Tasmanians - Learn to dance - an experience of leaving the apple isle

Whilst conducting an international move it is a sad fact that one needs to consider one's material possessions.  In considering one's material possessions you p[ut the treasures on a boat, and have to cut out those items that are either too bulky, or not valued enough to justify their position in the space you have purchased for the trip. 

 

 There are some great ways of getting rid of these treasures. 

eBay seems to be the best way of getting rid of the more fiscally valuable items.  You set up an auction watch it gain watchers, then in the last moments of the auction you get a true sense of the worth of your item as the bids pile in. Timing is everything here! Getting an auction to finish at the right time is the key to selling here, and the weekend evening seems to be a great time.   The true art of a seller is to not watch eBay as it progresses through your auction.  If one watches the auction one tends to feel great trepidation as the auction seems to sit there, accumulating nothing but watchers.  but never any bids until the last hours. 

Gumtree sems to be the second best option.  its like a sort of formal worldwide newsagents window where adverts can be placed, and removed easily.  good photos, and a fair communication system add up to a fairly typical selling experience.  Paypal integration is there, But mention paypal here and the locals look at you like a rabid animal.  Much like suggesting to a steriotypical 70s macho man that they should consider going transgender.  Cash in hand is the order of the day here, which means plenty of trips to the bank..

Facebook takes a couple of minutes to compose a post, then get it online.  Using one of the myriad buy swap and sell sites that seem to have the internet planet covered.  These are great for getting rid of this quick, and they are not if it doesn't go quickly. If something sells, its out the next day, if they don't its a frustration. all too frequently people ask for holds for a couple of weeks and then end up walkign away.  My advice if you go with facebook, never hold anything for more than a day.

Whilst our sales have gone fairly much to plan. We have only had a single garage sale which was quite empty when we started.  I do have to point out my two bug-bears of selling in Tasmania.

Whats your bottom dollar?

When one has placed an advert, particularly on facebook, or gunmtree, one places an offer.  there is normally room for negotiation.  Howeevr there seems to be a conception that when one puts a price on these things, its a mere ruse.  the first question that one is almost invariably first faced with is "whats your bottom dollar".  My first instinct is that Iwant to write "My value was posted. I think you are therefore an uneducated moron incapable of reading. I do not want my piossession to be in the hands of such a fuckwit as yourself."  However I have learned that to restate the correct response is to remove all sharp or blunt objects that could be used as potential weaponry and restate the price advertised.  

Asking for the bottom dollar directly is like going to the dance and asking every girl if you will enjoy the fuck at the end of the night.  Its presumptuous, crass, and moronic. Depsite what some sites on the internet say, its not a good negotiating strategy, its simply stating that you don't want to negotiate, but feel the need to.  My bottom dollar is that I want to get rid of the item for the best price possible.  If that price is a good conversation with an entertainng person, then so be it.  (Yes - we have given stuff away because  we enjoyed the conversation.) However to get the best price, one needs to learn to dance, to engage in the negotiation, if one is going to negotiate, and be prepared to haggle, and if needs be to walk away.  if you don't weant to negotiate, then don't just pay the price advertised. To paraphrase the venerable master Yoda  'Negotiate, or negotiate not! There is no bottom dollar" I will admit I have a tendency to walk away from anyone who asks what my bottom dollar is, and have a tendency to drop the price to those that give an offer.  

Photo credit: Lars Plougman