once again, craigslist is my friend

Last month, I went to a yarn store that was closing and saw a hanging organizer cabinet with a magnetic chalkboard. Both cabinets the store had for sale were sold, and my sister and I were really disappointed. I guessed that it was Pottery Barn, and after searching through the cabinet, I found a little Pottery Barn tag. So when I got home, I searched and searched online for it, only to discover that it had been on sale in 2007. After unsuccessfully searching craigslist and eBay, I posted a want ad with the stock photo I found and hoped for the best.

After a week or two of not posting the want ad, I decided to post it again yesterday. Last night, I got a response from a woman who lives 2 hours away, but would be about 30 minutes away this morning to drop off her daughter at the airport. We agreed on a meeting time, and now I am the excited owner of a craft organizer!

She said it was in excellent condition, but on the way home, I was dismayed when I discovered scratches on the bottom. I was annoyed about it since, if I had seen them, I would have asked her to bring down the price, but it's too late now. I also found that one of the drawers has chips and nicks on the side, and the corner of the drawer seems brittle. The damage won't interfere with the functionality of the drawer, especially considering I didn't even notice it when I inspected it. This will be a lesson to look more closely before I buy, though this is the first time I've cared about finding damage after the transaction -- probably because I felt like I could have talked her down on the price.

Also, DH just pointed out that we are also missing the other side of the hanging mechanism. It was in the picture she sent me, so I know she has it, but I don't know if I want to drive 2 hours for a stick of metal. I emailed her about it, so we'll see what she says. I don't want to pay for shipping either. I wonder if Pottery Barn is like Ikea and will give spare parts for free.

Anyway, I filled in the scratches on the bottom and on the drawer. When the light hits it at a certain angle, you can see the Sharpie strokes, but since it's the bottom, you won't see it anyway.

Before


After