So I (and quite a few other "scavengers") spotted this beautiful Danish Retro sofa on Craigslist a few weeks ago. The Seller was offering it for ONLY $40!!! FOURTY DOLLARS....AMERICAN!!!
Needless to say I shot off an email as quickly as my bony fingers would type! I
shot this off within a couple hours of the ad going live, too. On top of that, I
offered $80...double the asking price! I didn't even get a "sold" reply.
Nothing. I didn't give it more than another passing thought until Secondhand
Hannah gave me a desperate call just as I was getting home from work a few days
later. She thought she had lined up the purchase of the sofa only to get a call
back telling her someone had come and purchased it already. She was sure I had
somehow "Snaked" the couch out from under her! No, I assured her, it wasn't me. I
told her the story about e-mailing a double the asking offer and not getting a
reply. We talked for a while about that and other related stuff and became
convinced it was Ebay seller Goodeyemodern who had "Snaked" both of us. We
were wrong. I was poking around Saturday a week ago after the Flea Market in a
pretty cool antique mall (that I will soon showcase) called Treasure Isle and
spotted the sofa in a booth that specializes in mod, danish, eames era stuff.
Dag, there it was...and with a HEFTY price tag on it! "SNAKED"!!!
Status Update: I dropped by Treasure Isle antique mall (where this was) over the weekend and found the sofa was no longer there. In it's place was a beautiful and nicely priced Broyhill Brasilia desk. I snatched it up of course!
Ok, that's a totally insane price for that couch! There have been many times that I've run across an item in an antique shop that I previously saw for sale elsewhere. I haven't yet seen something for sale that I tried to buy myself. Last month I ran across a booth that had a ton of junk that I sold at a garage sale in it. Not for such an inflated price as that couch though!
ReplyDeleteActually, I think it's a pretty fair price for the sofa! I wouldn't pay that much for it but I'm sure they'll get close to the asking price. If I'd have been able to get it, I would want about $350 for it. But I don't pay for a space in one of the most expensive Antique Malls in St. Louis. I sold an even cooler Pearsall Sofa a few years ago for just $125. It kills me that I sold it that cheap. I really didn't know what it was, or what it was worth.
ReplyDeleteLove the color of that sofa. This price doesn't seem too bad especially when you compare it to prices of new sofas imitating the MCM style. It kind of sucks to get "snaked" though.
ReplyDeleteI hate when that happens!! I woudln't pay that much for the sofa, especially when I know I will eventually find something at an auction or estate sale. I am so cheap with my MCM collecting..
ReplyDeleteLove the couch. Great color. That thing would be a cool $1000 + here in Los Angeles. Can't believe it was $40 on Craigslist. Wow!!!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, Maybe I'll load up a truck and come out to LA next summer! We drove out to San Fran. and stayed with the Girlfriends Sis. last summer and it's not that far from there! I could probably rent a U-haul and still make a few bucks!
ReplyDeleteMoments like those cause me to sulk away in a fit of depression, go home, mix a few way too strong Whiskey Sours and mutter to myself "It probably had bed bugs anyway....."
ReplyDeleteFeel ya Bob, Whiskey Sours are Great...oh yeah yeah, and the sulk, depression, bed bugs...but back to the Whiskey Sours...I suddenly feel like a cocktail. Do I have any Sour Mix?
ReplyDeleteEven better than the Mix is 8 Oz. regular strength bottled Lemon juice, 2 tbsb. C&H Baker's Sugar (or to taste) poured into an ice filled cocktail shaker. Add two shots of Evan Williams Black Label or Crown Royal, shake and strain into a Highball glass and enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI bought a pristine Pearsall sofa for $125 at an estate sale the other day and sold it the next day on Craigslist for $595. I know I could have asked a lot more, but sometimes you just have to pay it forward. I still made a nice profit, and the buyer was thrilled at getting such a great deal.
ReplyDeleteDana - Around here (St. Louis) a $595 Pearsall sofa would sit on C-list for a VERY long time! The market here is shallow for these type things. That and there is a lot of what I'd call Mid Level retro furniture available in all the basements.
ReplyDelete