My wife and I had a yard sale back on May 1st. Included in our "treasures" were two items, a portable dish washer, and a home made wishing well. The wishing well is huge, it stands about 6 1/2 feet high, and is heavy enough that it would take three strong men to move it. I used to build them to sell, and had one in my front yard to show people what they would be getting, it had been out there for about 6 years, but was still in perfect shape. The dish washer is on wheels, you hook it up to your sink, do your dishes, disconnect it and roll it onto the closet.
Within an hour of the start of the sale, a woman showed up and purchased the dish washer and wishing well for $125 ($75 for the dish washer, $50 for the well). She paid with a check, and said she would send someone to pick both items up within a week. We had already had a couple of people who were interested in the dish washer, but they didn't have the money on them and said they would come back, so we could have sold it easily. We also had two other people ask about the well throughout the day, but I told them it was already sold.
Weeks went by, and we never heard back from the woman who bought the items. I cashed the check and waited. After two weeks, I called the number she had given and left a message. A full month after the sale, she showed up at my door, told me she had had surgery, and that's why she hadn't been able to pick the items up. She said she would come back within a few weeks. Again, we waited, and did not hear from her.
Today I received a letter in the mail from her, that said she was now unable to pick up the items, as her friends couldn't do it, and it would cost her $300 to have a company come and get them. She asked me if I would send her back the money.
Now, we could have easily sold both items to other people back on May 1st, but because she had given us money for them, we had to tell everyone who was interested that they were no longer for sale. We're not planning on having any more yard sales, so we're not going to have the chance to sell them again. What should we do? Should I send her a letter telling her that we're keeping the money, the items are hers, and they'll be here for her to pick them up? Or should I send her back the money? In her letter, she states that she lives on disability ($800 a month) and can't afford to lose the $125. On our end, I was laid off last February (which is one of the reasons we had the yard sale, we needed the money), am living on unemployment, and the $125 has been spent.
So, what's the right thing to do? Personally, I think if she is living on $800 per month disability, she shouldn't have bought the items in the first place, but there was no way for me to know that when she bought them, and it's really none of my business. I was thinking of telling her that we could try to sell both items again (through Craig's List or maybe a friend's yard sale), and if we can sell them for the same price, we can send her the money.
Within an hour of the start of the sale, a woman showed up and purchased the dish washer and wishing well for $125 ($75 for the dish washer, $50 for the well). She paid with a check, and said she would send someone to pick both items up within a week. We had already had a couple of people who were interested in the dish washer, but they didn't have the money on them and said they would come back, so we could have sold it easily. We also had two other people ask about the well throughout the day, but I told them it was already sold.
Weeks went by, and we never heard back from the woman who bought the items. I cashed the check and waited. After two weeks, I called the number she had given and left a message. A full month after the sale, she showed up at my door, told me she had had surgery, and that's why she hadn't been able to pick the items up. She said she would come back within a few weeks. Again, we waited, and did not hear from her.
Today I received a letter in the mail from her, that said she was now unable to pick up the items, as her friends couldn't do it, and it would cost her $300 to have a company come and get them. She asked me if I would send her back the money.
Now, we could have easily sold both items to other people back on May 1st, but because she had given us money for them, we had to tell everyone who was interested that they were no longer for sale. We're not planning on having any more yard sales, so we're not going to have the chance to sell them again. What should we do? Should I send her a letter telling her that we're keeping the money, the items are hers, and they'll be here for her to pick them up? Or should I send her back the money? In her letter, she states that she lives on disability ($800 a month) and can't afford to lose the $125. On our end, I was laid off last February (which is one of the reasons we had the yard sale, we needed the money), am living on unemployment, and the $125 has been spent.
So, what's the right thing to do? Personally, I think if she is living on $800 per month disability, she shouldn't have bought the items in the first place, but there was no way for me to know that when she bought them, and it's really none of my business. I was thinking of telling her that we could try to sell both items again (through Craig's List or maybe a friend's yard sale), and if we can sell them for the same price, we can send her the money.