Our yard sale was yesterday. Typically, a lot of people came and tried to haggle with us, which we expected of course. Though some of them were a little less tactful in their offers, asking 50% or more off the marked price. One man however was nice about his offer on a set of 10 silver cups, despite the fact that it was obviously not very much.
These cups were given to me by my dad several years ago in hopes that I'd be able to sell them on eBay and make a little extra cash. At the time, I tried cleaning them as they were severely tarnished, but I just couldn't get them to shine, and so I'd shoved them back in the box and they'd been sitting in my attic for the last 4 or 5 years. Not knowing what else to do with them, I decided to put them out with a "make an offer" sign in hopes that someone would see their value and I'd make a little money on them. An older gentleman stopped at the sale, and he was a very friendly guy. He was about to leave just as he noticed the cups. He asked me for a price, and I told him the story of how I got them and how I just wanted to get rid of them. I said I was thinking $20, which would be just $2 per cup. He said there probably wasn't much silver in them as they seemed very light. He could offer $10 as he showed me his wallet and all he had was a $100 bill and a roll of quarters. So, I took the $10, knowing he got a steal of a deal, but happy that I no longer had to deal with them.
At 8:30 this morning there was a knock on the door. That same gentleman handed me $40. Shocked and surprised, I asked "so they were worth more than we thought?" He smiled and said "Next time, do you what your father says," and then walked away. I guess that guy had a heart of gold...or maybe silver?
Wow--good story! I wonder how much the cups were really worth. I had one tag sale in my life and wasn't prepared for the haggling by super-aggressive "neighbors" who seemed to come from out of nowhere the minute I put out my signs. If I ever have another, I will know what to expect. ....Jo
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story! Your so lucky you got to deal with such a honest good hearted man! :)
ReplyDeleteSharon - That is pretty amazing. It is so nice to know that there are people out there who still have others interests in mind. The price of silver is pretty high at this point, so I bet he gave you just a small amount of what he got. That's awesome! And to think...he remembered where you lived and came back! Super!
ReplyDeleteAshley H.