DAY 15: Garage full of brand name mattresses still in plastic at showcase home
This title is the same title I wrote DAY 12 on Facebook Marketplace. My inbox continues to implode! A possible first appointment fell through as the only convenient time for the buyer to see it was on Sunday. The Sabbath. But I kept to my principles and now continue to respond the hourly inquiries.
First go-arounds on Facebook
“So, are the beds $150?” Isaac on Facebook messages.
“I have box foundations for king-size beds that wholesale for $150. The mattresses are a bit more. Are you looking for a queen or king?” I respond, wondering if I should have advertised the price point at $150. My thought was simple: promote one of the bottom-price products in my garage. So, I chose the box foundations.
“How much for the queen or king? I have a box for them already,” Issac writes back.
“$350 for the pillow-top queen and a hundred more for the king. Good quality. My oldest daughter likes hers. And she’s picky!” I message.
No reply. No more from Issac.
A few minutes go by and I get another message; this time, from Laura: “We are in the process of buying a new home and are in need! My boyfriend is off shift tomorrow and would be able to come check them out.”
I respond quickly by giving out my mobile number, prices, and times I can meet. No response. No more from Laura.
Another ten conversations go by, similar responses. No appointments.
Joy! My first sale
Then, Joy contacts me. She tells me she needs a queen size mattress right away. My $380 price is too high for her, but she wants it anyway and feels it is “well worth the price.” She asks for an installment plan telling me she’s on government aid and working off a part-time income. “I am a woman of my word,” she ensures me, “I really need to get off the floor and into a mattress quick.”
Her story strikes a nerve in me. My heart goes out to her. “I know how you feel,” I respond. “We too were on the floor for a week before our mattresses arrived.”
I agree to the installment plan. She arranges for a friend to help her pick up the mattress, box foundation, and metal frame. She can’t pay me until February.
“Your first sale is giving it away?” Denielle teases me as I tell her the situation.
What can I say? I have a big heart. And, Joy is a woman of her word. We shall see. But as I told her in my message, she could take advantage of me and if she does, she deserves the mattress even more. We all need help at some point in our lives. I am glad I was able to help Joy.
A way Joy can win
Then I get a thought–an impression that won’t go away. My fingers fly across the keyboard as the idea translates into words on my screen: “Joy, want to pay off your mattress and make additional income on the side? I need a virtual assistant. Someone who can place and coordinate ads like the one you responded to. I pay 10% on all sales made. You could pay off your mattress and then begin to make a few hundred bucks a week to help out. What do you think?”
Maybe Joy will respond by DAY 16. We’ll check back on her then.
Activity and an invitation
So, this Facebook Marketplace is working. Activity is high. Appointments are being set. Fifteen days in the business and I sold my first mattress–or just gave it away. Time will tell. Our dining room tables, sectional, and bed frames are in and assembled (thanks in large part to my nine-year-old son who loves to work with tools).
And I just got an invitation from Larry Kozin and the team to join them in Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Market and Convention where I will meet fellow furniture brokers and dealers as well as corporate team members. I read further, “Kyle, we would like you to speak about your adventures in finding financial freedom in furniture and your progress on the Kozy Home Showcase project in Tucson.”
Wait! Aren’t I the new guy? So much for going as a sponge. Excited still the same.
Well, got to go. More Facebook messages by the minute now to respond to. Tune in DAY 16 as we explore together the ins and outs of Facebook Marketplace.
Missed DAY 1?
