As part of my efforts not to turn into a compulsive hoarder whose relatives will have to come unbury her from the clutter after she is suffocated under a pile of unread magazines, I’ve made an informal resolution to post one item a day to Craigslist. It’s surprising to see what gets an immediate response in the middle of winter: camping gear, yes; winter biking gear, no.
Why Craigslist and not St. Vinny’s? Well, for one, I could use the money; and for two, it defeats that psychological block of “I spent good money on this and therefore I can’t part with it even if I haven’t used it in three years.” If I end up with too much money, well, I can give that to St. Vinny’s.
About the middle of the day when boy cat gets to caterwauling about going outside, even though he’s already been and he hated it because the sidewalk made his feet cold, I wish I could post his voicebox to Craigslist. I’m sure it would make an excellent alternative to a bicycle bell. Stick that to your handlebars and let it rip, and every other ped-bike path user will be swerving out of your way just to distance themselves from the noise.
I used to avoid Craigslist for fear of shady personal interactions. I did a bunch on Ebay the last time I moved, but the site has become very un-auctiony in the years since, and the share-of-sales they now demand is almost obscene. Plus, my stellar seller rating is invisible now because I haven’t sold anything in the last 12 months. Still, I may go that way eventually, if I get tired of Craigslist no-shows. Or, I might just give all my stuff to St. Vinny’s.
In the meantime, if you need any winter biking gear, let me know. I’ve got enough to keep two people warm at -20F.