Garage Sale Ethics

So I just spend the better part of the day trying to convince people that they couldn't live without stuff that I no longer needed or wanted.  And so I ask myself, "is that ethical?"  I mean, it's easy to justify with the whole "one man's garbage is another man's treasure" thing.  But, I mean some of the folks who moseyed down my driveway had more need of a sandwich than a sand wedge.

I happen to be fluent in Spanish, so inevitably, some of our more brunette customers would engage with me in conversation.  After I failed to convince them that they needed a cordless phone that wouldn't hold a charge, they would ask why I spoke Spanish.  I'd explain & then they'd ask me what I did (presumably for a living, not when Tony Romo throws an interception...).  I'd say "pastor" & they'd kinda look at me with this blinking furrowed brow about why I tried to sell them tile remnants.  That's instant cred.

I think the whole garage sale culture is fascinating.  We had the obligatory dealers show up at 5:00 AM (armed with flashlights) and the occasional guy who just happened to be in need of a frayed piece of coax cable.  Maybe this is the last vestige of the village barter system.  Maybe this is why cultures that still have it (including skinned bats strung upside down) have yet to be economic powers.  I'm just sayin'...

I just haggled the sale of a painted white rock.  Made this lady's day.  Another lady brought 722 pound of stuff to the table and it cost her $6.25.  What a deal.  It probably cost me $14,300 new.  What an idiot.