Life after State Bank and Trust: I just made my first $9 on Ebay. Yay me!! I was more excited about that $9 than my last real paycheck which is totally idiotic. But it took me a while to figure out how to list that Ebay item, so I worked pretty hard for that nine bucks. I already knew how to do my bank job.
Nine bucks is nothing to scoff about. I can take that $9, invest it in a high yield bond of some sort and after quarterly compounding in thirty years have $40, which is probably what the item originally cost. Gotta love the magic of interest compounding.
It was really my test run to see how selling on Ebay works. Oh I’ve bought plenty, but this was my first time to sell. I decided to sell a necklace I never wear, because it scratches the back of my neck. I’m sure it cost more than $9, but that’s $8.50 more than I would have gotten at a yard sale. And now its out of my house. I hate clutter.
Of course I don’t really have the $9 yet. According to my PayPal account, it may take up to 21 days for the funds to be available. This sounds sketchy to a former banker. I know about funds availability and this sounds like a Reg CC violation to me. The funds are coming from Tennessee, not China. And my buyer was Ebay “verified” so presumably a real person and not on the Terrorist List. So why so long? Time is money people.
Back in September, I tried my luck with Craig’s List, attempting to sell a bookcase we no longer used. This piece of furniture was becoming more and more valuable with each payment to the storage facility. My listing looked great with lots of pictures. I was thrilled to receive several inquiries about it almost immediately. One man asked to meet me at the storage unit to see the bookcase in person. Wait just un momento Mr. Craig’s List Killer. I know all about this from watching 20-20. I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck. So I sent John to meet with this maniac.
My potential buyer was driving in from the mid-cities. He got lost trying to find Dallas. John waited and waited for these people as I was driving my friend Craig (no relation to Craig’s List) and his wife to the airport. Finally, our potential buyer/killer showed up 45 minutes late. He and his wife/hostage/accomplice debated and measured and hemmed-hawed around deliberating the merits of this freakin bargain of a bookcase as if they were discussing financing options for their new home. It was well made and stylish and solid wood and trendy. It came from a hip store in Uptown, not that these people had ever been there. They couldn’t find Downtown. John patiently waited and sweated. It was broiling hot in Dallas, in mid-drought season and 100+ degrees in the shade. Finally, after wasting a much coveted Saturday morning, the picky wife decided it wouldn’t work for them. This bookcase which still sits in storage will soon be the most expensive item we own. It’s worth another $350 by now.
Maybe I’ll do better on my next on-line auction item, and just invest my first Ebay $9 in myself. I think I need a Whole Foods salad for lunch. I’ve worked up an appetite just thinking about all this.
talya
Musical Pairings:
Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer”
Blink 182, “Wasting Time”
I love your musical pairings for this post!
Ha thanks! Didn’t know if anyone even noticed those:) T.
Oh, we do. And at least one person finds them very amusing. Do keep doing them. 🙂
His “wife/hostage/accomplice”——Very funny. Loved the blog, and I always notice your musical listings.
I always look too! Tom and I both had a good laugh on this one. So many emotions you bring out in us!! 🙂
Great post! PayPal will make the funds available upon receipt…after you’ve had a few transactions.
I look too at those musical pairings….I’m not so widely versed in music though 🙂 It would be interesting if one of the sounds would load and play in the background….might be more of a distraction though.
Another thought on eBay …. keep in mind ease of shipping an item…that bookcase would be a bear!
Here are a couple of links to YouTube videos…just music would be a better option IMHO 😀
Wasting Time
Psycho Killer
Yes that’s why I tested out a necklace on Ebay – it was easy/cheap to mail. I did the bookcase on Craig’s List for pickup only. But no one wanted to pick it up. LOL.
I agree about the music. Would be fun for it to play in the background. Sometimes those are the songs I play on my iPod while I am typing those particular blogs. T