Possumblog

And just what is the deal with people--

--who want to haggle over crap!?

I don't know how many people came by and would see something out in the yard, ask how much it was (everything was nearly free), act very interested, and then would ask if I would take any less, and when I would say no (seeing as how I was practically giving this stuff away) they'd just leave.

There was one old woman who came up while Catherine was sitting out there selling soccer balls. Catherine also had a computer toy that still looked new and still worked just fine that she wanted to sell, mainly because it was too "little kid" for her. We figured 5 bucks was a fair price. The old lady who came by looked and looked around, and Catherine told her the prices on the stuff we had out there, and the woman spied the computer toy. She looked it over, turned it on, Cat showed her how it worked. I was cleaning out the garage while this was going on, but they must have spent fifteen minutes with the thing.

"Dad?" Cat came padding into the garage. "She wants to know if we'd take any less for the little computer."

"Uh, no, sugar--it's $5."

She went back out and told the lady, and that was it--she up and left. I guess we should have said it was $100, but we'd take $10 for it, then let her beat us down to five. Or something.

Another guy came up while his driver buddy was getting a speeding ticket two doors down. (Thank you VERY much, Trussville PD!) I explained how the stuff on the front was for sale, the stuff by the garage was just my garage cleanings. He spotted my half-ton chain hoist lying there on the ground. "How much is that right there!?"

"Uh, well, I had kinda wanted to keep that," (it was, after all, not in the 'to sell' stack, but since I didn't have a use for it...) "but I suppose I would take twenty for it."

He decided he didn't want that, even though that was practically free, too. Which is fine--I'm glad I still have it, even though I don't need it.

Same thing with my air compressor--it wasn't in the sale, but every guy wanted to know how much it was. "I hadn't intended on selling it, but I suppose a hundred dollars." Which is pretty good, considering it would cost around $600 new. Nope. No one wanted it for that. (Which was fine by me.)

Then there was the cedar chest.

It's probably over 60 years old--it was actually my aunt's, although I think there was some sort of strongarm swapping done with my mother long ago, because we wound up with it, and my aunt wound up with my mother's (which is actually MUCH nicer). It was plain--just a basic cedar box with a diamond-shaped lozenge on the front. It really needed to be refinished, but it was appropriately distressed looking, although in good shape considering how many times it's been moved all over the place. Forty bucks. OH! EVERYone wanted to know how much it was. EVERYone thought that was a STEAL! EVERYone wanted it.

No one would buy it.

But, they'll be able to visit it at the thrift store now, I suppose.

At least the old feller who bought my vise knew he'd gotten a good deal. I just wonder how he's got it out of the back of his pickup once he got home with it...

Posted by Terry Oglesby at May 1, 2006 09:43 AM