Free Stuff

Yesterday we gathered items that were left in the building, and things we brought with us we no longer wanted, and set up on the walkway with the intent of selling them.

After a few hours of sitting in heat we had made only one sale for a grand total of $1. We were miserable.

Instead of hauling the crap back inside, or throwing it away, we put out a sign (as you can see from the image). "Free Stuff" is a magnetic phrase. People from all over the neighborhood suddenly appeared. They grabbed armloads! It was great. We got to meet neighbors, see their smiles as they rummaged, and we got rid of stuff we didn't need.

My father has said on numerous occasions that the economics of yard sales (and antique booths) don't add up. Basically, if you are lucky, you break even, which means you may as well just put it out on the street. Think about it: If you subtract the amount of time you spend hauling, storing, staging, and money spent advertising, pricing and so forth, not to mention the money you paid for the stuff in the first place, from what you make at a sale, there is no way to get ahead.

I agree. And to go a step further, I think the interaction with people, the absence of any haggling, and the freedom to literally walk away and leave the "Free Stuff" on the walkway has much greater value.