Value

I have been thinking about value the last couple of days because I am interested in purchasing something off craigslist.

Value can have many different meanings but in this instance I have learned that an item has different value to different people. In this case, the seller has set a price on the item that represents what he thinks is the value (in dollars) of the item.

I do a lot of thinking as I drive to and from work each day because the car that I am driving right now does not have a radio/cd player. It is kind of nice actually to have the time to think.

As I was driving in this morning, I was thinking about this item and an email that I sent to the buyer last night. I told him in the email that it was not worth my time to drive the hour plus to where he lives if his price does not come down. The item is not something we need. It is something that we want. When I thought about it that way, the value (in dollars) that I place on the item is much less than what the seller is asking. When I talk to him today, which I hope I do, I will use this logic to explain to him that I am willing to drive to look at the item and consider purchasing it if he can lower the value he has placed on the item in order to sell it to me.

I like this train of thinking and may have more to say on it at a later date. I will try to update how the negotiation of value goes for this item.