Saw

5/2/10 Craftsman 10" table saw, sold on craigslist for $65

When Joanna and I got married, moved to Maine, and bought our house, a reoccurring theme quickly developed.

We needed a barbecue. My folks gave us their barbecue.

We needed a lawn mower. My folks gave us their lawn mower.

We needed a power saw. My folks gave us their table saw.

The saw was a direct result of one of our early home-making projects, which was to build a set of raised beds for our garden. Joanna found a design and I agreed to make them. Naturally, rather than going out an buying a circular saw, I had my Dad truck his 300-pound table saw over here.

I used it to make the raised beds and then promptly stored it in our shed for the remaining years. Of course, eventually I did go purchase a circular saw (all on my own -- guess I'm a big boy, now), since it's far more practical than a table saw when you don't have a workshop to store the table saw in.

While my shed is no good as a workshop, it's also not so great for storage, and for six years the table saw has occupied about a quarter of the total space in there. Earlier this week, Dad gave the go-ahead for me to try to unload it on craigslist.

As I have mentioned before, my father is a world-class barterer, so I think of him every time someone DOESN'T try to negotiate the price of something I'm selling. It's actually a bit baffling. I set some random price and people contact me (if they contact me at all), and just say, "I'll take it." The truth is, most of the time if they offered me half of what I'm asking, I'd agree in a heartbeat.

With the saw, I tried to prime the bartering pump by explicitly saying in my craigslist post that the price was negotiable. C'mon, people, work with me here. I'm trying to give you a break.

Subsequently, I enthusiastically entered into my first semi-bidding war. The price went from an initial offer of $50 up to $60. Hey, it's something.

In the end, I actually ended up receiving $65, since the guy showed up in his Pontiac Vibe. Ah, no, the saw wasn't going to fit in that. Great guy that I am (and fearful of losing the sale), I offered to load the saw into my trailer and drive it down to his house. He threw in an extra $5 for the effort.

Best of all, this $65 already has a mission in life. Next Saturday, Dad and I are heading to a Red Sox/Yankees game, so we'll use the cash to bankroll our afternoon. Hey, after all he's done for me, don't you think I should share the wealth?

It should at least get us a couple of hot dogs.