Mother-daughter teaching moment

By Mir
December 2, 2006

I used to think there ought to be a law that when you’re selling a coordinating set of something—say, matching brother/sister Christmas sweaters—you have to list them together on eBay rather than as separate auctions. Because there is nothing more annoying in this world than agonizing over how high you bid to try to secure BOTH items, as having one but not the other is useless if what you really want is the set.

But after explaining auctioning and bidding to my daughter, and winning the first sweater (much to her delight), I sat here refreshing the page on the second sweater. We watched as someone swooped in and upped the bid with 3 minutes to go. I prepared to enter my bid and she piped up, “Mom. Better wait til there’s only about thirty seconds left so you don’t get sniped back.”

I don’t know that I’ve ever been prouder.

(Yes, we won the second sweater, too. I believe this was due to our combined, overwhelming shopping savvy.)

17 Comments

  1. Shari

    Awwww! Mothers and daughters rock. You two make a darling couple. :-)

  2. Karen Rani

    She could qualify for the eSS (eBay Sniper Seals) if she reduced her time to 19.4 seconds.
    *guilty of a 13.2 second snipe or sixty. I secured an X-box for someone for Christmas with 9 seconds to go (shhhhh). Oh yeah, who’s your daddy?

  3. lastewie

    So so cute! I was expecting an exasperated mommy vent*, but instead got treated to puffed up mommy pride! It reminds me of how I interact with MY mom, too! (Mom-How in the world did you get that new, unblemished cashmere sweater for $3.88? Me-Well, let me tell you…)

    *This is a function of reader using her own blog to release steam, rather than being any message of judgement or anything else potentially negative toward this blog’s author.

    Mir, I rarely comment, but let me tell you that your blog is the one I reach for first every morning. And I’m going to Athens next weekend! Want me to stop by and say hi to Otto??

  4. Heidi

    Whoa, so shopping genes can be passed on. I’m missing one.

  5. Janis

    Oh Mir… situations like that call for eSnipe! There is a small service fee (very, very small) which is so worth it when it puts your bid in for you in the last 6 seconds of every auction. You can set it and forget it, just like the Ronco Rotisserie. Congrats on the two sweater score, though. Chickadee is a very smart little Ebayer!

  6. Jenn2

    Oh my. I am wiping away a vicarious tear of pride. Good thinking, Chickie baby!

  7. whimspiration

    Yaaay! She’d make any Ferengi proud. Good girl!

  8. MMM

    Awesome. And good for her. I know you don’t show their faces, but PLEASSSSE show us their matching sweaters when they wear them!!! How cute!

  9. Daisy

    Fabulous. What an ingenious child.

  10. Cele

    wow, I am totally impressed with her ebay prowess.

  11. Two Sirius

    Oh, I haaaate that. If it’s a set, sell it as a friggin’ SET!

  12. udge

    Whoah. Frighteningly clever, the pair of you.

  13. Jenifer

    Ack! I hate last minute bidders. Good job you 2!

  14. Rachel May

    Good job on the bidding! But… matching sweaters?? You bring back terrifying childhood memories. *shudder*

  15. Mom101

    You’re my ebay hero. They better be some nice sweaters!

  16. David

    *smiling* Obi-Mir has taught you well, Chickadee! But, can you cut it closer than 15 seconds? On dial-up? *wicked gleam in the eyes*

  17. Damselfly

    The mother and daughter who shop together . . . how cute.

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