Pros and Cons of Buy, Sell and Swap Sites

Due to our impending house move, I am busily sorting through our treasured and not so treasured possessions in to keep, toss, sell or donate piles.
I am not a hoarder, at least I don't think I am compared to some horrors I have seen on the television.
The toss and donate piles are by far the easiest to decide on. If I don't want it, is it good enough for someone else to use or wear, we donate and if not, it's off to the skip for that item!
The dilemma comes when I decide to sell things. I am a member of a few local buy and sell sites which is the ideal place to capture a wide local audience for free.

Firstly, I have a look through these sites to try and decide a price, my husband always sets a higher one than me. Forget eBay, their prices are all vastly inflated compared to these community sales. Having decided on a price, I then painstakingly take the best pictures I can of the item from every possible angle, with and without the light on, careful to not get my shadow or reflection in the frame. 'Click!' and I'm ready to post.
I'm not particularly inventive with my ads, I give it a straightforward title and price, then usually add a rather bland description with the picture.
Some people's ads are really good, witty, funny and original. If I were to try and emulate them though, I think it would just look plain stupid or sad.
Excitedly I click on the 'Post' button and wait to see what happens......
Oh no! Suddenly 3 different people are fighting for my item, I obviously posted too low a price on it. Well too late now, it's not an auction site, so I can't accept the highest bidder. At least the item has gone, I have the money and the space.
Or, no-one is interested in my treasure. What? How could anyone not be tempted by the mock Tiffany-style lampshades for only $10? I liked them, that's why I bought them. They're not THAT bad are they? Suddenly I feel greedy and wish I'd posted them at a lower price from the beginning. Once you add, 'or best offer' to your ad or 'any reasonable offer accepted', then you wonder if people are seeing you as so desperate to get rid of that thing that you'll practically give it away.
After a few weeks of trying, if all else fails and no-one wants my bargain, even at the new knock down price, I have to decide whether I want to keep it or simply donate it to charity.
Garage sales are very popular here in the summer months and a great place to find a bargain. I do think some people mark up their prices just to get knocked down, but I'm often too polite and not brave enough to haggle. So I either pay their inflated price or pass.
We did go to a garage sale some years ago and were surprised to find an old cardboard box with a hole cut out for the head and arms and it was painted in a sort of robot design. It looked like a child had done it, worn it for a week, then threw it in the garage where it had been kicked around and trodden on for a couple of years. Yes, you know what I'm going to say, it was for sale! I think they wanted a couple of dollars for it - unbelievable.
I always have to laugh when I arrange to meet people to drop items off. It's usually outside Walmart or other public place. They see me sat in my car, pull up, pass me money, I pass them a package and they drive off. Sounds like a drug deal doesn't it? One of these days I'll be arrested in the middle of an operation whilst innocently handing a DVD over to a contented Mum, but if it ever happens, I'll save that for another Blog!