There’s not many yard sales this time of year and it’s been a hard one! Taking a break and hunkering down for awhile is something we all ought to do from time to time. I’ve been busy reading away at those books I get carried away buying at the sales and have a number of shelves to work my way through. Some I sell on Amazon, some I pass onto friends, some I put on the curb for anyone to pick up and the rest I’ll take over to Savers or lately I’ve been taking them to Half Price Books, after I’ve read them, of course.
Half Price books doesn’t get you much money, but it’s a good way to get rid of them and I did get $20 once on something I only paid $5 for. Not bad. Most times it’s only pennies, but I buy books to read so getting anything for them when I’m done is good enough for me. I often browse while they tally up my books and of course I never leave the store with the money. There are good deals to be found there, stuff you been looking for and hadn’t found yet at a sale, etc. When I worked at estate sales as a volunteer for Ebenezer, there’s been a couple of times when a customer came on the last day and made an offer on all the books, big time Amazon sellers they claimed to be. I don’t think I want to know what that guy’s house looks like, I already live upstairs from a hoarder. Not everything is going to sell on Amazon so I advise don’t pack your house full of books thinking they’re going to make you a big seller because they won’t.
For those of you who like to stay warm and dry and indoors like me. Reading is a good way to pass the time and live another life in a book. The Open University is also a good way to go. I’ve begun taking Art History courses online, it’s free and easy and you can also pick up certificates to add to your portfolios. Just Google up Open U. You’ll find it. Lot’s of courses offered in many interests and professions.
I’ve always liked boxes. I’ve collected boxes since I was a kid but I don’t have too many. The Coffee box I found in London at the Kilburn Park boot sale. Speaking of coffee. One of my finds once was a Gevalia coffee brewer new in box and still wrapped. $12 at an estate sale! Other shoppers who missed it were envious and commented on my lucky find. Needless to say I was quite chuff leaving that sale. I only started using it less than a year ago and now it’s not working very well. It started to brew less and less and I don’t know where all that water went because I don’t see any leaks. So I got online to find some answers. One suggested an easy fix by taking the bottom off and pulling a hose with a thing in it that often gets clogged and causes this, just squeeze it out and clean it then put it back and plug the hose back in. So I did that. I tried again and it didn’t work at all. Then I read that you have to leave the machine for a couple days to dry out before trying to use it again. So here I sit waiting for that. Meanwhile I got to thinking that I had thought Gevalia was a trusted brand and this was an expensive machine so I looked up reviews, etc. The reviews were good except a few people got suckered into coffee subscriptions they didn’t understand when they bought their machines online. It pays to read everything so you know what you’re getting into. Online shopping seems to be getting tricky these days. Anything to scam more money out of you.
I once wrote about this fake Sony Camcorder that a friend of mine bought off the street from someone unknown and it turned out to be one of many fakes being sold at the time. Just a cheap camera that pasted on a brand name and sold by dubious sellers. I have to wonder if my Gevalia coffee maker could be a fake too. I suspect it was bought online because it appeared to be in a shipping box. It didn’t last very long and of course I’m in no position to return it for a refund or exchange. So, buyers beware. $12 isn’t a lot of money, I think this stupid camera cost my friend maybe $25? I don’t know, he thought he got a deal!
Another sale I was at the guy had rooms full of cd’s, Rolling Stones and other big names. He was obviously unloading his online stock of what turned out to be pirated copies. Cheap fakes that played once and then erased, bad recordings. The guy must’ve been kicked off eBay for complaints. The cd’s all went cheap. But just the same, it’s still money I’ve earned and lost, but lessons learned. It all comes back to that saying,
“If it’s too good to be true, it probably is!”
Road Trip Minnesota 