Fastest trade yet. Last Sunday I got a Facebook message as a response to the ad for the power drill I’d posted.
“Trade for iPad?”
Very interested. Tell me more.
“iPad mini 2. 16GB. Perfect condition. Not a scratch or dent, always in case.”
He sent some pictures and it looked sharp.
“I had someone picking it up today for $225,” he told me, “but I need a drill so this would be perfect!”
I had listed the drill for $150. This is exactly the way this project is designed to work.
He was free nearby in 2 hours. We met (surprise!) in a nearby strip mall.
We were both masked up and we kept our distance. I set the drill on the trunk of my car and brought the iPad over to the hood. I turned it on to find it had been factory reset and was booting up perfectly. He connected the drill’s battery and gave it a little zvvv-zvvv and we were happy. He’s building an at-home gym in his basement and is getting very tired of screwing things in by hand. This will help.
No muss, no fuss. We were probably in each other’s presence for a total of 3 1/2 minutes. It was easily the most efficient trade I’ve done yet, I don’t expect to beat it, and hey now I have a fresh, clean iPad to trade.
Historic movie theater seats trading line: Original item value:$110 Number of trades to date: 3 Latest trade:DeWalt 20v Brushless power drill ($150) for iPad Mini 2 ($225) Total line value dollar increase:$115 Total line value percent increase: 105%
This is really two stories: selling the bicycle, and buying the guitar. “But Collin,” you’re saying, “I thought this was a trading project.” And indeed you’d be right, faithful reader. But I do reserve the right to bend the rules from time to time, and when an item languishes for too long without getting any good trade offers, I’m fine with selling it and purchasing something for that price that’s more tradeable.
I do have a steadfast rule: I won’t buy something for one price and sell it for more. I’m not here to flip things. I will sometimes buy something and trade it upward, but I won’t make a cash profit on an item. That’s something I’ll keep to.
The bicycle was sitting. I was getting offers but they were all for cash. Every time someone asked me what I was looking for in a trade, I’d tell them (“Oh I’m pretty open — musical instruments, electronics, home appliances, kitchen appliances, antiques, other bicycles… anything in good condition that I could trade onward”) and I just wouldn’t hear back. After a couple months of this bike taking up a good amount of space in my new apartment, I was ready to move on. That’s when John (not his real name) wrote me. His girlfriend’s bike had just been stolen, the first day she’d had it!, from inside her workplace’s parking garage. They were looking around for a replacement and wanted to try mine out.
For jumpin’ stumps..
They came by and she rode it around my street. They made some adjustments to the seat, explored the various gear settings, rode up and down the hill I’m on, and circled a nearby dead-end. It’s still surreal to be standing around and talking with people, whether strangers or friends, in masks. But there we were. And after maybe 15 or 20 minutes of really testing it out, they agreed to the cash ask.
And to be real, that money was burning a hole in my pocket. I want these trades to happen as fast as they can, though I also want them to be smart and strategic. Since the guitars and amps seem to move so well, I started immediately looking there for something I could pick up and trade. I was talking to a guy with a seriously metal-ass guitar, and to another with an amp head he was having trouble selling, but that I might be able to trade. Guitar guy was out in Concord, and it didn’t even come with a case, so I was less enthused, and the length of time that the amp had been posted without selling gave me some pause, too.
And lo, one weekday morning, this beauty showed up on Craigslist. A lunch break find.
This is an almost-new 2019 Gretsch G2657T Streamliner Center Block Jr. Double-Cut with Bigsby in candy apple red. The story is that the owner took up guitar in January, bought this as his first guitar (!!!), played it for a week or so, then bought a stratocaster (?!!!), decided he liked that WAY better, and let this one just sit. So he listed it for sale, practically untouched and brand new.
I didn’t even ask him for a video. I just wanted the guitar, and I just wanted it to remain as untouched as possible. We made plans and I made the drive down to glamorous Milpitas to meet him in a Starbucks parking lot. He was coming from San Mateo, so it was sort of in the middle. Anyway he showed up in a late-model Miata with the top down, so I guess that explains why a $550 guitar was his first.
We were masked up, did our wipe-down, keep-distance, Venmo ritual, and went our separate ways. I grabbed breakfast for the road and made my way home. (Stopped to pick up some new succculents on the way!)
The next day Walker was their gracious self and made me another dope video. This is a gorgeous guitar and Walker does a really impressive job pulling some beautiful sounds out of it. They seem to love playing these finds, and it absolutely makes it easier for me to trade them, so this feels win-win, too.
Best one yet.
Just posted it today and the offers are rolling. I’m having fun with this.
Digital movie projector line: Original item value: $250 Number of trades to date: 2 Latest trade: 1994 Specialized Stumpjumper Chromo Steel Mountain Bike ($450) for $cash for 2019 Gretsch Streamliner ($550) Total line value dollar increase:$300 Total line value percent increase: 120%
Not a ton to this story, but it’s kind of a sweet one. I reached out to Mike (not his real name) when I saw his drill advertised on Facebook Marketplace. I asked him if he’d be open to a trade for a new-in-box robo-vacuum. Initially he was like, “Awwwww man I really could’ve used one of those like 7 months ago, but I’m set now.” I figured that was the end of it a moved on.
But he wrote me again, asking me to confirm that it was brand new and never used. He’d been telling his boss about it, whose wife had been wanting one. We talked a bit more, answered some more questions, made a plan and met up on a Saturday in Pinole. Both he and his boss were there in their work truck, and his boss seemed really happy! This was gonna be a Mother’s Day gift for his wife the next day, and he was pleased. Masked up, wiped our items down, stayed away from each other and made the trade in a Starbucks parking lot.
I’ve been thinking about this trade and I think what Mike did was pretty dope. He had listed his drill for like $150 or something and was looking for cash, but instead of that he traded for a thing for his boss/friend so he’d have a solid gift for his wife. Good guy Mike.
And I was happy with the drill. Nothing fancy, nothing special, just a drill, battery, charger, and bag, all practically new. I guess Mike had picked it up and then soon after got a better drill set.
So, as is ideal in this project, this was a classic win-win, and the line value climbed a little.
Historic movie theater seats trading line: Original item value:$110 Number of trades to date: 2 Latest trade: Ecovacs Deebot N79@ vacuum robot ($125) for DeWalt 20v Brushless power drill ($150) Total line value dollar increase:$40 Total line value percent increase: 36.4%
This was one of the tougher trades I’ve made so far, because oh wow were there some great offers. People wanted this amp in exchange for their high-end keyboards, gorgeous telecasters, Mesa Boogie amps, Gibson classics, Bassman amps, stratocasters, baritone acoustic guitars, entire drum sets, mixing equipment, studio recording time, and more. One guy offered a drone, or a bicycle, or a hitchmount cargo carrier (?), or some headphones. It was a very popular item, and I was the belle of the ball.
Ugh. Gorgeous.
Tim (not his real name) kinda stood out. He offered me this super interesting guitar. A Fender American Standard Stratocaster with a 2012 body, a 2018 neck, 2018 Fender pickups, and an aftermarket tremolo bridge from Wilkinson/Gotoh. I loved the look, and from the images he showed me, it was in great shape. After some research on Reverb I was pretty sure this guitar was worth at least a little more than my amp, and Tim was super communicative. He really wanted it.
I mean, really wanted it. I asked him if he would send me a video so I could hear the guitar’s tones, and so he did, but the only time he could record was when his 7-month-old baby had just been put down to sleep. So Tim sent me a recording of the most gentle version of “Crazy Train” I’ve ever heard.
It was so endearing, and while I was also seriously considering a beautiful telecaster I had on offer, the values of the two guitars seemed very similar, and Tim was so enthusiastic. He won out.
And what a guitar.
Last Saturday we met up at a strip mall (same place I test rode the Honda!) and did our social distancing dance. We each wiped down our respective items, carefully switched spots, and examined. The body and neck of this guitar is pristine. Very well cared for and in excellent shape. The pickguard does have some wear, but it’s a guitar that’s been around for 8 years. That’s expected.
I immediately headed over to Walker’s to drop it off so they could make another video for me to use (Walker’s so great), again with all distance observed. They tinkered and toyed and shredded while I washed all the accumulated pollen off of my car and picked up breakfast for us. When I returned, I had a video, they had a pretzel bun, things were good.
Smash that HD button and listen to that guitar *sing*…
I just posted this guitar last night and I’m already getting offers. Metal guitars, hackintoshes, general inquiries… Hoping this one moves fast!
1984 Mercier Le Velo line: Original item value: $200 Number of trades to date: 4 Latest trade: Limited Edition Fender Custom ’68 Deluxe Reverb amp ($1050) for Upgraded 2012 Fender American Standard Stratocaster ($1250) Total line value dollar increase: $1050 Total line value percent increase: 525%
I bent the rules a little for this one. I checked with the Project Oversight Board (me) and, thank goodness, the ruling was in my favor.
Technically, this wasn’t a trade. This was a sale, and then a purchase. Here’s why.
The seats were popular. Facebook Marketplace has a feature (or used to have it? It seems to have disappeared of late) that shows you how many people have viewed your item. Most of my items saw decent traffic — 300 views, 500 views, maybe like 120 views for the pink bicycle before I traded it.
The seats got more than 2,500 views. People were curious, if not interested.
And I got inquiries here and there, though they were always for purchase. Nobody wanted to trade.
This went on for weeks into months while I traded other things and watched this item rack up the views with no takers. I kept lowering the price until I finally listed it for $110 for all five. I just wanted them gone.
Then Dan (not his real name) wrote. He and his partner were very interested. They were building out a media room, had lots of space, and these would be perfect. They had a truck (and what a truck!) to come retrieve them, and would pay via PayPal to facilitate distancing.
Dan even paid a week in advance to hold the seats. In the meantime, he looked around for things he could trade, because he knew that was my preference. Didn’t find anything that made sense for either of us, so (digital) cash it was.
Dan and Steve (also not his real name, probably) arrived on a Saturday and loaded the seats into their purple 1965 GMC pickup (!!!), complimented me effusively on my house, and were on their way.
So long, seats!
[Fun fact: They live on the corner where I used to live, know my old landlord, and used to hear my band play when we practiced. Small world, but yep, that truck has South Berkeley written allllll over it.]
This whole thing was a tiny bit bittersweet, as those theater seats made for many a fun movie night with friends and lovers. But I’ve grown beyond them, and they don’t suit my place or my lifestyle anymore.
And they’ve definitely found the right home. Dan stayed in touch with me and sent me photos as he stripped the paint and refinished the seats.
In progress // finished
So now I had $110 to put toward a new item to trade. That’s not a ton of money, but it’s not nothing. After some searching, I found a new-in-box and never opened roomba-style vacuum robot. Worth about $135 new, probably $125 re-sold unopened, and I bought it from a very nice woman in East Oakland for $100. (She brought it out with a spray bottle of Lysol and sprayed it down right in front of me, lol)
There’s been a little interest so far, but I’ll be patient about this one. Someone will have something good in exchange for this vacuum — a drone, a cheap acoustic guitar, a good blender?
Who knows?
Historic movie theater seats trading line: Original item value: $110 Number of trades to date: 1 Latest trade: Historic movie theater seats ($110) for [$cash] for Ecovacs Deebot N79@ vacuum robot ($125) Total line value dollar increase: $15 lol Total line value percent increase: 13.6%
On March 1 I met up with Mike (not his real name). I’d found his motorcycle for sale on Facebook Marketplace and, while he hadn’t mentioned wanting a truck or even being open for trades. I went out on a limb and messaged him. I’ve been doing that here and there, testing the waters on listings that don’t specify “NO TRADES” (as many do). People are usually open to offers, some aren’t.
He was interested, and we set up a time to get together in the parking lot of a nearby strip mall. It was in The Before Time, when the stores were open, and his girlfriend was studying in the bookstore’s cafe. Meanwhile, I was seeing five different apartments that day, hustling to find a place to settle.
I wasn’t optimistic about this trade. This bike was shiny, customized, and in fantastic shape. My truck had a pile of wires where the stereo had been, had a shoddy, unprofessional paint job, and smelled like gas when you drove it.
He asked me about the truck and started circling it. He was INTO. IT. He loved that it was lowered. He loved the gritty paint design. I tried to warn him about all the issues.
Me: Biggest mechanical thing is that it seems to use brake fluid a lot. I have to refill it every few weeks, if I don’t the brakes can get dangerously unresponsive.
Him: Ohh yeah maybe just a leak in the line. That’s not a big deal.
Me: I tried to get it smogged earlier today but it failed…
Him: Ah that’s OK, I got a guy.
Me: They said it’s missing an air filter cover. That’s why it smells like gas in the cab when you drive it.
Him: Oh that’s fine. I kinda like that smell, actually. Like I don’t huff it or anything, but it’s just like, it’s a good smell, y’know?
😳
I’m not gonna say that I tried everything to dissuade him, but I was as transparent as I could have been, and he just. kept. wanting. the truck.
We went out for a mutual test ride — me on the motorcycle, him in the pickup — and wow, what a ride. I’m used to a standard motorcycle, with lower, wider handlebars. The bars on this bike are high and narrow, and that made this bike hard to manage. I was so worried I was gonna drop the thing right there in the parking lot. But, I adapted and got the hang pretty quickly.
I loved it. I wouldn’t want to keep this bike for myself, at least not with the handlebars as they are, but it was great to feel what a bike with a smooth, smooth clutch feels like. The clutch on my beloved Ducati was fine but… I mean I didn’t know it could be like this. Plus it has this growl that just gets into your middle. It’s a powerful feeling.
We turned into another strip mall (California!) and I was sure he was gonna tell me he wasn’t feeling it, that the ride in the truck was too rough, that it just wasn’t worth the trade.
He loved it. Loved it.
I knew I was never going to meet another Mike, that Mike was the perfect person for this truck, and that there was no way I was going to find a better deal. We agreed to the trade right there in the lot on March 1.
Through some chit-chat I’d mentioned that I had seen 4 apartments for rent that day, on my way to the fifth soon after.
“You’re moving?” Mike asked.
“Yeah, looking for a place to move into as soon as I can.”
“Do… do you think you might want your truck for that?
“…”
“…”
“…yeah.”
So he told me to get at him once I’d settled. I signed my lease on Friday March 13th. I texted him about all the things I still had to do for the move, emptying out a storage unit that had all my things. Then the shelter order dropped and we weren’t supposed to go out except for essential business. Mike, I guess not surprisingly at this point, was super understanding. “Yeah, quarantine sucks. Just let me know, whenever. I’m not in a rush.”
This week I finally reached back out to see if he was still down, and wanted to do a safe, distanced trade today. He was down. I met him at his place, loaded all the spare parts into the truck (he still has all the original things he replaced on the bike, seat, handlebars, all of it, and I got them in the trade, too), and I drove the truck back to my place while he followed on the bike.
In my yard, as we exchanged keys and were saying goodbye and not shaking hands, he told me to let him know if I ever needed the truck.
This dude, this stranger who I barely know, who just traded me his dope bike for this clunking truck, just offered to lend that truck to me if I ever needed it to haul anything.
Mike is solid people. He’s the opposite of the Mercedes guy (that story’s for another time). He was kind and understanding and patient, and I’m glad to know him.
So, forward. Gonna start the title transfer process tomorrow and look to trade this motorcycle for a car or a truck soon!
1993 Mazda B2200 trading line: Original item value: $1,500 Number of trades to date: 1 Latest trade: 1993 Mazda B2200 ($1,500) for custom 2006 Honda Shadow VT600CD ($3,000) Total line value dollar increase: $1,500 Total line value percent increase: 100%
#traded 