My mother-in-law recently became Craigslist obsessed. She has always been a sucker for a bargain or getting something for nothing, so naturally, Craigslist makes tons of bargains and free goods available at the click of a mouse. During one of her browsing sessions, she stumbled across one of the funniest ads I have ever seen. Since the ad has already been taken down I will share the whole thing here on my blog. Needless to say, the items went quick, and a lot of it I’m sure had to do with the ad copy:

FREE! $10 Bill (We’ll throw in a couch and chair too!)
Date: 2008-05-29, 3:31PM

That’s right, we’re giving away a free $10 bill! Too good to be true? Not at all! This is a real, non-counterfeit bill, made in here in the USA and usable all over the world! (*but only where US currency is accepted).

How can you get this free $10 bill you ask? I’ll tell you. This $10 bill has two good friends named Couch and Chair, and they must all go to a good home together. If you can come and take Couch and Chair home with you, then $10 bill would love to join. Sorry, the $10 bill cannot be taken to a new home without BOTH of its friends because it would be lonely.

**For those who haven’t caught on, we’ll pay you $10 to take our couch and chair…**

What would you do with these new great things? Here are some suggestions for Couch and Chair: sit on them, lay on them, spoon with a friend on them, watch tv on them, take a nap on them, read on them. Really, your options are endless.

But what about $10 bill? You could buy two gallons of gas and a Slurpee, a ten dollar gift card at your favorite store, ten items at a dollar store, a burrito with guacamole and chips and drink at Chipotle, two lunches at McDonald’s, etc. Or, you could just go for a free walk in the park with $10 bill tucked safely in your pocket.

Below are pictures of all three items for your viewing pleasure. The couch and chair are tan leather. The $10 bill is greenish and made with whatever materials bills are made of. Though they don’t show in the picture, the couch has a hole on the seat cushion part where it meets the back that we covered with blankets or pillows and no one ever knew. The chair may have a rip or two as well. Other than that, they’re in decent shape and perfect for those in a new home or apartment, college students, rec rooms, or people who like $10 bills. Please understand their condition before you come. If you don’t want a couch with any rips, this just isn’t the deal for you, but we wish you the best in your search! But really, any rips are easily coverable. Or you could just put the $10 towards a slipcover.

If you’ve read through everything and think your home would be the perfect place for these items, there’s one last thing to know. You’ll have to come pick these up yourself. We’ve fit the Couch and Chair together in a minivan with the back and middle seats removed, but they wouldn’t fit into anything smaller. They aren’t very heavy and are easily lifted by two people. We can help you carry it to your car, but can’t do it for you while you just carry the $10 bill.

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This is probably some of the most inventive and amusing ad copy I have read in a while. And it just goes to show that with the right marketing technique you can sell just about anything; even a ten dollar bill and some torn furniture.