Why are rich people in this area so cheap?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not rich. I sell things on Craigslist on occasion. Usually I just give away to a thrift store but if I think it will be easy to sell or worth selling, I will sell it for less than I paid. I usually start at 50% of the price I paid then after a week or so if no one bought it, drop the price about 20% and continue to do so until it's not worth listing any longer. Usually someone buys it by that point. If I have something that's going to be a PITA to sell or I just don't feel like dealing with the buyers, I'll list it as free. This is usually a used bulky item that's still too good to go to bulk trash pickup. Listing things as free is a great way to get rid of them because a lot of people will want it so you'll get a lot of responses quickly.

I used to meet in a third party location like a parking lot but after a couple of no-shows, I just started having people come to my house because I'm not wasting my time for someone that may not show up for the items. I haven't had any thieves show up yet but of course I've always sold used items. I'm not selling new PS5's for a mark-up.

I don't feel safe in random parking lots. I like my front porch and usually do porch pickup. I have a security system and cameras. Why should I drag my children out at night to meet some guy in a parking lot? No thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of money in this area is also nouveau riche. People who grew up with more modesty and who aren't used to excessive lifestyles simply carry over habits they grew up with. When you grow up in a household where your parents spend $2000 on a bottle of wine during a dinner like it is chump change, of course you'll think nothing about spending $500k on a car later on. However, if you become wealthy by becoming a scrappy entrepreneur who started with nothing, and built wealth from scratch you tend to have vastly more conservative habits. People who build wealth are more concerned about protecting it than people who grew up with wealth.

Lots of rich people here are working for their money, think lawyers, consultants, lobbyists, doctors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't piss away money on luxury cars that can't do anything more than a honda civic does, and I don't buy a 5000-6000 sq ft home because I don't need it. I'm rich because I don't spend and just invest it.

You are rich and live a poor? Sorry you are not actually rich.

the billionaire founder of IKEA drives a 20 year old volvo, lol.

A) He's dead
B) He was known to be “stingy” and “disagreeable”
C) He was oftend criticised for tax avoidance
D) And he had links to the Nazis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I'm wealthy because I'm frugal, OP.

I'm wealthy because I don't need much and can easily live on less. Doesn't includes haggling though. I see the price and decide to buy it or wait for another such item.
Op, the ones who haggle have some screw lose. I once drove many blocks to meet somebody- wasn't a big deals as I drive a lot. Once I got there, she only had $12 in coins, but the brand new shoes I was selling were $15. I was put in a position after having to drive there to feel super funny and walk away or take the $12 (well, partly in coins) and get the hell out.
Having to drive to them and then met with coins, showed that there was something wrong with the buyer. Somebody ahead explains that it's mental thing.
And no, she was not poor. Looking for the coins was well planned. Not selling anything after that, not worth it. If you sell on craigslist, people thing you are desperate and take advantage of it. I wasn't desperate- never have been, just wanted to get rid of crap. Only a few people show up on time and buy your stuff. Most play some kind of games.

I’m sorry but if you drive many miles to sell one pair of $15 shoes that makes you desperate or stupid. You are probably burning $5 in gas plus your time.
Your behavior indicated that you time and energy was worthless. If I was the buyer I wouldn’t have offered more than $5.
Before you answer that you didn’t do this for the money, if you want to do charity, do charity and donate. But, if you want to be a salesperson don’t be a stupid salesperson.

It's funny - I think about this a lot. When I was a first year associate at a firm in New York, one of the senior associates, who was pregnant, told me about how she'd spent like 45 minutes driving to a far out baby store because she could save $10 on a stroller there. I was so surprised, and it also made me realize how much money stuff can just be ingrained (or taught, or whatever). Even then, $140k in debt from law school and 100% certain I wouldn't last more than a year or two in BigLaw, I wouldn't have spent half an hour trying to save $10 - but that is partly because I am bad with money, and partly because it's not how I was brought up, and partly because I consider my time to be worth more than that. I'm completely confident that senior associate made partner - she was great at the job - and is still squeezing pennies because it's just how she is, and she probably has monumental savings at least in part because of it. 20 years out I am just on the cusp of paying off my loans at long last - and even now, with a much more mature attitude toward money, I still probably wouldn't spend half an hour trying to save $10.

TL;DR: I think some people are just like that, regardless of their wealth.

My guess is she was saving more than $10.00. I have driven or had my husband drive 45 minutes to an hour for a great crate and barrel couch, some gorgeous well made wicker, classic club chairs, etc. Good shoppers know what items and brands costs new, and sometimes the ride justifies a find you love at a great price. No, I would not drive 45 minutes to save $10.00 obviously. But I would to save $400 or more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I'm wealthy because I'm frugal, OP.

Nah. The idea that you can stop buying Starbuck's lattes and save your way to wealth has been debunked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't piss away money on luxury cars that can't do anything more than a honda civic does, and I don't buy a 5000-6000 sq ft home because I don't need it. I'm rich because I don't spend and just invest it.

You are rich and live a poor? Sorry you are not actually rich.

Maybe they spend their money on things you can't see. Philanthropy, etc. A lot of broke ass people driving Range Rovers around here. Appearances are deceiving.

(Also, huge houses are generally tasteless)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get so many hagglers on Craigslist yet you know they all got money.

All rich people in my neighborhood give away their stuff on our Buy Nothing group.

Or literally have their maids/gardeners see if they want it - and if not, have a charity pick it up.

That's us. I've sold a couple of things on Craigslist but it just didn't seem worth the hassle. I definitely didn't haggle - just listed the price. Now we just give stuff away - freecycle or next door or our neighborhood listserv or our cleaning lady. I've never bought anything on Craigslist.

[Anonymous]

Actual rich people aren't buying on Craigslist.

[Anonymous]

Craigslist people are cheap and unreliable.
Don’t waste your time.
Rich people donate their things snd take a write off instead.

[Anonymous]

I don't see an issue with offering someone less than the listed price because that's what it's worth to you. I wouldn't have a debate over it, someone is either willing to selling it for a lower price or not.

I think it's poor form to show up to buy the item and then try to get it for less. An exception might be if the condition is significantly worse than as advertised but then I would probably decline to purchase it.

[Anonymous]

The "rich" in this area tend to be sensible folks like tax law partners and such, not entertainment people or such.

it's the same reason why people in the same income bracket here typically drive a much less flashy car than someone in the same income bracket in LA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rich people are often cheap. That is one of the reasons some of them are rich.

From my experience waitressing at hip restaurants in the city during my college years, not all people with ample money to dine out -rich people- are cheap , but certain groups tend to be very generous: in my experience those are artists, wealthy self made businessmen , people in fil and entertainment industry and people who work in restaurants themselves like chefs

The cheapest tippers and the jerks: lawyers, accountants and doctors. Lawyers basically viewing their dinner bill as a “ first offer” they could negotiate on ( excuse me, we see we were charged for X , but we really didt like it ..hence we only picked at it ...might you take it off the bill “ when you do , they then also lower the tip to “ of course” be 15 percent to penny of the now lower check total ...even though the chef and the owner both cursed you out in the kitchen for asking the item to be removed from their bill ...that kinda cheap

DC has a LOT of lawyers maybe

fwiw, my mom always told me when you first date a man , run back into the restaurant saying you left something in bathroom and take a peak at how much they tipped the waiter because - that is a pretty good indicator of how they will one day treat you if you marry them

My husband is a very good tipper but he does it in a funny way. On a $200 bill he might tip 15-20% via his credit card but he will give the waiter/waitress $20 or more in cash. They tend to remember him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe they are new rich? i.e. Raised by parents with less and therefore respect a good deal?

I don't know any high level professionals haggling on craigslist unless they came from lower-middle class.

So false. Old rich WASPs are so cheap and love a good deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe they are new rich? i.e. Raised by parents with less and therefore respect a good deal?

I don't know any high level professionals haggling on craigslist unless they came from lower-middle class.

So false. Old rich WASPs are so cheap and love a good deal.

More often old rich wasps like a good deal because they are divorced or kids failed to launch.

[Anonymous]

I’m rich and buy stuff on CL. I haggle less than I used to. I also usually give things away now instead of selling them. But I really love CL, always have.