Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

[Spectrism]

Went out yard sale-ing today. Had a few worthless stops... but did get to say hi to some fellow hunters. Started to think there was nothing happening today.

One place had nothing interesting... then I saw some Nursing text books. They looked like school tech books and the one that caught my attention was on surgery. You never know when you might have to do something... and some knowledge is better than none. I asked the girl what she wanted for the books. She apologized that the box should have been marked "free". 7 good school books- a bit outdated (maybe 12-15 yrs old), but still good info.


Stopped in a place that had old junk, the kind of stuff that looked like it was in a basement too long. Then I saw a cast iron pot.... and then a couple sterling candle holders. These weighted little candle holders are only 0.3 oz each. So this is: 0.6 x .925 = 0.55 toz silver, or, about $8 of silver. The pot was an old Wagner. No lid. Needs cleaning up and seasoning but probably a $15-20 value. I got these for $6.


I picked up some items from a dealer/ auctioneer at another yard sale. He was pretty good about selling off some things reasonably priced. I bought at about $15/oz except for a numismatic Morgan CC.

Loot included:

$21-face of silver quarters (at $11 per $1face) = $231. [16.8 toz x 0.9 = 15 toz pure silver]

$150 for 10 toz-
3 christmas art rounds: 1997, 1990, unyrd
1 christmas art bar 1993
1 NWT Mint bar
1 Silvertowne bar

$35 for 4 oz of sterling pieces

$10 for a 20grm South African art bar
$11 Morgan dollar (because I used my last dollar in my wallet and he included it with the CC Morgan.
$40 Morgan 1878-CC

Total spend- $477. I didn't know I had that much in my wallet. If I had more I would have bought more.


At another place I asked if the people were moving. The woman said no- they just had some things from a friend whose son had died. Essentially, it cost them nothing and they were disposing of it. I saw a small tool box with a couple knives, 4 rachet drivers, a set of sockets, a couple tape measures, and a few other things. I heard them asking the male head of household about it and he had no clue what was in it and didn't care.... I heard a questioning $3. Then he asked what was offered. When asked, I offered $5 and got the deal. The knives were easily worth $5 each.... one a hunting knife made in Germany, the other a locking large pocket knife from Pakistan.

[Neuro]

At the municipality run 2nd hand shop. I picked up three rolls of wallpaper at $0.70 equivalent each, looked them up on the internet later and they costed more than $100 a roll each. I'm going to use them in my renovation. Funny thing was we used same design wallpaper 5 years ago, in the house I live in and they were only $40/ roll then...

[Dogman]

At the municipality run 2nd hand shop. I picked up three rolls of wallpaper at $0.70 equivalent each, looked them up on the internet later and they costed more than $100 a roll each. I'm going to use them in my renovation. Funny thing was we used same design wallpaper 5 years ago, in the house I live in and they were only $40/ roll then...

Hanging paper correctly is an art into itself and one that you cannot dally in taking your time doing!

Or you are screwed!

Sent from my Nexus 7

[Neuro]

Hanging paper correctly is an art into itself and one that you cannot dally in taking your time doing!

Or you are screwed!

Sent from my Nexus 7

Indeed! My dad was an expert in that. I hope I enherited his wall paper hanging genes!

[Dogman]

Indeed! My dad was an expert in that. I hope I enherited his wall paper hanging genes!

It is mostly timing and feel that is only taught by doing it.

Edit:

Plus an eye for matching patterns and seams.

[agnut]

Wow Spectrism, you got some sweet deals there. Good thing I’m not the jealous type.

I’ve been to a few estate and garage sales in the last few weeks and gotten lots of small items. Aw heck; I’ll list some of the items :

Coleman ice box $2
Bernzomatic torch kit $4
Coleman two burner camp stove $5
Another ½” Black and Decker reversible drill $5
Old dial phone $8
New loufa on a stick 25 cents
Set of 8 blue glass dinner plates (for my sister) $4
Old Griswold meat grinder $5
4 wooden shaft golf clubs (one is a Macgregor mashie niblic) for a total of $15
Garrett metal detector bag with accessories $5

When I got home I looked the Macgregor golf club on eBay and there were three for sale; one was $90 and the two others were $250 each. Should be some room there for profit. After I had bought them another buyer asked to buy the 4 clubs but I turned him down. Another buyer dogged me about the metal detector stuff until I relented and took the $20 he was waving at me. I showed him what was inside and told him that he also got a bargain. His face lit up and he thanked me and left. The $15 profit will offset the cost of what I hauled home.

About now my barn is getting packed up to where I have to store items on the upper level. And I can hardly get through the other storage containers. Hmmm….. well, I DO have a few non running cars that are empty.

When I think about all the items I have accumulated over the years I wonder how it all will turn out. If we are marginalized and imports fall off a cliff, folks will in time want quality items. A pair of German scissors that cost me a quarter will go for multiples of that. And so on. The little items may yield a higher multiple than the big ones. And they are easier to sell than a big item.

Instead of buying more silver through the last few years I decided to accumulate quality items at bargain basement prices. Only time will tell which works out better for me. Besides, if I had nothing but silver, it could be stolen. And a thief would need a semi truck to make a dent in all my goodies. If that happened I could simply go down to the emergency ward and find the culprit with a broken back !

We had a family reunion with three coming from Florida and three more coming from San Diego. It was a madhouse but so much fun. I felt very sad seeing them leave, maybe because I don’t know if I will ever see them again. The world situation is spinning out of control and much of what we take for granted will be changed in time.

Just this afternoon I found out that a couple of friends lost their power when several huge trees fell over their road in a windstorm. They also lost power which will not be restored for several days at least. Totally unexpected; that’s how it happens. She called and said that they were out of water for the toilets and asked if she could come by and fill her 5 gallon bottles. I said sure, of course. She dropped off a dozen eggs and wouldn’t take any money. She also gave us a jar of apricot preserves, apricot jam and applesauce. I gave her a ½ gallon of butter pecan ice cream and a dozen oatmeal cookies with raisins and walnuts. I read that when things get tough, the little luxuries become uplifting. Wonderful people and becoming difficult to find these days. Maybe hard times will bring out the best in people. We individuals have to pull together; the government isn’t there for us like they were in the past. Maybe Trump can trump (and tromp) the knaves.

Best wishes,

Agnut

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

[agnut]

Hi all. Lots of family and personal issues to address lately, so little time or energy to post much here. Also, garage and estate sales have been fewer this year. Last week there were zero garage sales listed in the local paper and only two local ads on Craigslist; I’ve never seen that before. I know that the real economy is hurting and would expect that folks would be more prone to sell their unwanted items. The velocity of money had been on a downward spiral for some time and the possibility of disappointing sales may be discouraging potential sellers. People are holding onto what money they do have; I can’t blame them. I’m also holding some reserves in anticipation of better future deals.

As an example, I was at a local thrift store last week and spied a Dyson ball vacuum cleaner for sale. I already have one that I picked up a few years ago for $40 and thought I had gotten a bargain then. The best vacuum cleaner I have ever used. But this Dyson was for sale for $10 ! A few years ago a new Dyson would cost around $500 but I have seen ones for sale lately for around $300. I’m just saying that prices have softened lately even though inflation has been eating away at purchasing power of the dollar. And with the government reporting that unemployment is at 5.1%, we all should realize that the news reported is a fabrication (to put it mildly). John Williams of Shadowstats.com has been reporting for some time that the true unemployment is around 22%. We are in a depression folks and must act accordingly if we are to survive and prosper in the future. If you don’t believe that we are in a depression, at least act as though we are. All we need now is to dredge out that old song “Happy days are here again” and the scenario will be complete.

A couple of weeks ago I was at another thrift store and saw a Skil worm drive power saw sitting on a back shelf. I asked how much and the salesman said “How about $5 ?”. I couldn’t get it into the truck fast enough. Now I have 5 of these types of saws put away for the future. By the way, I was at Home Depot recently and the price for a new Skil saw was about $170 with tax.

There are bargains and then there are outright steals. Like the two deals/steals above. Maybe it is time to hold back and patiently wait for the steals. I don’t know for certain; it could just be my personal experiences.

Will America be marginalized internationally to the point that all the excess bounty will be used up and scarcity of many manufactured items will become the rule of the day ? I don’t know how it will all play out but I do know that with true inflation of around 9% as well as poor quality of many, many imports, I have been collecting quality items (old American made items particularly) that I believe will not only hold their value but may also command a higher value in the future. I’m not talking as much about selling for dollars but rather for bartering and horsetrading.
Here are a couple of articles pertinent to this post :

IGNORE THE MEDIA BULL$HIT – RETAIL IMPLOSION PROVES WE ARE IN RECESSION

http://www.theburningplatform.com/20...-in-recession/

Wal-Mart’s Worst Stock Crash In 27 Years Is Another Sign That The Economy Is Rapidly Falling Apart
By Michael Snyder, on October 14th, 2015


http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/a...-falling-apart

So what do you think this coming winter will look like ?

This Christmas, all presents will be things I already have. Even the wrapping paper I got for free. I’ve been doing this for years and everyone loves it. Cheap bastard? You Betcha !

If those in power think we will stretch our finances to the breaking point, they have another think coming. I never forgot what my old boss said back in the early 70s, “Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.”

As a last note, take good care of the items you have accumulated. I had a leak in one of my storage buildings and water damaged some of the items. Fortunately I caught it in time and only lost a few things. But it took me two days to repackage and move everything to the barn where it is dry and safe. Also, I have so many items bought through the years that I am continually rediscovering things. Many, many things. It’s like opening Christmas presents throughout the year. HoHoHo

And don’t forget the homeless and struggling. In our area there is an unusual thrift store in which items are sold for donations; no prices listed. Also there is a huge room with items specifically for the homeless, all for free. I talked with the manager about the homeless and she said that they most need small tents, tarps, shoes, sleeping bags, winter coats and socks. What we bless others with will be repaid in many ways. “Let your light so shine that others may see your good works and glorify you father in heaven.”

Best wishes,

Agnut

P.S. Thanks to all of you who have contributed so much to the bartering and horsetrading thread. I have learned of many things I never knew existed as well as been able to expand my abilities. I can’t thank you enough.

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

[mick silver]

words of truth from agnuts ............... IGNORE THE MEDIA BULL$HIT – RETAIL IMPLOSION PROVES WE ARE IN RECESSION
............ the few sales I have been to this year is all the stuff they have from last sale . have not been to one sale that they have had tools cast iron cook ware we are starting to see the bottom drop out . and what junk they have had is way over priced . BE SAFE OUT THERE TIMES ARE GETTING HARDER ...

[agnut]

Thanks mick silver. Here are a couple of other articles to ponder :

CONFUSION, DELUSIONS & ILLUSIONS
http://www.theburningplatform.com/20...ons-illusions/

and
Goodbye Middle Class: 51 Percent Of All American Workers Make Less Than 30,000 Dollars A Year
http://endoftheamericandream.com/arc...dollars-a-year

After having read these articles it is obvious that most folks are hanging on by their nails, trying to maintain their lifestyles as they see it slipping through their fingers.

In the past I have commented that there has been a resurgence of buyers at garage, estate and moving sales; it has been occurring over the past several years. I have been observing these new buyers who are better dressed, drive nicer cars and carry themselves differently. They are there because inflation with all the other costs being heaped upon them has been taking a toll on their net income, income that has been essentially flat to downward. Smart move but they should have been doing this long ago; they have actually been forced by the realities of financial trends.

I was fortunate in my youth to have seen the insanity of insisting on buying everything at retail. What is “new” ? Is something we buy in a store really new ? Or has the clothing been tried on by several other customers ? And after we pay over the counter for an item, is it still considered “new” ? I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten items at garage sales that still have the price tags on them and are still in the box. No, no; the whole problem so many folks have is in their pride and having never sat down and realized that they have the power to think for themselves.

Who the hell cares that I have a Dyson vacuum cleaner that was previously used by some other citizen ? It was about $500 new and I just bought a used one for $10. Let’s see, $490 dollars saved which is really much more when we consider that that is after tax income which is much greater. How hard and long would we have to work to net that $490 after taxes ?

Good grief ! I have been living outside the Matrix all of my life and had not perceived it in this way until just now !

You see, I have always been floating above the masses, unshackled by all the marketing persuasions inundating all of us daily. I majored in business management back in the 1960s and often thought that I would have been better off having majored in marketing instead. And now, right now, I realize that that would have been a big mistake from the path I have taken. And as Robert Frost said ” …And that had made all the difference.”

I have owned several businesses and not sold things in the ordinary sense. Let me explain. I see myself as a presenter rather than a salesman. The quality and value of an item should be self evident to the buyer; otherwise it is not a fair barter. My job is to see that what I have to sell (or present, if you will) is worth the value at which I am offering it. No lies or deceptions. I have stood behind this all my life. The secret is an old used car saying, “You don’t make your money selling a car; you make your money having bought the car.” In other words, if you paid too much for a car, you will not profit in selling it. This is true whether you are presenting a pizza oven or a bicycle. Now I fully realize that the buyer has his own perception of the value of an item; that is his own business. I don’t try to get the maximum in selling but leave some extra value on the table for the buyer.

Sure, I could sell an item for a higher price but what does that do ? Less buyers willing to shell out more of their hard earned money and therefore a longer time to sell my items. Time is crucial in ability to turn over an item so that we can move on to the next deal. It is money held back from opportunities. Items need to flow into and out of your hands like a stream flowing. Otherwise, we are building a dam holding back our greater potential. Turnover is a concept we all should have in the back of our minds when we buy an item for resale. Sometimes I have had an item sold before I got it home.

I am guilty of sitting on a multitude of items for years. Why, you ask ? Well, I am an art lover of many things and am paying for my appreciating these items rather than selling them right away. I have a lot of art that I enjoy looking at rather than I would enjoy the money I would receive. This changes over time as I sell some of it and replace it with something else that has caught my eye. I made up a saying that goes something like this. We can own nothing in this world but only have use of it for a time, for we are mortal.

Another thing I do is collect items that I believe will be of greater value in the future. It is not just about money but possible bartering for another item or labor traded. The worm drive Skil saw I got for $5 mentioned in my last post is an example. Why these expensive power saws are so cheap on the used market is unknown to me but I will continue to collect them as I see them. I have 5 of them as well as many of the cheaper power saws. If I were to set up a display selling them I would price the cheaper saws at $15 to $25 and the worm drive Skil saws at $50 to $65, depending on condition. Note that I have left room to haggle. It is important to tell the buyer what the new price is in order to give him some perspective. I could even throw in a few blades to sweeten the deal. I pick up these blades for less than a dollar and have many.

Most of my life I have listened to others complaining that they don’t have enough money. And you know what ? I could never understand it from my perspective; I thought everyone was doing pretty much what I was doing. Color me ignorant ! But this unawareness goes further; I also could not understand what coveting meant; by the way, one of the Ten Commandments. Had to look it up in the dictionary.

Yeah, living outside of the Matrix. I like that. Anyone can join me whenever they like. All ya gotta do is disconnect all of the tubes mankind has been feeding off of. There is the peer pressure tube. The ego tube. The MADison Avenue tube. The MSM tube. And the boob tube.

And once you do this you will be living within a whole new world of opportunities and control of your life.

Although things have gotten harder to find these days, there are other places to look such as thrift stores, Craigslist, auctions, government and county sales. If deals in your local area are unproductive, it may be time to look within a 25 to 50 mile radius.

Best wishes,

Agnut

“The real hopeless victims of mental illness are to be found among those who appear to be most normal. Many of them are normal because they are so well adjusted to our mode of existence, because their human voice has been silenced so early in their lives, that they do not even struggle or suffer or develop symptoms as the neurotic does.” They are normal not in what may be called the absolute sense of the word; they are normal only in relation to a profoundly abnormal society. Their perfect adjustment to that abnormal society is a measure of their mental sickness. These millions of abnormally normal people, living without fuss in a society to which, if they were fully human beings, they ought not to be adjusted.”
– Aldous Huxley – Brave New World Revisited

A lack of discipline, inability to delay gratification, failure to understand basic mathematical concepts, materialistic envy, absence of critical thinking skills, and a delusionary view of the world have left the majority of Americans broke and in debt.

[mick silver]

went out today and look at a few trailers all of them were over priced look at truck are two also over priced , whats the world coming too when a guy with cash cannot make a deal