Yard Sale Help

[Raidra]

First, the easy question. We're selling old bunkbeds. By old, I mean really old. They're still sturdy and functional, though. No instructions on setup. Should we set up the bunkbeds so people can see them, then assume they'll have to disassemble them themselves to transport, or leave them unassembled? We got them from my grandfather without instructions and my husband figured out how to put them together, but I think it was a little.. trying. Also.. price?

Now for the other part. I put an ad on Craigslist last night and goofed, I forgot to include the address. I got a few polite emails letting me know, and one very sarcastic one. I replied to the sarcastic email: Oops, I fixed the ad. It's at XXX. Thanks so much for the sarcasm, it was really helpful.

I got this email in response:

"Thanks so much for the sarcasm..." ??? Hmmmm........You made a mistake, yet you don't want to own any part of it? Would you have preferred that we didn't mention it at all??? And now, because of your reply, here's a nice 'Welcome to 2010': We (A LOT of us) will be at your sale. We'll be there early. And you'll NEVER know it's us. And we're going to have some fun. We DO look forward to seeing you!


I had put "Earlybirds pay quadruple! Please give us time to set up our things!" in the ad, following advice I read on some yard sale website. I wrote back (I know, I know) saying that I did own my mistake, and that they should own their attitude. And that I hope they enjoy paying outrageous prices, because I wasn't going to sell a thing before 9am except at 4x sticker price.

Now I'm regretting my reply, as I wasn't really intending on making people pay quadruple. And I'm anxious that we'll have a crowd of nasty people causing trouble early in the morning. Also.. we have stuff outside already (we live in a very safe area) and I'm worried that they'll drive by and steal stuff.

How would you handle this?

Thanks!

[Seitvonzu]

yuck! my hope is this is an internet effect & that that's just a grumpy person blowing smoke through email and wouldn't do anything in person. it's easy to be sarcastic or snarky online, it's another thing to come out to your sale and be annoying. who does that? who goes around on weekend mornings to "have some fun" with people who are running a yard sale?

i'd just blow that person off. i wouldn't have responded to them at all except to say "thanks for pointing out the mistake!" or something and then just say "whatever." since it's too late for that, i think you should just stop interacting and hope for the best (that this is just all internet bullying and probably won't translate into real life)

[bostonsmama]

I'll pray for you. :( I really try not to get into a battle of wills w/ someone like that. Not much you can do now. In those situations, I always take the demur approach b/c it makes the sarcastic person feel like an #ss. Hugs.

[Raidra]

Thanks guys. :) Anyone have some advice on my first question?

Thanks!

[goodnightmoon]

I would definitely set it up to get people's attention. I wouldn't buy a bed without seeing what it looked like, all set up, in person. I'm sure potential buyers would want to see the condition, too (any scratches, marks, etc.) and be reassured that all of the necessary pieces will be included. Maybe to save some time assembling and disassembling again, don't use all of the screws/bolts...just enough to have it stand safely. Make sure kids don't climb on it though...

I would make sure to take some good pictures while it's set up, so if it doesn't sell you can list it on Craigslist.