Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Sclass wrote:
I feel a little guilty about collecting textbooks in the big lecture halls in college to sell. My SO still complains that she may have been one of my victims. Quite possible since I focused on premed lectures with expensive books.

Well if people are dumb enough to leave their assets behind I guess they don't value them like we do.

Wait a second. I want to hear that story. People just gave you their books?

No. I checked the large lecture halls on campus (Berkeley) to see if people left books. In a big class of 500 students one would often leave a book under a chair. I sold what I found.

A famous outdoor company repairs their gear for free.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7muOgpX8vaQ

Mrs. Ego has a purple bike and wanted a purple rain jacket. I found one of their jackets in XS with two massive holes in the sleeves at the swap meet. We sent it to their repair people who used the exact same material for the repair. Their skills are incredible. I cannot even tell that it had been repaired. It is literally as good as new.

Needless to say, she is thrilled. I admit, this is a bit of an ethical quandary as we were not the original purchaser. Opinions?

The company logo is prominently displayed. They want happy users for advertising.

Or the company motto is "earth friendly". Then you're holding them to their word.

Either way, I'd be guilt free.

Thanks Toska2. That's what I was thinking.

A tenant was a previous graduate of a culinary academy. I am guessing that part of their student package was a set of Mercer professional knives. Found them in the trash.

I found a bike in a dumpster. Today I sold it for $20 on craigslist.

Ego, that is a wicked crash. Hope you are back to 100%.

Gilberto, thanks for your concern. Good as new. We've been mountain biking around Big Bear the last few days and I didn't think of the wrist once. Now I need (ahem) a downhill bike.

I want those knives! It's probably a good thing I don't live near you--I'd be your best customer.

I'm glad you're all healed up.

Got another 90s Specialized Stumpjumper this morning for $20 and two Gregory backpacks for $30 each. The bike needs a little work but I plan to sell it as is. The proceeds should more than cover the cost of the Stumpjumper I bought earlier in the year and have been using to mountain bike lately.

I normally have a few dozen things listed on craigslist at any one time. A few weeks ago I was selling a sleeping bag and just happened to have a thermarest I had purchased that morning rolled up behind my desk. The guy buying the bag noticed it and bought it too. Made me realize I should be prepared to upsell. The following week I successfully threw in another thermarest for only $40 to a different couple who were buying a down bag.

Today a foreign exchange student came to buy a wetsuit. I asked him if he needed anything else and almost sold him one of the backpacks I bought on Wednesday morning. I have a feeling he is going to come back after doing some research. He is here with three other guys who all need bikes. Lo and behold, I just happen to have several bikes I wouldn't mind parting with.

I am turning into a cheesy car salesman.... and I'm loving it. Hah!

Ego wrote: I am turning into a cheesy car salesman.... and I'm loving it. Hah!

That's the Philly in you. Next you'll be selling your finds out of the back of a truck.

jennypenny wrote:

Ego wrote: I am turning into a cheesy car salesman.... and I'm loving it. Hah!

That's the Philly in you. Next you'll be selling your finds out of the back of a truck.

Hah. I saw an old Mister Softie ice cream truck for sale on craigslist a while ago and thought about all the great things I could do with it. Funnily enough, none of them involved selling ice cream.

End of the month. I have two turnovers. One is moving out of state and is rather..... extravagant, so I am looking forward to the spoils. I think she's probably the person who left these JA Henckels knives I found a few days ago. They need to be cleaned but are in great shape.

Two trash finds.

A nice waffle iron that appears to have been used once.



This next one is crazy. On top of the trash I found an open fedex box. It is addressed to an apartment in my building but the name is someone who never lived here. Inside were two sets of Anaheim Ducks seasons tickets with a tote bag, lapel pins and lanyards. I called the Ducks ticket office to tell them I found the tickets. Left a message. We'll see what happens. First game was last night. I checked on the internet, $1100 per ticket. Sheesh!

Whoa Ego you live in a goldmine. Those knives are nice.

A few touches with a serrated knife sharpener and a flat whetstone and those are BIFL.

The sharpener I show here is great for a bread knife like yours.

http://forum.earlyretirementextreme.com ... ed#p107475

I think those are 2 of the same 3 Henkels knives I have. If so, they're pretty nice and will sharpen up really well.

If I ever come to meet you at your home when I'm in San Diego, I'm looking in your apartment trash dumpster before knocking on your door.

Sclass wrote:Whoa Ego you live in a goldmine. Those knives are nice.

It's funny, when I found them I figured they would fetch a few dollars each on ebay. I just read your post along with c40s and searched ebay for sold listings for the model numbers. Wow. I had no idea people paid that much for these.

Dumpster diving is fascinating. Modern archeology. I think every person in my building ingests some form of protein powder. Maybe three eat food they make in their apartments but it is almost all prepackaged microwavable food. About once a week I find a bag full of various spoiled veggie packages, often unopened. Good intentions. Tons of pizza.

It is fascinating that she owned these expensive knives. I have never, not once, seen her with a bag of groceries.

We've been collecting the good discarded clothing we found in the trash over the past few months and washed it when we got a full load. It filled four giant trash bags. Last night Mrs. Ego had to use her granny cart to take the bags - two at a time - to her clothing swap group. Most people brought a half dozen pieces. I am not quite sure how they tally the credits and debits, but I think she might now be the IMF of the group.

This really is a subject of academic interest. But first off before you read this, get down to the duck pond and sell those tix! What are you calling them for, to say "go ducks"? OMG you're sitting on perishables.

I was shopping at trader joes last week with SO and she told me to look at what people have in their carts. Frozen meals. I guess if you buy them at TD you don't feel like you're eating TV dinners. That's just where society seems to be going. It's a disturbing trend. Soon we'll be eating soylent green bars and think that's ok.

The other trend that jumps out is how thoughtlessly people throw away their wealth. It takes a lot of human energy to generate the means to procure all this stuff. Then people toss it. The Henkels knives are over the top though. But clearly people don't value their human capital or its flows.

I was explaining money getting to a young man I mentor recently. He wanted to know how to make fast money of course. I said you should focus on creating value...but really if you want it fast, just take it from somebody. "But Mr. SClass that's stealing."

"No, not if they hand it over willingly." And surprisingly it happens all the time. People discharge their human capital battery to get something that dissipates or flows to stronger hands. Although I don't encourage every youngster I meet to become a "taker" it is the most efficient way to accumulate wealth.

It is all around us like the force. In the equities markets, at Carmax and in Ego's dumpster. (I just met a Carmax salesman and learned how that racket works...people just drive their human capital into your lot on four wheels and leave it there. It's a compromise between selling on Craigslist and doing a dealer trade in). I'm conflicted at first thinking "people WTH are you doing!?!" But then I profit from that same thoughtlessness.

I guess they would have cancelled those tickets. The person they were addressed to would surely have called to say they hadn't arrived, and had them reissued to his/her correct address. I think you were right to call before doing anything. It would be terrible to sell them and your buyer show up for a game to find they were not valid, or the other people were already in the seats. Your buyer would think you had forged them, and you could be in all kinds of trouble.

The knives are gorgeous!