Skip to main content

The postal route

We meet many people through selling our excess stuff. Some are fascinating. Some funny. Some odd. Some a little weird.

Today a local buyer declined to pick up their desired item. Or to have me bring it to him/her. I say him/her because even their profile name sounded more like a code name, giving away no information.

The instructions were to wait for the all-clear and then deposit the item at a designated letterbox (presumably theirs). The money would be in a side compartment.

This was definitely a first. Unexpected and a little strange. I might not have done it, but being very local I did it during my afternoon walk. I'll probably never know who the buyer was - or why they wanted this secretive method.

In my free ebook Less Clutter More Cash I said selling to people can be fun and interesting. At the time I didn't expect that to include doing a spy-like drop-off to a secret identity.

Now that I've done it, I think they're onto a pretty good idea. Letterboxes are handy for local transactions. No need to arrange a mutually convenient time. No waiting around when someone's late. The buyer only travels as far as their letterbox. At first it's odd, but now I like the idea of discarding my excess stuff and collecting cash from neighbourhood letterboxes.

Like a reverse vending machine - I deposit the item and take the cash
Like a reverse vending machine
I deposit the item and take the cash

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The real cost of owning a car

It's been about 10 years since I've owned a car. My wife doesn't own one either. "You must save a lot in petrol" That's one of the frequent reactions when someone discovers we don't own a car. "Of course, but it's just the tip of the iceberg" is the usual theme of my reply. Many people I've talked to just aren't fully aware of the real cost of owning a car. Or even that there are six different costs of owning a car. Six? Really? Yes. Occasionally a work colleague or friend will boast their car only costs $X per week. Of course it turns out only some factors have been counted. Sometimes it's just petrol alone. To some people, that feels like the only cost they pay each week. Why does this matter? You might be questioning the need for a second car in the household (or even having one at all). Or you might just be choosing which car to get next. Either way, to make an informed decision we need proper information. So let's look at...

How much super will we have?

Will we be OK in old age? How much will we have? One of the great things about living in Australia is superannuation. Our employers are required to pay into an investment account for our retirement. In recent times, my wife and I have been in several conversations with friends who are wondering (or worried) if their balance will be enough. That's what inspired this article. Great question It's a great question to ask, especially around the age of 35 to 40. At that point, old age is less of a distant abstract concept. It's becoming a medium-term reality. At 35 the number of years of living off super is possibly more than half of your remaining years. At 40 you may consider yourself about half way through your working life. Looking at your balance, it's easy to think that twice that balance may not be enough.  Read on, because I have good news for you. It's better than you might think As I've mentioned in earlier posts, compound growth means the investment grows f...

Less Clutter More Cash - now available

Do you feel like you have too much stuff? Is your home full of things you never use? Would you like to swap them for cash? We did My wife and I have sold more than 550 items online as we downsize and we've learnt a bit along the way. I've put some of our best tips into this handy ebook. I hope you can use these tips so you too can have less clutter and more cash. Enter your email address below to receive the book for free. Less Clutter More Cash Get my new ebook for free. PS. This will subscribe to the But Wait There's Less email list, so you'll know when the new updated version of the book is available. You can unsubscribe at any time.