Freecycle Failure

Freecycle Failure
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

I pride myself on the ability to market almost any item on Freecycle. This one didn't go.

The posting:

"OFFER: Vintage Valise (Not in great shape) Lower Manhattan

Approximately 20 inches long, 12 inches wide and 12 inches tall, this tan valise (1940s?) is a find from my days haunting thrift stores and tag sales.

The bag is coming apart at the seams; it's aged, scuffed and full of patina. The handles are secure and well attached. I'm doubtful that it could be repaired and used as a suitcase -- a particularly crafty person might find a way to upcycle, recycle or repurpose it as a possible decor item.

It's clean. I'm pretty sure I would have saddle soaped it back in the day; it has been in my closet for probably 20 years.

Please respond only if you can pick up before Monday, August 9. Please be willing to communicate via email, and commit to -- and keep -- a pickup time.

Though it's a bit unwieldy, it can be carried by the handles. I'll wrap it in plastic to ease transport. You'll be able to pick it up before the 9th from a 24 hour building.

Thanks, Freecyclers."

Now, maybe the fact that I didn't post it on the weekend had something to do with its failure to "sell".

One additional note:   While the main problem with the bag itself -- other than the fact that I no longer wanted it -- was that the stitching was rotten.   Repair wasn't a simple matter of getting it sewn back up.   I Might Fix It is a such a trap for me, and it keeps things stuck.

Other notes on the Why Kept front:  Sticky, Nostalgia, Out of Sight Out of Mind and Storage Boxes are Evil. (It was in a basket, being used as a storage box in the now far more spacious closet!)

Destination: Textile recycling at Union Square Greenmarket.  (They take shoes, so I reasoned that they'd take this small bag, too.)   I considered leaving it on the street, but realized that it might frighten -- or even endanger -- a police officer if someone thought it looked suspicious.