Weasel Ads Up
I love Craigslist
I know, I know, it’s dangerous, it’s this, it’s that – but I like it. I like being able to go virtual garage sale-ing without leaving my house, or reading the Best-of-Craigslist section for the humor. Even the Rants section can be interesting – I like the novelty of reading a rant instead of listening to one.
Not long ago I decided to jump in the pool myself and see if I could sell something. There were a few items around the place I didn’t need anymore so I figured, why not. My first few postings languished like the last pumpkin on the lot the day after Halloween. No interest, none, zip, nada. It was too much like my middle school dance experiences for my taste so I left it for awhile, but then I decided I was taking the wrong approach. Every ad looked exactly alike, with varying degrees of misspelling and missing punctuation. Couldn’t I come up with something better? At least I can spell, usually, so the only challenge was making my ad stand out.
As you can guess, it worked. I ran a few ads but my two favorites were for a lawnmower and a very cool tool called a Silent Paint Remover. That’s basically a quartz heater with a handle that heats the paint, but as you’ll see below, the idea was better than the reality.
Here are my contributions to the Craigslist ‘For Sale’ environment:
Silent Paint Remover
This nearly new Silent Paint Remover is a great tool for removing paint, varnish, adhesive, silicone caulk, etc. No chemicals, grinding, or sanding to remove layers of paint and it’s safe to use in your home. The paint remover uses infrared heat to soften paint, varnish, and so on. After the paint is scraped off with a pull scraper, you can paint immediately. No harsh chemicals are required and the paint bubbles right up for simple removal in a few strokes. If you are a contractor, professional painter, or have a large project, this is the best choice of paint removers for you. It’s perfect for home hobbyists and for renovating older homes.
I bought it two years ago to renovate my 100 year old home and the paint remover worked perfectly. Removing those layers of paint was like an archeological dig and it was easy to use, but then I realized something. This is the perfect tool for a Do It Yourself type person, but I am not that person. I’m really more of a Don’t Do It Yourself gal, so I hired someone to renovate the house for me and put this tool in the closet. There it sits, practically brand new, with the carrying case, special paint scraper and contractor grade 100′ extension cord with a safety rating good enough for nuclear war.
Amount of money spent buying the Silent Paint Remover with the Hard Plastic Carrying Case, Special Scraping Tool, and the Super-d-duper extension cord? $450.00
Likelihood that I’m ever going to use this again? .05%
Amount of money I can recover from my brief fling with home renovation? That’s where you come into the picture. I want $350.00 for the entire package. Come on guys, it’s silent! What wouldn’t you give for a little silence in your life?
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Newly New Lawnmower
This sweet little mower is about two years old (that’s nearly 14 in yard equipment years) and got very infrequent use in a medium size yard. It’s in excellent shape but I’m not so it’s got to go.
This adorable mower is very friendly, has all four wheels, a big engine that goes ‘Vroommm’, a sharp spinning thing that goes round really fast and frightens the lawn to death. It also has a big bag hanging on the back that the mortally wounded grass crawls into to hide, and a big handle that must not like me very much because it moves along the rows without me hardly touching it. The manual says it’s self-propelled which is an admirable personality quality that I wish I possessed. As much as I like the mower, it needs a younger and more active owner and besides, it doesn’t get along with my Roomba.
I want the lawnmower to go to a good home so there’s an adoption fee of about $250.00. It’s best if you have a yard because it’s really not an indoor mower.
Both items sold within 48 hours at nearly my asking price. In fact, I got lots of calls for each ad, especially the mower. I suspect not everyone really needed the mower, they were just curious about the ad and wanted to find out who would answer the phone. I used a friend as a proxy so I didn’t meet anyone in person. There’s no follow-up story of meeting my unknown twin or being adopted into the family of a British aristocrat who was overcome with pity and then discovered I was actually the missing love-child of his own darling but long-lost daughter. Don’t laugh. It could happen.
Okay, so there’s a shortage of rich guys actually SEARCHING for undiscovered offspring, but the missing twin thing still has possibilities.
