The old Bowling Club in a country town had closed and was due for demolition and they were auctioning off everything but the roof.
I was in dire need of a set of non wobbling dining chairs so went along with a friend. She was interested in their garden equipment so we took both cars, luckily.
Well, in those type auctions they don't 'do' dining chairs in small lots of 6. 18 was the smallest lot of the type I wanted. OH!
While I was mentally cussing vehemently two others were standing looking at them and presumably doing the same. We caught each others' eye and proceeded to cut a deal. One wanted 6 for the local Chemist shop for those waiting on scrips to be filled. The other wanted, off all things 3. For a table against a wall. So it was arranged for me to bid and they'd buy theirs from me for $25 each. (They were/are very nice, steel framed, enameled and vinyl padded and around $150 each new.) It was up to me to not go over that limit. Fair enough.
Well, I got them for $13 each but they still stumped up with their end of the deal and took them away happy, and I was left with some cash and 9 dining chairs.
Ever tried getting 9 dining chairs into a sedan??
Even 2 sedans?
I heard a lot of mumbling from my friend about why didn't she bring the ute. I must admit I wondered that myself, luckily she didn't win any of the garden stuff but I wondered how she thought she was going to get a mulcher or huge mower into the car. I suppose she would have just summoned the cavalry, hubby.
It took us a good hour wrestling with those chairs. We weren't either young or old enough then to draw the chivalry of passing fellas.
But we did get them in!
Both cars looked like inverted porcupines with legs like spikes pointing in all directions and even some a few inches out of the windows.
It was an interesting drive home with them, one leg was resting on my shoulder. It was on the New England Highway so we daren't drop below 100kp or risk vanishing under a semi. We got a few 'Whattha' glances from other motorists but fortunately the cops must have been on a break.
It took us almost another hour to untangle them out of the cars and copious coffee was called for... but I got my chairs and made a very rare profit on it.
I still have the chairs, all of them! I brought the extras with me as bedroom chairs. And very handy they've been.
Won't need them when I move though so ... eBay? or Gumtree? Probably have to give them away.
Ok, I have been buying and selling on EBay since 2002 and have over 1200 transactions. You would think I should know better than pull the stupid deal I just did.
