Tuesday, August 17

The frustration is building here at Casa Kenju. I have all this business inventory to get rid of and it feels like I am drowning in the clutter. I can't seem to find a good time to have a garage sale until late September, so I finally put an ad on Craigslist last Saturday. I have had zero - zip - no email at all in response to that ad - except a lot of spam. I had always heard how great Craigslist is - how easy it is to buy and sell through it - so I'm a bit bewildered by the fact that it hasn't worked for me.

I don't know what to do. I put signs up in each of the two wholesale florist places here, which only brought 5 people to see the stuff. I sold a lot to those five people, but I really need to sell most of the rest of it and then give the rest to charity.

There are vases, silver-plated containers, nice baskets, supplies, a ribbon rack, over 200 bolts of mostly unopened ribbon, pedestals and it is all too good to just give away - although I've offered a lot of it to my children and gave a lot of ribbon to my employer.  Do you have any advice? 

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While driving last week, I saw a car with the license plate "WaitWait." I wondered if that was in honor of the PBS radio show "Wait...Wait Don't Tell Me" or if it referred to the fact that the driver was so darn slow that all cars behind  him had to wait...wait....wait to get to their destinations.

My good friend with two black labrador retrievers  has the plate "twolabmomma" and yesterday I saw a car with "twolablimo". I guess labs are so popular as to spawn all sorts of homage.

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Today, my neighborhood women are going on a field trip to a spot south of Chapel Hill for lunch and browsing. I hope to have some good photos for you tomorrow.

Remember the half-runner green beans of which I was singing praises?  They are sooooo good! I made them last Thursday and we have eaten some everyday since then. The longer they sit in the pot, the better they taste!! Wehad them olast night with London Broil and mashed potatoes. Ummmmmm good!

Lastly, today is the third anniversary of mr. kenju's stroke...and that's enough said about that.

18 comments:

srp said...

I have had success buying on Craigslist but have never sold there. Garage sales are best done with slightly cooler weather, but before the late fall rain.. found that last part out the hard way.

donna said...

Set up an etsy site, perhaps? Or try posting ads in local craft/hobby stores?

Gilly said...

I hope you manage to sell your stuff - I'm really surprised you haven't had people queueing up for it! Could you advertise in a craft mag or on a craft site?

I'm still a bit bemused over half runner beans. They don't seem to be known over here much, so I'm thinking they might need a warmer climate than ours.

Granny Annie said...

It has been my experience that everyone is looking for a bargain and I set a price that is more than fair in my mind while they do not perceive it as such. I do a much better job buying stuff than I do selling:) I have used eBay in the past but never Craigslist.

I remember Mr. K's stroke and the many devoted hours you spent on is recovery. It is a time for thanks giving that both of you survived.

Arkansas Patti said...

Since I was born with out a "dicker" gene, I have no advice on selling your stuff. I can only wish you luck.
I enjoy "Wait-Wait" and catch it on the computer. That driver might have something to do with the show.

Star said...

I have never tried Craigslist, although I have thought about it. Your experiance is not making me lean that way. Maybe the lack of response is due to the time of year. People are in vacation mode and back to school shopping.

Olga said...

I don't have experience with Craig's list, but I have heard that you need to keep reposting so the ad doesn't get lost in the shuffle. My husband uses both Craigslist and e-bay with plenty of success.

Looking to the Stars said...

I hope you will be able to sell the rest of your stuff. People are not buying as much as they used to. My doll store has dropped off quite a bit, only the hard core collectors are buying. Wish I knew how to help but I don't (sigh)

Love your friend's lic plate :)

Lookign forward to seeing your photos from your day trip :)

Ginnie said...

All the best to Mr. Kenju. I'm sure these have been a tough 3 years for him.

Joy Des Jardins said...

I've never sold or bought anything on Craig's List, but I always hear how wonderful it is. I'm surprised you haven't gotten any responses yet Judy. I need to have a HUGE garage sale too...I just can't manage to put it all together and do it right now...or ever. If just seems like such a monumental task. Good luck selling your stuff... ~Joy

Pat said...

I hope Mr Kenju continues to do well.
Husbands can be a worry.

Greta said...

Hey, kenju, what about contacting some of the crafts stores in the Raleigh area? Maybe you have a local place to put up a flyer to see if any of your "neighbors" are in a similar situation and want to do a group sale in September. By that time, you could advertise it as a "getting ready for Christmas gift wrapping" event!

I had picked up that mr. kenju has a problem of some type. My sister recently had a stroke so I have some idea of what it's been like. My husband has a "condition" which affects our lives and to quote you,
that's enough said about that.

Hang in there!

sage said...

I have a really nice blue leaded crystal vase that's probably 18 inches tall... I would love to sell it but what they were going for on ebay seemed cheap.

Evil Twin's Wife said...

eBay maybe? That's quite a bit of work though. Or a local flea market? The Evil Twin is much better at selling things than me, so I'm no help!

Celia said...

No good advice, if you were in my neighborhood I'd have been over right away, ribbon mmm. Garage sales here are not doing as well either, everyone holding on to their pennies.

Anonymous said...

I'd go with the yard sale when the weather gets cooler!Wish I loved closer because I would definitely be an "early bird" at that sale!

colleen said...

While on the coast I saw two campaign signs for electing a man named Pussey and another named Hurt.

Bobkat said...

I haev had no luck selling online other than through eBay and that can be hit and miss! Hope you have better luck soon!