Craigslist.org Freebie Dump Run

We're packing to move out of the house this weekend, and I've bilged up so much operational but otherwise useless junk, I had to get rid of some stuff. We live pretty close to a Goodwill, which takes garbage in the name of donations, but I tried posting some stuff to Craigslist's free-stuff site to save myself a trip.

Here's what I was giving away:

• 2 Table Saws - they're both broken, in different ways, and they're different brands, so even a table saw manufacturer would have a hard time Frankensteining one saw out of the pair.
• Helium Tank & Balloons - we bought this to test a balloon backdrop for our wedding, but then common sense took over.
• Lamp - this is an absurd piece, no joke. It is one of those multi-headed jobs where each bulb is on a flexible cable, but it's ugly as death. The shades on each of the bulbs had a purple hazy fabric crunched around it. I bought it thinking it would provide great light in the basement if I took the shades off, but I never took it out of the box. This cost me $15 from a co-worker.
• Stereo - Not a bad deal, but you could get one of these shelf models for $80, and you'd have a guarantee. Mine was old, ugly, and I couldn't remember whether or not it worked and didn't take the time to check.
• Fat Suit - If you're a fan of my Halloween costumes, you know I specialize in the 'fat guy'. Whether he's Rerun or the Skipper from Gilligan's Island, he had a huge butt and deep creases. I'm getting a little tired of the fat guy, so I gave away the understructure for the suit.
  

The responses came in an insane barrage. No exaggeration, I posted the ad at 9PM on a Monday night and received 200 responses before midnight. Some highlights:

Long Distance Packrats
Nothing I was offering cost me more than $50. Still, with gas as expensive as it is today, there are people who offered to travel incredible distances for my garbage. Assuming the price per mile of 25 cents, here's how each of the items topped out in terms of what people were willing to pay:

• Saws: Kent, WA / 25.3 mi (one way) / 1hr 12min round trip / $12.65 (not bad!)
  
• Balloon Tank: McChord AFB / 46.9 mi (one way) / 2 hr 6 min round trip / $23.45
• Lamp: Anacortes, WA / 78.1 mi (one way) / 3 hr 8 min round trip / $39.05
• Stereo: South Tacoma, WA / 41.4 mi (one way) / 110 min round trip / $20.90
• Fat Suit: No one really wanted this
  

Sad Stories
Some people can't catch a break, even with free stuff:

• Stereo: "My stepdaughter's biological dad promised her a stereo for christmas and once again left her hanging, so it would be awesome to surprise her with this. (she's 10)."
• Stereo: "Well today is my birthday.... and my last stero was stolen... I was saving up for a new one.... but free is always a good present... " (his '...').
• Lamp + Stereo: "I am in need of both if you still have them, due to my ex-landlord giving all my stuff to Goodwill without my permission or even letting me know he was about to. "
  

The Multi-Responders
For some reason, the notion of a freebie that you would throw away yourself is enough to have a person up all night obsessing. The best of these by a landslide is a lady named "Tish". Persistence paid off for her, actually. The guy who claimed the lamp didn't show, so I left the lamp and the fat suit in my driveway from her and she grabbed it while me and Eazy were out having dinner.

• "You have some bizarre but freakin funny stuff. I saw the 'fat guy' suit. My husband has a 'puke man' suit that's always a lot of fun. Anyway, I'm hoping to come get your lamp Tuesday eve (7-ish) and it'd be fab to grab the saws while I'm at it. We live on a boat so the size is perfect."
• "It's me, Tish, again. Tell ya what. How about we just take it ALL off your hands for you at the same time?"
• "You'll find I've responded to several of your postings and suggested that we just come take it all off your hands at 7:00 this eve. If you still have it available just give me a call and we're there in our little van to help you clear out your basement in one shot. This is serious!"
• "How do we get these things? You have several things posted that we'd LOVE to get! I mean one can never have TOO many Halloween costumes, right? I responded last night and told you we'll just come take it ALL off your hands in one quick swoop."
• "Hey, it's me ... Tish, again. It's almost 7:00 and I don't know where to find you. But I'm sitting here at the ready. Shoes on and just waiting for your call. In case you're not sure (and I don't understand that at all!) I'm the one that's been stalking your postings."

She came to get the stuff, so we never met.

Summary
I have nothing to complain about. The eventual recipients of the items came and went without any drama. The whole affair took 15 minutes, if it even took that long. Thanks, craigslist!