My sister told me this. She is selling this loveseat she bought last year for $700 and is selling it for only $250. She put an ad in the local classifieds. It's in perfect condition. So she gets this call from this lady who says she is a single mother with FIVE children and she really doesn't have any furniture. My sister thinks this lady is wanting to bring down the price a little, no she wants it for free!
Now what would you say? Of course my sister said no because she needs to sell it because she needs money for herself, she has a 3 year old and a newborn and has bills to pay.
I think the lady was lying and was going to turn around and sell it for meth money or the like. Or she has a used furniture business and cons people into "donating" and that is where she gets her stock. If that lady was truely needy, there are plenty of ways to get free furniture. It may not be new but if you don't want to sit on the floor...
While that's a sad story, your sister needs to make a good return on the loveseat for her own family. If that woman wants to pay your sister's price, that's great, but she shouldn't be guilted into selling for less than she thinks it is worth.
That sounds like a bunch of baloney to me! There is free furniture on Craigslist all the time, and garage sales now that the weather is warming, or a couch for $50 at Goodwill. She could probably contact a shelter or women's organization who accepts donations to get a free couch through them. I don't buy for even one second!
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kittenheels wrote: While that's a sad story, your sister needs to make a good return on the loveseat for her own family. If that woman wants to pay your sister's price, that's great, but she shouldn't be guilted into selling for less than she thinks it is worth.
That story sounds a little suspect to me. I'd refer her to craigslist like others suggested or to freecycle. There are lots of places to get cheap furniture.
I just can't believe the nerve of people, even if her story is true. I can't imagine being able to be so bold and just ask strangers to give me things for free that they are selling because my life is hard. Everyone struggles at some point or in some way.
I live in a major metropolitan area, so I'm used to aggressive panhandling, etc. I don't have animosity towards those that do it, even though it can be annoying and scary. But, I used to live by an expensive, private college. I can't count how many times I had students ask me for change, cigarettes, etc. That always bothered me. I was poor in college, but it never occured to me to panhandle.
At craigslist.org there are always free couches listed, and plenty of other free stuff. Something sounds fishy in this story. When I first came to the US as a grad student, I could not afford furniture, but still managed to furnish my apartment very nicely for less than 100$ and yes, that included a free couch, free desk, and free chairs. In fact, I think that only the bed cost any $. When you have children, people are especially willing to donate, but donations should be willingly given I believe, not as a result of harassment.
That's a lot of nerve. People don't sell things for what they paid...they sell them for less. That lady had to have known it is a nice piece of furniture when she saw the price and was just seeing what she could get away with. You don't walk into a store and ask for a clearly marked item to be given to you. Sure haggle on the price but come on.
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