Whats with the power of FREE? (People are weird)

Yes...bit of a rant.

So...I had a spare set of 4 original wheels and tires for a Volvo P1800. Figured that since they were kinda rare, they might have some value to the Volvo community. Advertized on Kajiji (think CL) for $50. No bites, lower to $25. No bites $10.

I want my shop space back, so just before I haul them to the dump, I put them up for free. Like 10 replies in minutes. From sob stories about how much they need these for their project to please hold them and I will be there next week.

Gave them to the the first guy in the e-mail list; did not speak English and had never heard of a Volvo.

Seriously, $10 bucks is too much for something that you need for your project, but free makes it vital that you get it? Next time I think I will just haul stuff to the dump.

When I get to the point of free I check if it has scrap value and if not... leave it on the curb a couple days before trash day with a sign that says "free".

Nothing has ever made it to trash day as far as I know.

FREE means people can resell and turn a profit, or if they're hoarders, just build their collection without spending money (although depending on travel costs, the savings may be more psychological than anything else). And lots of people furiously search for FREE stuff to flip all day.

A friend of mine put two working TVs out for free on Craigslist. In an hour someone passed by and cut the cords off them.

Cleaning the attic last weekend and parted with a pair of truly disgusting 20-year-old IKEA sling chairs. Beat up, stained with cat hurl, ripped. Throwing them away would have entailed a call to the city to schedule an oversized-trash pickup, waiting 2 weeks for the date, then getting them out before 8am on that particular day.

They didn't last 45 minutes on the curb with a FREE sign.

Put something that says "free" on it in the street, no one will touch it. Write "$25" on it, it will be gone in seconds.

NOHOME wrote: Seriously, $10 bucks is too much for something that you need for your project, but free makes it vital that you get it? Next time I think I will just haul stuff to the dump.

Apparently nobody really did need it for their project. Why the guy who picked them up for free wanted them shouldn't matter, but it was easier to get rid of them that way than actually hauling them to the dump - who would have charged you to take them.

Sometimes the stuff you think is worth something just isn't, so you should be happy you were able to get rid of them for free.

In reply to NOHOME:

Ah, this explains why I haven't been able to sell my vintage Fiat wheels.... Damn.

Wally wrote: A friend of mine put two working TVs out for free on Craigslist. In an hour someone passed by and cut the cords off them.

Cause of the copper

NOHOME wrote: Yes...bit of a rant. So...I had a spare set of 4 original wheels and tires for a Volvo P1800. Figured that since they were kinda rare, they might have some value to the Volvo community. Advertized on Kajiji (think CL) for $50. No bites, lower to $25. No bites $10. I want my shop space back, so just before I haul them to the dump, I put them up for free. Like 10 replies in minutes. From sob stories about how much they need these for their project to please hold them and I will be there next week. Gave them to the the first guy in the e-mail list; did not speak English and had never heard of a Volvo. Seriously, $10 bucks is too much for something that you need for your project, but free makes it vital that you get it? Next time I think I will just haul stuff to the dump.

Why did you not advertise on TB or SS?

Well, I figure someone did want them for the project, or at least that is what a couple of the free responders claimed as an inducement to give them a jump in the line.

I am pretty sure that the guy who picked up the wheels was a scrap metal collector. Or they will show up again as rare Volvo rims!

I got shelves full of parts from 40 years of MG hobby. Methinks they will go to scrap before I have to deal with this level of civilization again. Then again, if they take the lot it would save me the trip to the dump?

Sine_Qua_Non...TB or SS? No Comprendo?

I worked at a chassis shop several years ago and the owner was always trying to find a way to get rid of his worn out old dragster slicks. He would put them out by the road with a free sign on them and they would sit for days. One day he swapped out the sign and put $50.00 for the pair. They were gone in less than an hour... Sometimes it's all in how you advertise.

NOHOME wrote: Sine_Qua_Non...TB or SS? No Comprendo?

TurboBricks

SwedeSpeed

Zomby Woof wrote:

NOHOME wrote: Seriously, $10 bucks is too much for something that you need for your project, but free makes it vital that you get it? Next time I think I will just haul stuff to the dump.

Apparently nobody really did need it for their project. Why the guy who picked them up for free wanted them shouldn't matter, but it was easier to get rid of them that way than actually hauling them to the dump - who would have charged you to take them. Sometimes the stuff you think is worth something just isn't, so you should be happy you were able to get rid of them for free.

He could have scrapped them for a little cash as opposed to paying for the dump to take them. I keep a scrap metal pile and haul it off occasionally, which is where I would have thrown those wheels. The last time I hauled it off I got around 130. Scrap is around $230 a ton right now.

Zomby Woof wrote: hauling them to the dump - who would have charged you to take them.

Anything steel or aluminum should not go to the dump. A recycler will pay you for them, and plenty of people will offer to take them away to add to their recycling pile. Getting tires off however, can be a pain. For the heck of it, I pulled the tire off a little 8" trailer wheel. It took about an hour with a bolt cutter, knives and a sawzall. I admit, I did not Google how to do it, but cutting and brute force were not a good option.

I hope these were just steel wheels

My wife just won a bet with me.

It was time to retire my son's saggy, completely worn out twin mattress. Actually, it was at least 10 years past time to retire it.

I said I would haul it to the dump. She said she would put it at the curb and someone would want it.

I said no way. NO FRICKIN WAY.

She put a sign on it "Free". Gone in 30 minutes.

I loose.

SVreX wrote: My wife just won a bet with me. It was time to retire my son's saggy, completely worn out twin mattress. Actually, it was at least 10 years past time to retire it. I said I would haul it to the dump. She said she would put it at the curb and someone would want it. I said no way. NO FRICKIN WAY. She put a sign on it "Free". Gone in 30 minutes. I loose.

Someone with a dog would have taken it to use as a dog bed.

Putting E36 M3 on the curb for "free" is like 1000x easier than Craigslist "free".

On the curb they just take it and leave. I don't have to deal with them.

On CL, I get emails about holding the item, asking for measurements (which I've already provided), questions about how the item works, etc.

ProDarwin wrote: Putting E36 M3 on the curb for "free" is like 1000x easier than Craigslist "free". On the curb they just take it and leave. I don't have to deal with them. On CL, I get emails about holding the item, asking for measurements (which I've already provided), questions about how the item works, etc.

Yeah..this also!

Lesson learned. This will be my last free listing. Not wanting to deal with the bottom feeders that respond.

And I have just enough environmental awareness not to take metal to the "dump". While I can't be bothered to get in line for a few bucks, our local metal recyclers has a drop zone where you can toss the junk in a bin and be gone without the hassle.

I scrapped one large aluminum rim and got $30 for it. It can be more than just a few bucks.

Steel is pretty cheap, though, typically around $.10/pound.

I find it harder to give stuff away than to sell it for cheap sometimes. Free people treat your time as worthless, really cheap and they know they need to get there to buy it NOW NOW NOW. Or at least that's how it's been for me for the most part. Then again my last free experience was really good - the guy helped me take down 6 huge dog kennels, fencing, posts, lattice, all of it. 3 hard hours of work in the hot sun for both of us and we both felt like we got a good deal.

In reply to pinchvalve:

You don't have to tell me about scrap value.

I was recycling long before it was cool

Some crackhead called my phone at 3am for the free old gas I had listed. WTF.

I got rid of a couch on Craigslist after a week of trying to sell it for $50. 15 calls within the hour, I told everyone it was still available and pit them against each other. It was kind of fun, actually.

on the curb with a for sale sign (cheap) is the easiest … especially if the curb is far enough away that the potential "buyers" think they won't be seen … it'll be gone in a day … and if someone comes up to your house and gives the asking price … that's just an extra