I have no experience regarding CL ads in Europe; however, I've had great success with purchasing audio equipment on CL in the midwest of the USA. I don't think I've sold anything on CL so I can't comment on the selling experience.
I understand that common sense is not always so common, nevertheless, I think that if you exercise common sense when responding to CL ads, you can have excellent experiences. The bottom line (IMO) is that you need to know what you are looking for, you need to be patient, and you need to be observant.
Most of what I have purchased via CL has been speakers and none of them have been local. On one occasion, the seller drove three hours to deliver the speakers to my house! All of the prices have been excellent, much better than anything I've found here on AudioGon. In fact, if you don't know what you are doing, I'd suggest that you are just as likely to get scammed right here on AudioGon as you would through CL. Some of the ads here on AudioGon humor me. I used to be puzzled by the crazy ads, now I just laugh when I see them.
I understand that common sense is not always so common, nevertheless, I think that if you exercise common sense when responding to CL ads, you can have excellent experiences. The bottom line (IMO) is that you need to know what you are looking for, you need to be patient, and you need to be observant.
Most of what I have purchased via CL has been speakers and none of them have been local. On one occasion, the seller drove three hours to deliver the speakers to my house! All of the prices have been excellent, much better than anything I've found here on AudioGon. In fact, if you don't know what you are doing, I'd suggest that you are just as likely to get scammed right here on AudioGon as you would through CL. Some of the ads here on AudioGon humor me. I used to be puzzled by the crazy ads, now I just laugh when I see them.