predator". You don't want to go to jail over this.

Either back out of the deal all together, or have their parents contact you (my guess is they won't, because the kid won't tell the parents).  It's not worth the hassle.

This is EXACTLY what I was thinking.