[Ojai]

Just a small rant.

This is the first time it has taken me more than a few weeks to sell a car. I have both our cars listed way under blue book, and I have not had even one nibble in three weeks. Our extra electrical products and electronics have been up on Craigslist and other sites, with very little response, and all of them are lowballs.

This is very frustrating. Both because I can't get the money out of my car I want to get (and frankly need to have for when we get to Wellington), and because it is becoming blindingly obvious to me how rough the economy here has gotten in just the past six months. I don't know if it's just Southern California or all over the US, but this has certainly thrown a small spanner in our plans.

[BkyMonster]

Tell me about it. Have knocked 25k off the price of my (not very expensive) house and it still hasn't sold.
At this rate I'll lose my pet shipping deposit and have to go through the whole mess again. Well, I have a few weeks. Think positive right? :o
I'm sure it is worse in SoCal as technically the economy (jobs) is growing up here in Oregon. We just have an echo effect from other parts of the country.
No consumer confidence, so everyone is holding tight.

[Ojai]

We're thinking positive. So far, at least!

At worst, we will have to downgrade our shipping from a 20 foot to a shared with only our boxes coming (no furniture). That would be bad, but fortunately we still mostly have IKEA and Target furniture, so we would only bemoan our sofa and a few antique chairs.

Still, hope for the best!

[Ojai]

Whew! Sold my car, but had to take a 25% hit on my asking price to get it sold in time. The other one we dropped to and broke even on.

Don't even get me started on craigslist sales of our household goods!

[TheDude]

Luckily I live in one of the only areas of the country sorta immune to the economic slowdown. The Gulf Coast of Mississippi and Alabama are BOOMING.

[Red Devil]

... is that because of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?

How are things there now? Going off the TV coverage it certainly looked bad in New Orleans & Louisiana :eek:

[Ojai]

Luckily I live in one of the only areas of the country sorta immune to the economic slowdown. The Gulf Coast of Mississippi and Alabama are BOOMING.

Dude, my family is in Mobile, AL. Thus I know how it is immune :cheers

[gonzo]

Have you ever heard the English expression "frying pan to fire"?. You could be hitting NZ just as the economy here hits the skids, hope that this is not the case but the boom times in NZ appear to be well and truly over. On a more serious note you may wish to consider bringing as much furniture and compatible electrical goods as possible as relative to the US prices are very high.