Vintage Rattan Payday

Talk about fun. I bought this 36" lazy susan-style glass-top rattan coffee table from the 1950s for a mere $5 at a yard sale where the owner didn't want to lug it back inside at 4pm. I played it cool by saying I just moved and had no idea if it would fit, blah, blah, blah. My take-it-or-leave-it attitude worked. She went from $20 down to $5 and was happy to unload it. Major score. Several years and many spins later, I decided wrought iron and glass was the way to go. Again, this was way before the dining table fiasco where I finally learned not to buy new before selling old first. 

I listed this sucker on the C-list for $65 and generated immediate interest. The first guy to respond promised he'd call me later in the week to schedule a pick-up. Meantime, a sweet little old lady really loved the table and wanted to come up the next night when she could get her son to drive her. I emailed guy #1 to confirm and got no response. What to do? I wanted it off the balcony ASAP. Should I wait and possibly risk NOT selling it at all? Guy #1 didn't respond and we all know this town's full of flakes. 

So, the fastest bird got the worm ... sort of. It was great seeing it go to someone who gushed about how much she loved the damn thing - at a very nice profit, I might add. Unfortunately, when guy #1 called back, he was kinda pissed I sold it. I don't blame him, and learned a big lesson from that sale. Now I say that if I don't hear back within 24 hours for a pick-up time, the next bidder wins. And if it makes you any happier, C-list karma kicked in and I've lost several "must-haves" to those that called before me ... so they said.

The $60 profit went toward my own C-list find ... a wrought iron table snagged for $75. They originally wanted $125 - yeah, right. Can you imagine? So in the end, it was like paying $15 for the new table. I've since developed a yen for mid-century modern, but refuse to buy new before selling the old. When I do, you can bet I'll make my money back -- if not more. God I love this country.