I actually found it to be pretty bad for giving away free stuff, if you're trying to get rid of a lot. Because I'd also had luck giving an item away here or there, I assumed it would be pretty easy to get rid of all the stuff I wasn't taking when I moved.
If you don't think people show up when they're buying something, you should see when it's free. We just moved, and I had a ton of stuff to give away, and it was infuriating how many times people said they were coming and not show up. It was super inefficient, and wasted a ton of time waiting around, responding to endless inquiries and setting endless times that people never showed up to.
For one item, it's not a big deal for a little back and forth and a couple false starts. But don't make the mistake I did and think you can empty out a whole house on Craigslist piece by piece. Just pay to have a truck take it to goodwill. On the last clear out day I had a veterans charity group scheduled to pick up remaining furniture, and they totally stiffed me on the pickup as well.
You also might want to list a low token price than free, people seem to follow through better when they think they're getting an amazing deal than when they think your item is worthless.
But I've bought and sold on there a ton. I only was stiffed once, many years ago, on a blu ray player. The price was so low, I was pretty sure I was being stiffed, and it indeed didn't work. But I ebayed the remote for what I paid for it, so even that wasn't bad. One time out of probably 100 transactions or more. I use it a little less now though, as I usually get my phones on Swappa instead of CL, even though I never had a problem with a CL phone. And I also use Nextdoor as my first choice when I can, as it's local and pretty much real identities.
