However, one tends to meet some very interesting people via this medium and some of them are just plain fucking weird.

I posted an advert to sell some vintage stereo gear that I have — stuff that I quite literally have not had hooked up in probably 8 years or more and which I indicated in my advert — and I had a somewhat lengthy exchange this morning with a prospective buyer interested in the stuff and for which I was asking $350.00.

Him: Does the equipment work?

Me: It did 8 or 9 years ago when I last had it hooked up.

Him: But does it work?

Me:  See my last email.

Him:  Can you hook it up for me so I can see if it works?

Me:  Look, the speakers alone are worth more than twice what I’m asking for everything and I know they work — so you’re getting the other stuff basically for free and for me to hook it up for you to take a test drive on it is more trouble for me than its worth.

Him:  OK, cool.  Will you take $25 for everything.

Me: $25 or $250?

Him: $25

Me: Sure thing. That sounds reasonable. Lemme give you my address so you can come pick it up — It’s 301 Fuck You Lane.

Him: Is that in Seattle or on the Eastside?

I’d never done it before and on a whim I organized some household and yard items that I never use and put them up for sale.

12 hours later, and after a platoon of buyers had trooped through my home crib, all of the shit was sold.

Along with a bunch more shit I listed for sale as I saw how successful the first round of sales was going.

But here’s the problem with Craigslist — because its a slippery fucking slope to be sure — the key to selling shit on CL is to make sure that while you’re listing your shit you don’t fall prey to the urge to look and see what kind of shit other people are selling.

Because you’ll get on the damn phone with them and spend all the money you made selling your shit buying their shit.

And then you’ll need to sell their shit once you realize its shit and you don’t actually want it.

Johnston Observatory — Mount St. Helens