Double down

9/26/09 Old dresser, given away on Craigslist; Star Wars Snowspeeder model, sold on ebay for 99 cents

I really need to get better at coordinating this downsizing effort. Some days I'm scrambling to get rid of anything before the clock strikes twelve. Then, today comes along and two items zip out the door. That's frustrating, since I don't get extra credit for doubling up on a day.

It's becoming increasingly obvious that the trickiest part of downsizing is spacing things out every twenty-four hours. One of my techniques has been to try to put up things on ebay one day at a time, so two things never sell on the same day. However, sometimes the downsizing bug hits me and I've got to throw something up on Craigslist.

When all these tracks of internet commerce converge, I get into fender-benders.

I couldn't put off mailing the Star Wars snowspeeder model that I sold on ebay, since speedy delivery equals positive feedback. (And positive feedback is the lifeblood of successful ebay selling.) So, I thought about telling the guy who wanted the free dresser that he couldn't pick it up until Sunday, but that seemed silly. His plan was to paint it up for his daughter's room. Was I going to make up excuses and delay her from getting her new bureau just to spead out the downsizes? Honestly, I thought about it.

But, my better nature prevailed. A friendly Sox fan named John picked up the dresser this afternoon, and (thanks to the almighty iPhone) Joanna and I located a convenient post office to mail the snowspeeder model while we did errands in Portland. Two for one, certainly not the way I planned it.

Gotta get these things mapped out better in the future.