I Hate Waiting

Inigo: Hello there! Slow going?

Dread Pirate Roberts: Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but this is not as easy as it looks, so I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t distract me.

Inigo: Sorry.

Dread Pirate Roberts: Thank you.

Inigo: I do not suppose you could a-speed things up?

Dread Pirate Roberts: If you’re in such a hurry, you could lower a rope or a tree branch or find something useful to do.

Inigo: I could do that. I still got some rope up here, but I do not think you would accept my help, since I am only waiting around to kill you.

Dread Pirate Roberts: That does put a damper on our relationship.

Inigo: But, I promise I will not kill you until you reach the top.

Dread Pirate Roberts: That’s very comforting, but I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait.

Inigo: I hate waiting.

I once wanted to sell a car. I had a friend who was a car salesman. I gave him the details, and he offered to list it for me. I think he listed it at $5,000.

My problem was I needed the money quickly. I went to talk to him about the timing.

Just be patient Rodney. It will sell.

Is there any way to make it sell faster?

Sure.

Okay, how?

Just lower the price. It would sell today for $4,000.

And that’s how I lost $1,000 selling my car.

I understood what I was doing. I really needed the money and sad as it is to say, it was worth the extra money to get the cash sooner. My friend was happy to help. He was going to sell the car for me for free. As it was, he made an extra thousand dollars. (I presume. I didn’t actually ask him what he got for the car.)

Long time readers of this site know that I used to have a car named Ironman, or as the license plate said IRONMN.Unfortunately, IRONMN had to go. But, I kept the custom wheels I purchased for him. They don’t fit my current car. I finally decided to sell them. Of course, they are no where near what I paid for them. I think they were about $1000.

I recently listed them on Facebook Marketplace for $120. That was for all four of them. . .plus the tires. It’s okay. The tires have wear on them and the rims served me well and have some minor scrapes and fading. It’s a fair price.

Fair, but not lowball. Fair but also not too high. I’ve had the wheels listed for several weeks. If you list something on Marketplace, interested buyers can ping you with a message,

Is this still available?

It’s encouraging, right? It’s like fishing when the line giggles a little. It’s not a bite, it’s a nibble. It’s tempting when you feel that slight tug on the line to immediately start to pull on line. If you do, you’ll lose the fish.

No, you have to be patient. . .a lot of patient.

Good things come to those who wait. Only those things left by those who hurry.

The early bird gets the worm. But, the second mouse gets the cheese.

Patience is hard to learn. Sometimes it’s impossible. But, typically the amount you are willing to wait translates into better bargining positions.

It’s been weeks. And while I would like the $120 for the wheels, they’ve been sitting in my backyard for quite over a year. I can wait.

Tomorrow I am meeting a guy. He wants the rims. . .probably. If not, I can afford to be patient.

Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.

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