Baz the mechanic (aka my father in law) seems to have accidentally struck a formula to getting rich. Sure it’s going to take him 384 years to actually crack the mill with this system…but he’s well on his way already!
The formula is pretty simple really.
- List up an old car without an engine on Gumtree that still has some level of cult appeal. In Baz’s case it’s a 1971 Morris Mini shell with some rust issues.
- Put up with a deluge of people who don’t read this add in full and offer up a stupidly low price or ask a question that’s already been answered on the classified. *** Please note, Green mini in picture previously sold *** usually gets a couple of messages along the lines of ‘How much for the green one?’. You’ll also get ‘How much for cash’, ‘Is the engine in good nick?’ and ‘How much for both of them?’. Also if you put in the ad ‘No emails, please call’ everyone will email you because they can.
- Find at least one person who is so keen to buy it that they offer up a small cash deposit into your bank account so that you won’t sell it until they get there. It’s usually around $50.
- Organise a time and date for them to come around to check it out in person.
- Find something else to do to keep yourself busy on that day rather than standing around waiting for someone who never actually shows up. Ever.
- Never hear from them again.
- Keep the deposit and spend it on your current project. In Baz’s case it’s his Holden HR Wagon.
Why pay cash to hold a car that you’re never going to actually turn up to look at, let alone contact the seller about ever again? I mean Baz does appreciate your donation to the church of Wagons but he’d probably prefer to sell the damn thing and stop putting up with stupid questions. (I know it says sold, but how much for the Green one?)
Still if the deposits keep rolling in and then the buyers fail to show for some reason = easy money! 😛