As folks collapse on the sofa, full of roast beast and replete with the goodies of the season, it’s worth thinking a bit about recycling as much as we can of the waste this whole business generates. If you were lucky enough to score some electronic goodies (cell phones, iPods, etc., etc.) that will orphan some of your old gear, you might consider giving or selling those bits on. We sold a bunch of gear on eBay before we came to the UK, and donated a great 19″ CRT monitor that no one bid on to the local school system. Services like FreeCycle make it a lot easier to find happy homes for things you no longer want but which could still be useful to others.
Barring selling or donation, definitely explore recycling them instead of just pitching them in the trash. Cast off electronic represent the fastest growing component of the municipal waste stream, and the problem’s just gonna get larger. Cell phones don’t biodegrade or compost well, and there are now something like 1 billion cell phones on the planet, which makes for a pretty hefty garbage truck.
Looking for some tips on how to gracefully move some old electronics on to their next life? There’s lots of info on-line, including this nice piece from The Daily Green.
Thanks to Alexandre Van de Sande for the cool photo.
The ePlace To Buy and Sell Almost Anything – LOCALLY!
YardSaleCA.com
How To Write An Attractive Ad
Pictures Are Worth A Thousand Words!
Simply put – ads with pictures get more views than ads without.
Write An Attractive Headline.
You need to get the viewers attention and “Puppies For Sale” just won’t do it. Sometimes, starting your ad with a question can be a draw. Something like “Have you ever seen a better looking car?” might do it. But don’t be too cute. If viewers can’t tell what you are selling, they just won’t care to look.
Keep It Short But Informative.
Most people tend to read short ads in their entirety, but if an ad is too long it may go unnoticed. Good classified ads also speak in short, informative lines, so three to four word sentences work well.
Just The Facts.
Don’t make your item appear too good to be true. Leave out the hype and state the real, true facts clearly and concisely. This isn’t a classified newspaper ad and you are not paying by the word, so write as much as you need to. Just don’t bore your reader.
Choose Your Category Well.
If your ad is not getting the attention it deserves, maybe it’s in the wrong Category.
Spelling Counts.
Make sure to proof read your ad carefully before submitting. If a typing or spelling error confuses the reader, you’ll lose them.
Use “Action” Words.
Using action words in ad headlines and body text prompts the viewer to react. You know what they are because you react to them yourself. They include: amazing, attractive, confidential, free, guarantee, look, save, etc. These words subconsciously make readers want to know more.
Price To Sell.
Make sure you are asking for a realistic price – don’t over-price your item. And forget those “Make An Offer” offers. Ads with prices get far more quality responses than those that don’t.
Respond To All Offers.
Even if an offer is not what you expected, respond promptly to all offers to your ad. If nothing else, you’ll keep their attention. And if you wish, you can make a counter-offer to a recognised interested party.
OK – it was a tough one on whether to approve the previous comment or not. It’s clearly a blatant ad, but it’s a coherent, focussed ad (instead of machine generated gibberish) on a topic that’s relevant to the post. So I let it through. It was a close one, though, and I’m not sure how I’d respond next time to something similar…