Am I crazy, or might this work?

[Skunkle]

NOT a debate topic per se; that is to say, I'm not bringing up a debate-in-progress or a hot-button issue. See, I have this idea, based on psychology, at which I'm not even an amateur.

I occasionally see items sitting in front of someone's house with a sign reading "FREE" stuck to them. I collect lots of oddball stuff, and I can use parts from many things, so occasionally I'll grab an item, take the part I want, and pitch the rest. Usually, items in my area that are put out with 'free' signs sit there.....and sit there....and sit there....for weeks or longer. And I finally began to wonder why that was, aside from the possibility that they got rained on.

My answer: Is it possible that the fact that someone is giving an item away unconsciously tells others that the item must be worthless? Maybe it's broken. Maybe it got abused. Maybe the cat peed on it. One way or another, it's junk. I wonder whether the 'free' sign actually makes an item seem less interesting to passerby; if it's free, it must be worthless, whereas if it has a price tag, it has value to the seller.

I have an opportunity to test my theory. I have a leather couch. The removable seat cushions are ruined - my dog got violently ill aaaalll over them. I threw them out. The couch was already really, really old, and due to be replaced anyway. But now I have this sort of white elephant. I can't easily sell it. A thrift store won't take it. It'll cost me a bit to take it to the dump. I figured I'd test my theory, but we haven't gotten out of the rainy season here yet, so I thought I'd ask for opinions here first. Here's the idea:

Anything you or I want to get rid of, preferably for free, put it out at the street. Don't mark it as 'free'. Select a value, something semi-reasonable. On the couch, I'll put $50. Now put a big sign on the item reading, "For sale. Price <price here>. Ask inside." Setting aside the people who walk or drive right on by and pay no attention and the people who see the item but for some reason don't want it, I see three possible positive outcomes. The person looking at it unconsciously begins with "This item is valuable, MUST be valuable, because it is for sale." Following that:
--Option one, they pay you the price and take the item.
--Option two, they try to bargain you down, but still pay you and take the item.
--Option three, they wait until nightfall and steal the item.
Any one of these and you win. The item is gone and it either cost you nothing, or someone paid you for it.

What does Fratching-at-large think of this notion? If anyone else here wants to try this, be my guest but please tell me what occurs!

[DrFaroohk]

I believe that's the same reasoning behind a lot of overpriced alcoholic drinks. People think it tastes better because, hey, it costs more, it must be better right?

[protege]

I've used "Free, please take" as well as simply dumping the item in question next to the trash. Both have had good results.

The "Free" sign was painted on some cinder blocks and bricks that I no longer needed. I'd taken down a wall in the yard, and had saved the blocks. Some were laid down next to the curb my parents' place, the rest...were simply stacked on the patio. Wanting to shift them, I hauled the entire lot out to the curb, spray-painted "Free" on them, and they were gone within an hour.

Last night, I wanted to get rid of my 20-year-old Toro lawnmower. Even with a cracked engine block, it still ran. But, I wasn't about to dump more money into fixing it...nor could I sell it in the 'cheapie' paper either. For the last week, it had been sitting in the weeds by my garage...until I moved it to the curb, with the rest of the trash. When I got up this morning, it was gone. I have a feeling that someone took it...either for the scrap metal, parts, of because they think they can fix it. Whatever, I don't care. It's gone, and that's all I care about

[telecom_goddess]

Interesting to see how this works out.

Do you plan to include Craig's list in the equation? I see tons of ads that say "free on the curb at this address" kind of thing.

[HYHYBT]

I think the idea might work better on something less obviously worthless than a cushionless, peed-on couch.

But then, nothing I've put out stayed long anyway. Not even a tire with a 3" diameter hole in the sidewall. Now that I think on it, I'm surprised the hobo is still there.

[Andara Bledin]

My work had some chairs and desks they wanted to dump, so they put a "FREE" sign on them and stuck them out in front of the building. After about a week, they changed it to a "$5" sign, and most of them disappeared in a couple of days.

It's the perception of value. People don't want other people's worthless junk unless they understand it has a value to them that it wouldn't for others. Most people can't see the inherent value in something and have to have some indicator. Others are thieves who feel like they're winning something by taking the items without paying.

My mother and aunt sell beadwork and leatherwork at craft shows. One of their cheaper and easier to make items has to be priced at about 4 times what it should be because people either won't buy it or won't buy the more difficult and time-consuming items due to what they see as a pricing disparity. So we sell more of the cheap and easy pieces if we mark them up than if we price them at what we know they should be. People assume they have a certain value and if they don't appear to match that assumption, then people assume there must be something wrong with them.

^-.-^

[Plaidman]

Best way to get rid of something for free, is to put it outside with a price sign and not free. People will steal it. My mom has been doing that for years, and never once had anyone ever tried to buy it, and I'll do that when I get my own place as well.

[HYHYBT]

I'd still rather try "free" first, unless I'm actually going to get the money. Give the non-thieves first crack at it, then switch to free for whatever's left after a few days.

[Skunkle]

In our area - which is sort of middle-class and an older demographic in general, old houses too - "free" items tend to sit for weeks or even months. They just get ignored. This is an area where most people just consider it too much work. Hence why I think the pricing idea might work here.

Of course, we also currently have some robbers working the neighborhood. We had some in the winter, two kids around 14, but they were caught (and a big cache of stolen goods was in their bedrooms at home). The new group is three boys around 15-17, and they have a car - a noisy, beat-up, primer-gray 80s four-door, in which several neighbors have seen them rolling slowly up various streets. We know they're the robbers because neighbors have answered the door when one knocked (presumably making sure the house was empty) and they hop in the car and floor it. Occasionally they're seen parked by a driveway and, when approached, they'll slam on the gas and jet. Part of me is hoping they'll steal my unwanted junk. Perhaps I should try something smaller first.

[McDreidel09]

It definitely depends on the area you live in. In my college town, during the last few days, people go curb shopping because people graduate or just plain move out and leave perfectly good futons, dressers, entertainment centers, coffee tables, etc out for the taking.

Back home, it's harder to put free stuff out. One is better off doing a garage sale than just sticking it outside with a "Free" sign.