The Art of the Inflated Price Tag: Facebook Market Oddities

Some of the things that people are trying to sell on various Facebook pages crack me up. Most are reasonable deals. Items are priced fairly for their age and condition. And then, some are not. But having written a few advertisements in my time, I always enjoy people building up their products so that you'll pay what they are asking.

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One item this morning that I ran across was a Denver Broncos commemorative mug. It originally came with Fisher Peanuts in it. Using phrases like "this is a must have for your mug collection". And "show your team spirit". If you'd like this used mug, it'll set you back 8 bucks. I'll pass.

I also saw an ad for a "super rare" car this morning that needed paint, body work, a windshield and air in a couple of the tires for just under $12,000.00.

These sellers apparently never went through the training my mom put us kids through. It was called "rummage sale".

This an event that everybody in the family participates in. Everybody goes through all of their possessions and figures out which ones they can live with out. You are tasked with pricing your items with a colored dot. Each family member gets a different color so we can split the money up at the end of the event.

You then advertise the start time of your event. You write it on a box and place that box at a busy intersection. If you say "starting at 8 a.m.", you'll start getting shoppers at 7:30. And NONE of those shoppers wants to pay what you're asking for any item.

The advantage of these sales is that everything goes in one day. For us, anything that didn't sell, got donated.

So whatever you're selling, price it reasonably. It will help you sell your junk faster.