Digger disappointment

Despite a last minute plethora of sales on Saturday, I had a feeling that the morning would be a waste of time.  We did find some good money CDs and DVDs at our second stop, but the pickings got slimmer and slimmer as the morning progressed, and even the pseudo church sale (a sale at a church, but with individual sellers) was a bust. 

I was thoroughly disillusioned, and almost missed this sit-on sandbox digger toy from Northern Industrial at our last sale of the day.

I really dug this cool toy

It was just quirky enough to warrant looking up on my phone, and imagine my surprise when the only listing came up as this:

At that price, it should dig up gold

I was at a loss to explain how/why this toy could warrant $500, but the listing said “29 sold” so obviously it had been selling robustly.  Still doubtful, but willing to take a chance, I negotiated the price to $20, and took my high-priced toy home.  Imagine my disappointment, though, when I got home, and actually read the rest of the listing:

“The Sale Includes ONE Northern Industrial Sandbox Digger for Kids. *We are temporarily out of stock...eta 30 Days* (We have increased the price so we can hold our ad)”

As Homer Simpson would say .. D’oh!

A more thorough search yielded sales ranging from $29 to around $60.  I was disappointed.  Obviously, I wouldn’t lose money on the deal, but it wasn’t the jackpot that I had been hoping for.

Later on Saturday, we headed to an out of town auction, something that has quickly become both a weekend ritual and an obsession.  If you haven’t been to an auction, I encourage you to do so because auctions are an excellent source of inventory.  We find items not only for our online stores, but also for our antique mall booths, and you never really know what treasures await until you walk into the auction house.

Saturday’s auction featured merchandise ranging from inexpensive antique furniture to cases of soda crackers and sweet tea.  The crackers, unsalted, didn’t interest me, but the sweet tea did, and I bought a case.  Here’s the deal, though, with food items.  You have to notice the expiration dates, and my tea had expired on September 1.  It tastes OK, though, and from what I read, expiration dates aren’t absolute anyway.  Still, it pays to be careful, and with auctions, it’s up to the buyer to examine the merchandise before purchasing.

Besides the tea, we bid on and won several beer signs, and 13 fancy well-stocked gift baskets that had price tags ranging from $15 to $35.  We paid $62 for all of them.  The gift basket themes included Over the Hill; Congratulations, It’s A Girl; Get Well Soon; Encouragement; and Wedding.

 

Next Saturday, local Mennonites (a group sort of like the Amish) will hold their annual “Peach Cobbler Relief Auction.” Items up for bid will include quilts, antiques, and hand-crafted wooden toys.  It should be fun.

Have a great week, everyone.