buying tvs

a little while ago, i was in the market for two tvs, so i went tv shopping. and since i'm a cheap kind of guy, i was shopping on craigslist for the "pre-owned" variety of
television. why two tvs you ask? well, you never know when someone might move halfway
across the world and need a television to watch.

first contact with the seller was via email to offer to take two tvs, a twenty-seven inch tv and a thirty two incher. the seller offered to reduce the price by $50 for taking two. upon inspection of the television, i deemed them of appropriate quality and
offered 300 cash for the lot ($100 lower than original asking price). he agreed, and we
formulated a plan to transport the tvs to my place.

the first item of business was moving the 27" tv into the back seat of my car. we used a rolling chair to wheel the tv to my car and were able to get it into the backseat without too much finagling. however, the 32" tv was a different matter. again, we wheeled the tv on a chair to the four steps going up to where my car was. however, as we were bringing the tv up 4 steps to the garage, the seller's foot got caught and we both fell down. i ended up hanging over the edge of the stair railing and staring down a three story fall. luckily, he caught the tv (or it fell on him, rather) and no damage was sustained other than me being a bit shaken up.

getting the 32" tv into the front seat was sort of like a puzzle. the tv only fit through the door frame a certain way, and then, had to be turned and lifted just right. after a lot of pushing and pulling, we finally got the tv into the front seat of my car. Then, the seller decided to use the power-seat function of the car to move the seat forward, so as to wedge the tv in between the seat and the dashboard. a seemingly good idea, until one realizes that the tv will reach the car's windshield prior to touching the dashboard. this, of course, resulted in a cracked windshield. at that point, the seller decided to became a giver and gifted me the two televisions in anticipation of the costs required for fixing said cracked windshield. so i drove back him with my money in my pocket and two tvs in tow.

luckily, i found out a few days later that windshield replacement was free under my insurance plan. so i came out of this buying experience with two tvs and a little bit wiser. for one, it definitely is not wise to attempt to move a 32" tv with a sedan. the second thing i learned is that i probably will never buy another CRT in my life. at least, definitely not one that can't fit in the back seat (27").