4 Sale!

Since I started working from home more than a  year ago, I had used the kitchen island as my work space while we mulled other options for a dedicated work space for me. A couple of months, ago I ran across an office layout that we decided we could make work for us, with a minimum layout of cash. It meant having an L-shaped desk top custom made and getting rid of the computer roll top desk we'd bought four years ago. While I'm still tweaking the new office layout and mostly loving it, we have not yet been successful in selling the desk. A craigslist posting generated only one inquiry, and that, apparently, a scam - a gentleman inquiring while on his honeymoon in Hawaii. Yea, right. May I suggest your marriage may be happier if you focus on your new bride on your honeymoon, rather than prowling craigslist. Sheesh.
Saturday was community rummage/garage sale day in our neighborhood, so we decided to see if we could make a sale. It was barely daylight when potential buyers began perusing the goods in the neighbors' driveways, so we quickly set up shop with the desk and a defunct sewing machine. Yea, I know, not much of an inventory.
Interesting experience, though. Amazing the number of people that do drive-by rummaging. Obviously, they are on a mission for one, presumably large, item that can be spotted from the road. I will admit, that when I took a morning walk to check out the other garage sales, I could determine from a glance, whether it was worth my time to cross the street and check out the goods. Mostly I attribute that to the fact that since we shifted into downsizing mode a few years, we rarely rummage. There's just not much we need or have room for anymore.
One woman took the opportunity to proselytize - after all -- she certainly had a captive audience. She opened our encounter with an admiring comment about the desk. Warm and friendly, she quickly turned to her mission - giving me a copy of her church's magazine. I was able to politely decline. Must admit I'm shamed by her passion and commitment to testify to her faith at every opportunity - even a garage sale.
The defunct sewing machine - free for parts - generated little interest and no takers. We decided to take a chance on leaving it at the end of the driveway and hope that someone might take it off our hands. It worked. When we returned after being gone for a few hours, it was gone. I guess people feel better about taking something for free when no one is around to see them take it?
Of the three items on our driveway (besides a vehicle) - the desk, sewing machine, and the bench we were sitting on - guess which one got the most inquiries? The bench, naturally. If we'd have had half as much interest in the desk as we had in the bench, I think we might have made a sale. I guess rummagers figure anything is fair game. If bargaining is the name of the game, perhaps you can even convince people to sell something that isn't nailed down.
Anyway - strike 2 on the desk.  Next stop for the desk - a consignment shop. Here's hoping for a quick sale.