Ontario towns are offering Craigslist and Kijiji meetup centres

by Mark Teo

April 29, 2015

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You can figure out if your band's new bassist is a serial killer before he, uh, serial kills you.

For musicians, resources such as Craigslist and Kijiji are invaluable tools. The two marketplaces, after all, allow you to buy new instruments and equipment at cut-rate prices. They allow you to sell of your old gear in a pinch—and you’ll earn more than selling your old Peavey amp to a pawn shop. And they’re also community hubs: Countless bands have been formed using Craigslist or Kijiji, uniting musically talented strangers. Craigslist is great. Until it isn’t.

See, there’s one caveat: Usually, if you’re responding to a Craigslist ad, you’re responding to a total stranger. So, if you’re responding to that post advertising a way-too-cheap Telecaster, you may be responding to a Nigerian scammer. Or a counterfeiter. Or you may be buying stolen goods. If you’re hoping to find a new bassist on Kijiji, you may just end up with a complete psychopath—and more awkwardly, you may have to endure an entire jam session with them.

Thankfully, two Ontario towns—Orangeville and Midland—have found the solution. The police in both towns have offered spaces where online traders can meet to swap goods, services, and cash. And to deter baddies, that space is in the lobby of police stations. As the Toronto Star reports, the service is meant to provide peace of mind to traders—in Ontario, the tragic case of Tim Bosma is top-of-mind—but the police station acknowledges that huge items can’t be swapped.

“Our chief really liked the idea and thought it would benefit members of the community,” Orangeville constable Scott Davis told The Star. “For several years, our parking lot has facilitated child custody exchanges between families, so opening up and advertising our space is just an extension of what was already happening.”

Plus, swapping musical instruments—or meeting a potential stranger-come-bandmate—can certainly be done in a police station. Next step: Join a band on Craigslist.

Tags: Music, Cancon, News, craigslist

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