My Money Story: Part XII

I’m 34 years old, graduated with honors from one of the top-15 universities in the world, have a “real job”, and I’m broke. This is the story of how I did everything I thought I was “supposed” to do and still found myself 100K in debt and moving back home (to my aunt & uncle’s). Want to start from the beginning? Go to My Money Story: Can I Have A Do-Over?

In case I’ve made it seem like selling your things is easy, allow me to give you an example of a situation that was a serious pain in the butt…

July 13, 2018 (also a Friday — just sayin’)

Today, I listed my Rubbermaid outdoor storage shed on Craigslist, OfferUp, and letgo. People inquired about it immediately. I bought it a year and a half ago for $150 and it’s been on a covered porch ever since. Besides a bit of dust (and ash from the fires we had a few months ago), it’s in perfect condition.

I listed it for $110 — hoping I could get $100 for it, but also knowing that I would take $80. I declined the first offer because it was too low ($50). Since my listing generated a lot of interest, I had a feeling I would get a higher offer eventually. Plus, the same storage unit is now selling for $180 new.

I finally received a serious offer — he offered me $80, I countered with $90 and he said let’s meet in the middle at $85. I agreed since he said he would be driving far to pick it up — which is totally worth the $5.

*In case you missed it, I just revealed my kryptonite — when negotiating with me, all you have to say is that you’ll have to drive far in L.A. traffic and I’ll pretty much cave to whatever reasonable price you offer me.*

Anyway, after agreeing on the price we settled on a time to meet and I left work early so I could get home to disassemble and clean it.

Everything sounds like it’s on track, right?

I thought so too.

45 minutes before he was supposed to be here, I get a text saying “Hi I dont think I’m going to be able to make it after all. [SIC}”

That’s it. He’s just “not going to be able to make it.” No explanation. No, maybe we can meet later. Nothing.

Needless to say, I’m sooo frustrated. I mean, doesn’t he know what I went through to get this thing ready for him?!

Besides leaving work early, I almost got bit by a brown recluse spider (again), ruined a white towel wiping it down (it was in rags anyway, but not the point), had to take an allergy pill from the dust (also my fault, but I’m venting here), completely disassembled it (which isn’t difficult, just annoying), and lugged each piece in and out of my apartment — twice.

To sum things up: if I’ve given you the impression that selling your things is a walk in the park, I apologize. It definitely isn’t. You will be stood up, lowballed, inconvenienced, and most people won’t care about your time or situation.

That being said, I’ve been lucky. Most people I’ve sold to were great and they made the process easy. In fact, in general, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how quick and painless selling my things is. Just know that every transaction will be different — some better than others — and try your best not to take any rudeness personally. Basically, do the opposite of what I just did…

For tips & tricks for selling your things, check out this post.

Want to know how this whole thing started?

Go to My Money Story: Can I Have a Do-Over to start from the beginning.