Saturday, January 16, 2010

My First Craig's List Pony Purchase


Last weekend I responded to a post on Craig's List that my mom came across for a new My Little Pony shower curtain with shower hooks, bath mat, and trash can. I remembered seeing these items in stores a few years back and resisted the urge to buy them because I had pretty much stopped buying G3 merchandise and had no use for a pony-themed bathroom (We had a very strict ponies-stay-in-the-ponyroom rule at my house). However, since I've never bought or sold anything on Craig's List before and was intrigued and as all rules have gone to the wayside while I'm residing in a rental, I replied to the posting.

On Saturday afternoon I convinced my husband to come along on another pony misadventure. Aside from a few complaints as we drove through the snow covered side streets of a shady neighborhood, he was a good sport about the whole thing. We arrived at the woman's house and were greeted by an overweight man in a torn T-shirt who proceeded to usher us inside and then immediately sprawled out on the couch to return to his bass fishing TV programming. The living room was packed full of random toys, clothes, shopping bags, and empty mailing boxes. Every surface was covered in knickknacks. I felt like I'd seen this living room on that A&E show, Hoarders.

The woman came into the living room wearing her nightgown and mumbled something about time getting away from her. -Did I mention it was already three o'clock in the afternoon?- She then shuffled off to gather the items from a back room somewhere and didn't come back for nearly ten minutes. Meanwhile, we stood there and made small talk about giant fish with the guy on the couch.

Overall, it was a really odd experience. While Craig's List does have the advantage of avoiding shipping prices and seeing items in person before purchasing, I still prefer buying on Ebay or from other collectors. I think that in most cases, saving a few dollars is not worth the awkwardness.

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