Great Entertainment - Giving Stuff Away

We've sold about a dozen items on Craig's List, which has been great fun and cheap entertainment rolled into one, not to mention padding our pockets too. Everything we sell should more than pay for our tickets to fly to Texas to meet the moving van, plus some.

One item just would not sell and we really need it gone - a big, bulky bedroom hutch. I'd painted it black years ago, and moved it from the bedroom set it used to be related to, into the dining room where I filled it with china and wine goblets.

The dining room set went pretty fast and I'm $200 richer. Nice. At $75 nobody would come get the hutch. One couple wanted to use it as a baby changer, and phoned me several times. I finally told them I'd be happy to sell it to them, but thought they'd get frustrated when the baby hit six months and grew weary of being tucked under the top part of the piece. They didn't call back after that. I'm pretty sure it's a first baby they're expecting.

Actually. NOBODY called after that. So I lowered it to $50. NOBODY called. Since the buyers didn't write into the contract that they would only buy our house if we left the hutch, I listed it last night as FREE on Craig's List. At midnight. With my cell phone as the contact. Then I turned off my cell phone because momma didn't raise no fool.

At 8 am I turned on the computer and the phone. Tons of email messages for a free hutch that wasn't worth $50. And one phone message at SIX A.M. this morning with an apology. (She didn't know momma didn't raise no fool.) So I called her right back and told her, come and get it. It's yours. Which thrilled her. Apparently there's a lot of difference between $50 and free.

But I sure got some funny emails. Here's a sampling:

hi there i love that hutch. id absolutely love to have it, but question. is it quite heavy? thanks so much alene (No Alene, it's a two tier wood hutch, doesn't weigh much at all.....)

Would truly love to have it did not call because its midnight if still available please call us. we could pick it up at your conveinance thanks so much Sandy (thanks Sandy, I would not have loved a call at midnight.)

Good Morning! Did someone pick this up already? I will be at work all day. If it is still available, please hold. I will be able to get to a computer again later this evening. Thank you!Nicole

I was interested in the hutch. Can you tell you me if it's still available? I am in the same area and have a truck to pick it up. Thanks for your time. ( I might have given it to this one - her email name was tigress and I would have liked to see what she looked like.)

Here's the one I would NOT have given it to - seriously? Free and you have 99 questions, and want to know the brand.... the brand is F.R.E.E.!

Do you still have this? I like it. What brand is it? Is it factory finish? What color is that? I can't see the color on my computer?

Here's the one who got it:

hi. i called earlier (before 7, sorry). i imagine you are getting MANY phone calls about the hutch. i just updated my kitchen/dining room, and that piece would be amazing in there. it's beautiful and would truly go to good use. if it's still available, i'll take all measures to pick it up at your convenience. i can be reached at xxx-xxx-xxxx. thank you for your time. kristen

If I'd checked email before phone messages I would have given it to this one:

i saw the hutch you posted and i am dying to get it from you! My wife is out of town and would go crazy if i had this in our house when she gets home. I could come get it tomorrow at around one, let me know if this works. or i will call tomorrow.

The romantic in me would have given it to him, just wanting his wife 'to go crazy'. Maybe she'd be as excited about a snowblower?