Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.06.2008, Blaðsíða 27

Destination | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 07 2008 | 27
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Hundreds of Icelanders convened in an empty
warehouse on the outskirts of Reykjavík last week-
end. While the levels of excitement displayed by
the hefty crowd are usually reserved for car-deal-
ership BBQs or reality TV auditions, this particu-
lar Saturday was different, for neither instant-fame
nor hot dogs were up for grabs. What was on offer,
however, were hundreds of old bikes in all shapes
and sizes that the Reykjavík police department
was auctioning off from its Lost-and-Found, along
with a bunch of power tools.
The auction went in a typically Icelandic
fashion, with the first ten bikes going for cheap, for
no one wanted to seem too eager. The next hun-
dred were overpriced, because no one wanted
to miss out on a good deal, while the remaining
hundred (a total of 250 bikes was up for grabs)
went for an overtly reasonable price as all the high
bidders had left for home with their fancy new
second-hand bikes. One bidder remarked to the
Grapevine: “This is a good place to get a bargain,
sure. However, it seems that some people are so
eager to bargain that they constantly overbid in
their zany attempts to save money, usually for stuff
they neither want nor need. It may be Icelandic
short-sightedness in a nutshell.”

Text by Haukur S. Magnússon
Photos by GAS
Overpriced
Bargaining
Ahoy!