Posted in selling

Going, going, gone

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

I’ve been selling stuff I don’t need online, which can be profitable or creepy. Yesterday’s sales were entertaining.

Each buyer responded to my listing, agreed to the price, and stopped by a bit later in the day.

I watched out the window as a silver pickup truck stopped in the street. Two young ladies jumped out and I met them in the driveway. One said, “I’m here for the pack-and-play.”

“Sure. Do you want to see it put together.”

“No. Did my mom pay you for it?”

“No, she didn’t.”

She poked at her phone. “What the hell?” I tried not to listen to the whole conversation. “It’s a good thing I’ve got cash with me!”

After pushing her phone into her pocket she said, “How much?”

“Twenty.”

She handed me a twenty, loaded up the pack-and-play, and they drove off.

I texted the mom: “You owe your daughter twenty bucks.”

She replied, “I cash-apped the money to her. She’s a monster!”

I just chuckled. I thought, “I should have told her mom it was forty.”

A few minutes later, another pickup appeared to pick up a stand-mounted circle light that many use for social media.

“Here for the light?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

I walked it out to him. I had posted pictures of it working, but I asked, “Want me to plug it in for you?”

He chuckled, “No. This doesn’t look like the kind of house that would scam me for a few bucks,” and handed me $15.

As he drove off, I said, “This is fun. This is the way it’s supposed to be.”

It’s not always like this. Some inquiring buyers stupidly low offers. Others want to mess with payment methods. Like I’m an idiot. I’ll negotiate. A little. Cash in person. Period.