PIXEL MAVERICK

…and here I thought the only thing the word “FREE” would get you is skepticism and a high probability of getting labeled SPAM.

We have an outdoor playscape/ swingset in our house back in Dallas, and before our tenants move in (long story – unable to sell our house when we moved to VA, resorted to becoming a landlord) I wanted to get rid of it to reduce my risk.  It is still a very nice playscape, but the thought of disassembling it and reassembling it at our new home was not appealing to me at all.

So, in an effort to get out of manual labor I posted an ad on Craigslist offering the playscape for FREE to anyone who wanted to disassemble it and haul it away.  I figured I would be lucky to get a few nibbles, but clearly I was underestimating the power of FREE …and the reach of Craigslist for that matter.  I posted this thing at 11pm EST and this is what my inbox looks like this morning.

HOLY CRAP!  And that is only a screenshot of what can be seen above the fold.  My inbox scrolls on like that for quite some time to the tune of approximately 200 email inquiries about my FREE approach to avoiding manual labor.  The results of accidental learning experience are as follows:

• The whole “FREE” thing really works.  If you want to get rid of something fast, yell it as loud as you can.
• Craigslist is a very powerful commerce center
• I may have undervalued my outdoor playscape (…I should have charged like $50 or something)
• Not everyone is as averse to manual labor as I am and will do it to get something for FREE

Now I just have to wade through all those inquiries to pick a winner.