Logitech Wireless Mouse

So about a week ago I picked up a new looking laptop bag from in front of my door late at night, together with other bags, one in leather and bed textiles smelling freshly washed. Took all in to inspect in the morning.

The laptop bag was brand new and had some contents. Alas, no laptop, that would have been the day. But I found a cable combination lock, new in plastic. Though I've never seen anyone ever using one of those even in my time in office, I'll bring it to the thrift shop. Then a set of headphones with microphone, new in box. I still have to look up if that's a saleable product. Most interesting for the moment was the mouse. Being dependant on old leftover things I still used one with a wire. No problem! But this luxury was welcome to try out. It installed within seconds on my old laptop that has not even been upgraded to Windows 11 yet. It's mostly handy when I take the computer upstairs including electric wire. Because battery does not last that long anymore. Now I have no more tangling up of wires pulling it out of the cotton tote bag I use for transport, and also next morning reinstalling downstairs.

The model Logitech Silent M240 sells between €12,95 and €25,99 and even came with a working battery. It cannot be old. Looks like someone had a laptop from work, but was never going to use the extras. And I know from the time when I had to hand back my work laptop in they never asked for them. I sold the bag at the time for peanuts and it took time. Kept wired mouse and used (up).

The bed textiles were not the size we use. Leather bag pretty but missing shoulder strap. Other bag complete, practical and never used but with a company logo. Selling laptop bag too much hassle. I brought everything to recycle center in two goes and made about €1. Not much but the effort was equal and the headphones are still there.

Siemens Digital Kitchen Scale

Picked up in front of my door just over three weeks ago. It looks kind of professional, to be used in a smaller restaurant kitchen but I only found one other second hand not very expensive. With on top the protective flap for the battery (still working well though!) missing I listed it €5, got that today. 

For myself I mostly use an analogue 1970's Soehnle taken from work at the time, over 25 years ago when mailroom changed to digital, on top I have one of those flat glass digital things from giveaway shelves.

Adidas Gazelle Bold Sneakers

From the grey area between trash and donation:

Left at the free library. Which is officially not allowed, so I had better take them before a caretaker would take them away and trash them for real to avoid losing the city's tolerance for the place. Real suede sneakers in great condition. Most shoes I find there land in he kilo bag that I bring to the recycle centre next door. Just like some more dresses that I took today. Very nice, clean and wearable but too much hassle to list with little chance to sell. 

But a pair of Adidas trainers in this condition were worth trying. Gazelle Bold stands for the extra thick platform sole, still to be found in retail, but the model was unavailable with the green stripes. They were gone in five days only. Asked €25, sold €20. Happy! 

Learns how a pair of roller skates worth new around €180 go with difficulty at €15, where I found these new, but only in grey and black at €120 at the official Adidas website, at discount somewhere else €90, but in other colours even from just €60. That's how the market works.

Clifton Guitar Stand

A fairly simple product, found across the street just two weeks ago. Used but intact.

New available from €7,50. Pick up at my door I got €3. Happy!

Edwards Suitcase

It took me half of the evening to find back this old post from 2008. Because pics not even on this computer and so also not in the cloud, but I was sure to have it. And somehow search words don't even go back that long. Never mind I found it.

First things first. The blue Samsonite on the left was a perfect and lasting thing, that I last used in 2018 for a train trip abroad, but that was scratched up to threads on the top by cat nails after 2020. Though still functional, I retrashed it. Needing place and not planning on any future trips anymore.

As I don't transport stuff to craft fairs since a long time the black trolley on the right was retrashed ages ago. I forgot why, but sure it wasn't good enough to sell.

I had some more curb founds in between that I mainly used to store things. That finally I got rid of, contents included. Functional but cheap brands with a thing here or there you just don't want to pull money from someones pocket for.

One I never kept but sold straight away was this from 2017.

Last one left was a J.D. Edwards case with issues, but mainly concerning zipper pullers and a flat pocket not to be opened anymore. A quality product with a strong fabric casing that I believed could still make someone happy.

Just didn't sell quickly because people want the four wheel trolleys now that you can push without still holding half the weight. Personally I think I will need that too if ever. 

I solved the zipper issue provisionnaly and included a mini chain lock to replace most likely unusable cipher code lock.

Lady close to my age came this afternoon and was chuffed. Not the jackpot but €10 in my pocket was 'free' groceries for today.

Miele Vacuum Cleaner Bags

When I was a kid vacuum cleaners were all equipped with the same simple square paper bags to collect the dust, and they came very cheaply. 

I had them up until the early Nineties, one from my grandmother and one from her sister in law, till they both gave up. Model above from 1976. Mine were even older.

Newer models with better dust filtering and other improvements came up, all fine with me but what just bugs me is why do they all have to have their own special bags, with kind of a cardboard or now even plastic keys to fit the thing in, and otherwise your machine just won't work! Every brand even has varieties. And on top they are expensive. I wonder why nobody has ever thought about negotiating a standard for this to prevent waste of unused bags from broken machines. Like they do currently about cables for phones and other e-gadgets. And has kind of existed forever for AV equipment already.

Bagless models are being developed and maybe improved of course, but as far as I know affordable ones are not ideal yet. Like the one I sold for trash.

For myself I'm currently good with my AEG that I got around 2006 from a neighbour who went to a home. It still has the cardboard 'keys', and I can cut them of and stick over to non-fitting bags. Plus I have a set from the thrift shop, recently found to last me long enough.

But going through old photo's I found these from 2011! Curb found for sure and most likely in front of my door. That is pure luck. I had forgotten because never shared, but now I'm quite sure I reused the card board pieces for as long as they lasted.

So long story short, when I found this set of in total 18 bags in March I had no need to keep them and listed, asked €7,50, got €8,50. Buyer paid €12 including shipping, would have cost him over €20,00 (best deal I found) buying new on line.

Just for fun I packed them in a crazy luxury bag...

For real, this simply had the size, shape and firmness I needed. After stapling it all up it didn't look so stylish anymore. And for me antoher one gone from the lot I also use for books.

RSI Original Starter Roller Skates

I found this pair of roller skates November last year neatly placed on the curb on my way to somewhere, obviously meant to be picked up.

With really everything in not totally new but really good condition I thought I could get at least get a third of new price (around €180) and listed them even below at €50. But I already saw lower priced comparables then. But it was for a first try.

As you never know, but no chance. A few days ago after non response the ad had expired and I gave it a second try at €20. This morning someone offered €15 and I gladly accepted.

Pricing quality products like this is trial and error. At the thrift shop we have a big shelf full of skeelers, roller skates, and ice skates that in general go for not much more than €5. The demand for second hand seems to be low, people who can afford it buy new. And for short use? I think I'm lucky with what I got and happily boxed them tonight. And another big box out of my house!