08 February, 2010

Out with the Old.

I'm sure I wasn't nagging but I did lay down the law. The Boy wanted to buy a spiffy new toy for his golf. It's not just a spiffy new toy, it is a spiffy expensive toy. He can have his new toy if he sells his some of his old toys on eBay. There was a little tantrum but we had a deal.

After disappearing into man-land (the garage) for a while he finally emerged with the sacrificial toys: five golf clubs and two amplifiers. He gave them one last hug, shed a tear and listed them all for a seven day auction.

It's been a long week. The eBay summary screen has been constantly monitored for the last seven days and we have been riding an emotional roller-coaster while waiting to see if somebody else can love his crap toys as much as he does.

  • Monday: Rejection - “Nobody has bid on anything”
  • Tuesday: Excitement - “I have a bid!!”
  • Wednesday: Joy - “Both amplifiers have bids and there is someone there who looks like he really wants them”
  • Thursday: Dejection: “Nobody is bidding on the golf clubs”
  • Friday Morning: Elation - “People have started bidding on the golf clubs!!!”
  • Friday Afternoon: Anger - “Some dude has only bid 99c for one of my clubs and it is worth heaps more than that.”
    “Did you put a reserve price on it?”
    “No”
    “Duh”
  • Saturday: Greed - “Everything has bids and I think I'm going to get more money than I expected”
  • Sunday Afternoon: Disinterest: “My auctions all finished sometime this afternoon. I might go and check them later.”
  • Sunday Night: Panic - “People have started to pay me. How am I going to mail a golf club?”
The Boy has managed to raise almost $500. Add this to all the coins he had stuffed in his top draw as well as some Christmas money and he is now flushed with funds. He is strutting around the house and is feeling pretty damn pleased with himself. There was a real smugness in his voice when he informed me that now he has enough money to buy himself a really good GPS for his golf and he can afford to buy another cheap one for me. I'm awash with gratitude.

Maybe it's time for me to sell some of my precious collectors items? The experience has bought out a mercenary streak in me and I've been digging around the back of cupboards looking for anything covered in dust that could use a new home.

Is it wrong to sell the cats on eBay?
I'd probably have to pay someone to take them and they would still manage to find their way home.

Late Note:-
Not long after I published this blog I received a series of emails:
    eBay:  Bidding Closing Soon on Graphite Driver
  ebay:  Congratulations on Winning Graphite Driver
  ebay:  Payment Instructions for Graphite Driver.

After selling five golf clubs he never used it would appear that the Boy has gone and bought another one on eBay. 
The gloves come off.

5 comments:

  1. Selling stuff on ebay is fantastic fun. I plan to sell Matty once he has graduated (if he graduates) because then he might be useful.

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  2. Useful for what? Tripping over?

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  3. Uh oh. You've done it now. Speaking from experience, eBay is totally addictive. (I have over 900 feedback ratings to prove it.) The trick is to sell more than you buy. Easier said than done!

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  4. I love your blog Vicki - it never fails to give me a giggle!! This one is great - I just have to insert the word motorbike for golf clubs!!

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  5. LOL!!! Hysterical. As the wife of an avid EBayer (who actually does sell more than he buys) I can relate. His is comics ... lots and lots of comics ... you want something to trip over? Come to my house and you can trip over piles and piles of comics ....

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