If It Sounds Too-Good-To-Be-True....Please buy it from me!
PastorDave's Portable Cheap "KoolerAire" A/C For Sale
Included is a link to an item I have for sale on E-Bay. It is a Portable Air Conditioner.
The A/C broke on my old van, and the repair shop estimated $1100 for repair. That’s more than the vehicle is worth, and certainly more than I have unless I once again pull out the Visa, and I really need to give that little plastic card a rest. So I hit the internet looking for alternatives. I have learned you can find almost anything on the web, and specifically on E-Bay; you should see my styrofoam turd, and Commodore 64 disc drive.
This unique item gained my attention. I carefully studied the ads and read all kinds of descriptions. Interestingly, it never actually claimed to be a sufficient substitute for an auto A/C. The ads effectively tantalized this gullible customer, and left plenty of room for imagination. I forked out around $50, including cost, shipping, and cooler.
I filled the cooler with ice, snugly placed the “A/C” over the top, and plugged it into my cigarette lighter. The motor whirred and indeed cool air was produced. However, the amount and intensity of cool air will, in no way, sufficiently cool a hot car. Heck, it probably would not cool a doll house.
So, I’ve been stuck with this thing for several months. I’ve kept it upon a shelf in my office, as a reminder that I can make stupid decisions, and also as a reminder to be very careful about offers that seem too-good-to-be-true.
I can’t blame the sleazy company. I begrudgingly admire that they can make money with such a product, outwitting college grads and professionals like myself. The owner is probably some “doofus” laughing all the way to the bank.
Here is a typical scenario of human nature & behaviour:
*I see a supposed need in my life.
*I encounter what I think to be the answer to that need.
*In considering that “answer”, I paint a far too rosy picture of how it can benefit me, far beyond anything the product claims to promise.
*I gladly invest a lot in obtaining the product.
*Inevitably, I become disappointed.
*Typically, I blame the product.
And, if I study the whole matter truthfully, I have to admit that the fault lies in how I allowed myself to develop impossible expectations of something. Or Someone.
This is true with items on E-Bay.
Isn’t this also true with some of our expectations of God?
Come on over to E-Bay. Buy this A/C. It’ll cool your entire house (by 1/100th of 1 degree) and save some money (for me).
09.19.06 (11:13 am) [
edit]
posted by:
inkspector (
reply)
post date:
09.19.06 (9:42 am)
Sorry Pastor Dave, I am downsizing. LOL
Good luck to you though.
I like your human nature and behavior list.
So true!
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
09.19.06 (10:07 am)
How on earth could you fall for something like that? What you really need is a pump-spray aerosol mister with a little battery operated fan... It really works, but it can be a problem if you wear glasses and plan on doing any driving. However, if you don't mind separating the two activities, they work very well... and I happen to have one for sale. I don't feel it would be fair to charge you any more for my "super-cooler" than you paid for the disappointing swamp-cooler you've already invested in, so... Fifty bucks is fine. Just wire me the money, or if it's easier, just give me your bank account information and social security number and I'll take care of withdrawing the funds myself...
Thanks for you business.
posted by:
bawdy (
reply)
post date:
09.19.06 (11:58 am)
I can get you a great deal on the Brooklyn Bridge if you're interested!
posted by:
babe4jesus55 (
reply)
post date:
09.19.06 (5:06 pm)
Awww, PD! Sorry to hear about your lose. I've gotten some crummy stuff on E-bay too. Unfortunantly, they're my textbooks, because that's about all I purchase on E-bay. I have scraped by with what I've gotten in the past and will do so this semester as well. I'd rather scrape by than hand over the extra $200 the campus bookstore wanted for the books!
posted by:
lorischuster (
reply)
post date:
09.19.06 (6:25 pm)
hard to resist the lure of a new gadget. caveat emptor...Pastor Dave... caveat emptor. :)
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
09.19.06 (7:14 pm)
Reply to: inkspector
My analogy is that many people turn to God/religion thinking they have found the panacea to all their ills. Of course, such is not true. For instance, a person with a mental illness still has that condition even if he becomes a born-again Christian, and you still have a philandering husband even if you turn the matter over to God. When we expect the wrong thing, we will of course be disappointed.
Human nature is complicated, even when it comes into contact with divine nature.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
09.19.06 (7:16 pm)
Reply to: surrogate
So, would you consider a trade of the pump-mister for a great portable A/C? Throw in twenty bucks, and we have a deal.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
09.19.06 (7:17 pm)
Reply to: bawdy
Sorry, I've spent all my money on some swamp land in Florida.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
09.19.06 (7:18 pm)
Reply to: LadyG
So true. And I would have ever been curious about the product. As with many things, the pursuit is the most fun.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
09.19.06 (7:20 pm)
Reply to: babe4jesus55
My daughter is a Jr. in College. The first year, we ordered text books over the internet, and saved a bundly. Now, the College does not give out the booklists until two days before classes begin; no ISBN numbers, nothing. And they always insist upon new books. So, it costs us a lot more. Sounds like an unfair racket to me.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
09.19.06 (7:22 pm)
Reply to: lorischuster
So true! I'm always looking for that unbelievable bargain, and always gullible. Seems I'd learn my lesson. Yet, rarely but sometimes, a great deal does come along.
posted by:
babe4jesus55 (
reply)
post date:
09.19.06 (7:38 pm)
Reply to: PastorDave
Yeah, similiar situation at my school. List goes out online about 2 weeks prior to the first day of class and if you walk into the store to collect ISBNs then you get kicked out. I thought that competition is what drives the American economy. Sounds like a few bookstores are un-American to me. :-p
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
09.19.06 (9:13 pm)
Reply to: PastorDave
Who pays shipping?
posted by:
seochris (
reply)
post date:
09.21.06 (8:19 pm)
seochris here. But sir tell me frankly are u falling short of money?
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
09.21.06 (8:30 pm)
Reply to: seochris
Ebay is a great place to pick up a couple of dollars on some things I would otherwise throw away. Now, as far as being short of money, I'm like most: I've got all I need, but not all I want. A big key to life, of course, is to learn to be satisfied with what you need. I'm still working on that one- how about you?
