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A Craigslist ad, a great deal on a pair of polishers, and a phone call made a few minutes too late.
This past Saturday, someone in San Diego had placed an ad for a new, still in the box DeWalt 849 rotary polisher and a new, still in the box Porter-Cable 7424XP dual action polisher. $120 for either one, $200 for both!
The ad was new, posted that very morning. It was at the top of the search results when I had idly ran a search for polishers on CL. While I wasn't really looking for a new polisher, I still occasionally search CL for good deals. I was at Starbucks at the time and I quickly reached for my Palm Treo. Not in my laptop bag! Confound it all! The Treo was in my glovebox!
I asked a total stranger to watch my gear as I raced out to the parking lot to retrieve my phone. Luckily my gear was still there when I returned a few minutes later, because the stranger with whom I entrusted my laptop was not! Probably out getting lunch at Subway next door. Anyway, I digress...
I quickly brought up the ad and punched in the listed telephone number. Fatfingered my first attempt! I re-checked the number and dialed again. Busy signal!! I waited another minute and redialed the number. Straight to voicemail!!! I refreshed the webpage displaying the CL ad.
The ad was gone! I went back to the Craigslist search window and typed in "polisher". No go. I searched by "DeWalt", and then "Porter Cable". Still gone! In the few minutes between the time I had first spied the ad and made my last attempt to call the seller, the ad had been removed!
There was no doubt in my mind - Both polishers had sold. Probably to someone who was a step quicker than me and with a ready cell phone holstered to his or her hip.
And now I have a story to rue until the day when I will somehow win the lottery and hire one of you to polish my fleet of exotic cars...
This past Saturday, someone in San Diego had placed an ad for a new, still in the box DeWalt 849 rotary polisher and a new, still in the box Porter-Cable 7424XP dual action polisher. $120 for either one, $200 for both!
The ad was new, posted that very morning. It was at the top of the search results when I had idly ran a search for polishers on CL. While I wasn't really looking for a new polisher, I still occasionally search CL for good deals. I was at Starbucks at the time and I quickly reached for my Palm Treo. Not in my laptop bag! Confound it all! The Treo was in my glovebox!
I asked a total stranger to watch my gear as I raced out to the parking lot to retrieve my phone. Luckily my gear was still there when I returned a few minutes later, because the stranger with whom I entrusted my laptop was not! Probably out getting lunch at Subway next door. Anyway, I digress...
I quickly brought up the ad and punched in the listed telephone number. Fatfingered my first attempt! I re-checked the number and dialed again. Busy signal!! I waited another minute and redialed the number. Straight to voicemail!!! I refreshed the webpage displaying the CL ad.
The ad was gone! I went back to the Craigslist search window and typed in "polisher". No go. I searched by "DeWalt", and then "Porter Cable". Still gone! In the few minutes between the time I had first spied the ad and made my last attempt to call the seller, the ad had been removed!
There was no doubt in my mind - Both polishers had sold. Probably to someone who was a step quicker than me and with a ready cell phone holstered to his or her hip.
And now I have a story to rue until the day when I will somehow win the lottery and hire one of you to polish my fleet of exotic cars...
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