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Trading a $5.99 Used Softball Bat for a $1,500 Challenger Cart

WeberWho
WeberWho Posts: 11,008
edited June 2021 in EggHead Forum
That's maybe not completely true but not too far off from the truth. 

Last week I stopped at a Goodwill to see if I could find something completely useless and not needed. (My goal is to walk out empty handed) I was looking through the sport section and came across a couple softball bat handles peeking out from a cubby. I pulled them out as I could only see the knobs and much to my surprise they were like new Miken softball bats. Unfortunately the two softball bats didn't have the new stamp on them to make them legal in our softball league. Especially the Miken Freak bat as it's one of the hottest older bats produced before being banned. (I had this particular Miken Freak bat back in the day and it was a beast. A good chance the umpire would recognize this particular bat and not allow it) So I put the bat back and took a look at the other Miken bat. I didn't recognize that particular Miken model bat so I decided to grab it as the umpire probably wouldn't give me much grief for it. Even if it didn't have the updated stamp on it to make it legal in our league. I threw it in my cart and went on my way. A few minutes later I found myself gravitating back towards the Miken Freak bat I passed on earlier. I tossed it my cart as well as it was only another $5.99. Even if it couldn't be used in our league. After getting home I go online and see that people are asking $250 for a used Miken Freak bat on eBay and the one I picked up was in way better condition. So I tossed it on Marketplace for $100 and it was sold within a day. The person was going to come down from Duluth (6 hour round trip for the bat). Crazy! I told the buyer I'd ship it to her to save the time and money in gas) I guess my extra $5.99 softball bat purchase was worth it! 



My $100 from the bat didn't even last 24 hours. I did my routine BGE search on Marketplace/Craigslist and came across a cart. It looked like a Challenger table but I was second guessing myself as it was listed for $100 and  Marketplace won't let you zoom in on pictures. So I message the seller and ask if it's a Challenger table. I hear back from the seller and he says, "I don't know. I'm selling it for a friend and it's in my garage." Which didn't help me any. My next message, "How's the overall condition of it?" His response, "It's dirty. I really can't tell." That didn't help any either. I told the seller I'd be up after work. I figured it was worth the gamble. The owner has it rolled out in the driveway when pulling up in the truck. The first thing I see on the cart was a label that says "Challenger". This guy had absolutely no idea what he was selling or care to do any research on it. It was plain as day a Challenger cart. Plus I was 99% sure it was a Challenger when I took two minutes to do the research on it myself. It ended up being in really nice condition. It was an easy $100 purchase. If $100 wasn't the cherry on the top, I found a ceramic BGE cap, and BGE feet in the cabinet below. My BGE cap ended up shattering 5-6 years ago. I've just used the daisy wheel to snuff it out when I'm done with a cook. The BGE cap was an extra $25+ bonus. 

A pic of the cart. 



I hope I don't come off as bragging as it's not my intention whatsoever. I more or less found it kind of funny how I almost traded a softball bat for BGE cart. 

I have some pork shoulders going on later tonight....
"The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

Minnesota

Comments

  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    That's phenomenal! 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,430
    Cool beans!  I've only gotten one "really great deal" in my life, but its better than zero.
    Do you have a pic of the coveted softball stamp?  I know a guy...
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    Botch said:
    Cool beans!  I've only gotten one "really great deal" in my life, but its better than zero.
    Do you have a pic of the coveted softball stamp?  I know a guy...


    This is the current stamp. We were told at the beginning of the season that they will be switching stamps next season. Bunch of bullsh*t. No way the USSSA league and bat manufacturers aren't connected together making money on this and laughing all the way to the bank. 
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
    That’s awesome!
    Might be worth contacting him again and asking if his friend has any other BGE parts?
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    This rings so loud, "Better to be lucky than good!"  But to your credit you have to go looking and strike when you get that window of opportunity!.
    Well played.
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    Photo Egg said:
    That’s awesome!
    Might be worth contacting him again and asking if his friend has any other BGE parts?
    That's a great point. I also found these tucked in the cabinet. One of these items would have me worried.... :open_mouth:



    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
    WeberWho said:
    Photo Egg said:
    That’s awesome!
    Might be worth contacting him again and asking if his friend has any other BGE parts?
    That's a great point. I also found these tucked in the cabinet. One of these items would have me worried.... :open_mouth:



    Agree, that vertical roast rack is crap.lol
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    edited June 2021
    Photo Egg said:
    WeberWho said:
    Photo Egg said:
    That’s awesome!
    Might be worth contacting him again and asking if his friend has any other BGE parts?
    That's a great point. I also found these tucked in the cabinet. One of these items would have me worried.... :open_mouth:



    Agree, that vertical roast rack is crap.lol
    I can't tell you how many of those I've been gifted and either donated or gave away to friends over the years. It has to be pushing double digits. I always make sure to "include" one of those if I'm flipping a grill or smoker. I mean it's a must have!
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    I use to have a love/hate relationship with the Stoker but now it's just hate. When it works it's a fantastic controller. When it doesn't (pretty much everytime) it's a pile of garbage. The Stoker once again dropped the signal and went offline earlier this morning. Fortunately the Stoker must lock itself into temp if it goes offline. As it was still sitting around the temp I had locked into the Stoker. Once I reboot the Stoker it picks back up and works where it left off. I'm going to see if I can set up a static IP address to see if it helps any at some point. 

    I've been reading other threads about the same issue I'm having and it could be a firmware issue. I have a spare backup Stoker if a static IP address doesn't fix the current one. I really like the Stoker and all the options it gives you but I don't wish this on anyone!

    I had to pull out the trusty DigiQ. I could have manually set up the Stoker without Wifi but the DigiQ is basically plug and play. I'm not trying to figure out the Stoker at 4:45am.



    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,868
    Nicely done with the table.  Reminds me of these articles you find online where someone starts with something worth a couple of bucks, then through a series of trades eventually ends up owning an RV or something ridiculous like that.  Sometimes it seems the key is not what an item is objectively worth so much as how much it’s valued by someone else, in both directions.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    Nicely done with the table.  Reminds me of these articles you find online where someone starts with something worth a couple of bucks, then through a series of trades eventually ends up owning an RV or something ridiculous like that.  Sometimes it seems the key is not what an item is objectively worth so much as how much it’s valued by someone else, in both directions.
    I'd be interested in hearing the backstory but the seller wasn't interested in chatting as he was in the middle of mowing his grass when I pulled in. He obviously knew nothing about it as he was selling it for a friend.

    The scenarios are endless on why they sold it and for the price they did. Like you mention above, it wasn't valued as others might value it but that's okay. Sometimes time is worth more than the money itself. I'm guessing the previous owner didn't want to be hassled with selling it. He obviously could afford to sell the table for what he was asking. Some of us drool and dream looking at some of Tspuds and Challenger tables where others it's simply a material item and cost is no object or value. I can also appreciate that. 
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    5 naked, injected, butts this morning for a graduation party tomorrow. 




    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • loco_engr
    loco_engr Posts: 5,759
    Vincent . . . I think you might have out done Photo Egg with his many pawn shop finds!  =)
    aka marysvilleksegghead
    Lrg 2008
    mini 2009
    XL 2021 (sold 8/24/23)
    Henny Youngman:
    I said to my wife, 'Where do you want to go for our anniversary?' She said, 'I want to go somewhere I've never been before.' I said, 'Try the kitchen.'
    Bob Hope: When I wake up in the morning, I don’t feel anything until noon, and then it’s time for my nap
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    loco_engr said:
    Vincent . . . I think you might have out done Photo Egg with his many pawn shop finds!  =)
    I'm a Craigslist/Marketplace junkie. Darian has a life.  =)
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • Hotch
    Hotch Posts: 3,564
    Nicely done Vincent!! B)
    Large BGE, MiniMAX BGE, 2 Mini BGE's, R&V Fryer, 36" Blackstone Griddle, Camp Chef Dual Burner 40K BTU Stove
    BGE Chiminea
    Prosper, TX
  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
    I'm kind of blown away that such a simple table retails for $1500.  Maybe there is a market for ones like the custom steel one I just finished, even if I do have to spend another $375 to have it powder coated.
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    edited June 2021
    njl said:
    I'm kind of blown away that such a simple table retails for $1500.  Maybe there is a market for ones like the custom steel one I just finished, even if I do have to spend another $375 to have it powder coated.

    The price is steep. I couldn't ever see myself spending $1,500 on this particular table. This table would be the one I chose though if given the option since I roll my BGE in/out of the garage. It's really not any longer from front to back than it was in its nest. So that's a bonus. The quality and construction is really nice. My Dad who's an engineer by trade looked it over and was really impressed with it. (All heavy gauge stainless construction) My Dad isn't the easiest person to impress when it comes to design and fabrication but even he was impressed with it. Especially the gauge of the stainless. I'd imagine the cost of the raw material is a good chunk of the cost. (Especially now) Plus the other costs of the fabrication, shipping, etc ends up probably more expensive than one might think. It's maybe not worth $1,500 but it's also not IKEA quality. USA made. If I was in the market for a new stainless constructed table I'd be bugging Tspud here on the forum. You can't find a person here on the forum who's bought a table from Tspud that would say a negative thing about it. Always nice when you can help the smaller guy out. 


    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
    The googling I did suggested their carts are all aluminum construction...maybe the hinges and latches are stainless?
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    njl said:
    The googling I did suggested their carts are all aluminum construction...maybe the hinges and latches are stainless?
    That makes sense. I read somewhere it was stainless construction. The inside cabinet appeared to be stainless where it's not powder coated. I'd have to double check. Maybe it's aluminum. My dad did question why they'd powder coat stainless steel. I just assumed maybe it was the reflection it would give off. It appears you can get my version of it in stainless or aluminum. My dad didn't believe it was stainless at first. He took a magnet to it and it didn't stick. (The magnet wouldn't stick to aluminum either) It would seem kind of pointless to powder coat stainless but they do. I'm not sure how you would check unless you remove the powder coat. 


    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • Toxarch
    Toxarch Posts: 1,900
    Those Freak bats were all the rage back when I played. That was a nice find.

    My Stoker would act funny every now and then and I did not want to chance ruining an expensive piece of meat. I still have it as a "just in case". I bought the Smobot and I really like it a lot. It ramps down the heat a little early for my taste but other than that it works great. Seems to use less lump than the power draft Stoker did. 
    Aledo, Texas
    Large BGE
    KJ Jr.

    Exodus 12:9 KJV
    Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    edited June 2021
    Toxarch said:
    Those Freak bats were all the rage back when I played. That was a nice find.

    My Stoker would act funny every now and then and I did not want to chance ruining an expensive piece of meat. I still have it as a "just in case". I bought the Smobot and I really like it a lot. It ramps down the heat a little early for my taste but other than that it works great. Seems to use less lump than the power draft Stoker did. 
    I'm computer illiterate but I'm going try to attempt to create my own static IP address. I'm sure it's going to go horribly wrong!   =)
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
    WeberWho said:
    njl said:
    The googling I did suggested their carts are all aluminum construction...maybe the hinges and latches are stainless?
    That makes sense. I read somewhere it was stainless construction. The inside cabinet appeared to be stainless where it's not powder coated. I'd have to double check. Maybe it's aluminum. My dad did question why they'd powder coat stainless steel. I just assumed maybe it was the reflection it would give off. It appears you can get my version of it in stainless or aluminum. My dad didn't believe it was stainless at first. He took a magnet to it and it didn't stick. (The magnet wouldn't stick to aluminum either) It would seem kind of pointless to powder coat stainless but they do. I'm not sure how you would check unless you remove the powder coat. 


    Well, stainless will still rust, just nowhere near as fast as mild steel.  Aluminum won't rust, but it would need to be powder coated, painted, or anodized if you didn't want the "bare metal" look.
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    edited June 2021
    njl said:
    WeberWho said:
    njl said:
    The googling I did suggested their carts are all aluminum construction...maybe the hinges and latches are stainless?
    That makes sense. I read somewhere it was stainless construction. The inside cabinet appeared to be stainless where it's not powder coated. I'd have to double check. Maybe it's aluminum. My dad did question why they'd powder coat stainless steel. I just assumed maybe it was the reflection it would give off. It appears you can get my version of it in stainless or aluminum. My dad didn't believe it was stainless at first. He took a magnet to it and it didn't stick. (The magnet wouldn't stick to aluminum either) It would seem kind of pointless to powder coat stainless but they do. I'm not sure how you would check unless you remove the powder coat. 


    Well, stainless will still rust, just nowhere near as fast as mild steel.  Aluminum won't rust, but it would need to be powder coated, painted, or anodized if you didn't want the "bare metal" look.
    It appears to be aluminum the more I read about it. I don't know what I read earlier about Challenger being constructed with stainless. That's makes way more sense with it being powder coated. Aluminum or stainless $1,500 is some real coin. I can't imagine what they'll be getting for them now. 
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota