After trolling the Toys ‘R Us website earlier this week for an exersaucer (sounds like a space-age treadmill, doesn’t it?), and finding a nice selection of hundred-dollar jumpy toys, I decided to take my shopping elsewhere: to Craig’s List.
I typed in “exersaucer”—not jumper, toy, kids games or other general search terms you’d figure would rile up a laundry list of offers. Just exersaucer. And a page full of listings confirmed I could pick up this bad boy for less than $40. In fact, I wouldn’t have to drive as far as Toys ‘R Us to get it either.
Score. Craig’s List is my kind of garage sale-ing. No rummaging. No early Saturday mornings. No crowds.
My first foray into Craig’s World was this summer when I needed to buy a $300 milk extractor (yes, breast pump) and a friend assured me that no, it’s not gross to buy a used one. You’re basically purchasing a motor. She was right, and I landed on a Medela for $75 that had been used only a few times. I met the seller in front of a Wal-Mart, traded cash for the boob sucker, and left feeling proud of my bargain. It was, by far, the strangest transaction I’ve ever participated in. It felt like mom mafia: Meet me in front of the big box store and I’ll trade you my lactation device for cold, hard cash!
On the drive home, I contemplated what I could sell on Craig’s List...
So, today we pick up the exersaucer, which should be as thrilling for a five-month old as being let loose in an amusement park—without mom! (The nice thing about the jumper is I’ve finally found something he enjoys sitting in so I can check email. With the addition of exersaucer, now I can shower, too. Ha!)
The shelf life on these toys is so short that shelling out top dollar seems ridiculous. And, if he hates it, I won’t feel like I was duped. I’ll just rely on good, old Craig again.
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