Craigslist responses

Here are the more notable responses to my Craigslist ad. First is the hippie:

Hey,

My mom is looking for a place to stay for the inauguration. I was on the campaign from the beginning, so I have 15 people stayin with me (starting a hippie commune). Do you have pictures of your place etc? She is willing to pay around 500 a night.

Thanks,

Meredith

Next is the mom with three teenagers in tow, who seems to have a good sense of humor:

Oh my God! You may be the funniest Republican ever!!

I ,and my two long-haired hippie teenagers plus a Muslim exchange student that I will be traveling with, will need probably more room than you have, but just in case you could make the accommodation, I would be happy to pay $650 per night and would would not require removal of any patriotic decor. As long as you aren't too far from the leftist celebrations.

By the way, I applaud your ingenious attempt to exploit the new-found spirit of bipartisanship in the country. The free-market lives!!

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Jenise

Last is my man Bryon:

You should write satire...

I do wonder how this bidding profit-maximizing plan is working out for you. Most of left-wingers want to know what something costs, as opposed to putting a price on it ourselves.

Anyway - wants aside, I do understand the forum...

Call me cheap, but, with no glossy advertisements provided, I will bid $150/night (tax inclusive, as I'm sure you'll give the city their TOT due) for 3 nights (1/18 in; 1/21 out).

Cheers!
Bryon

Bryon's email was the most interesting to me with his remark about wanting to know what something costs. The cost, however, is irrelevant. All that matters is demand and what the market will bear. My marginal costs for a guest to sleep in my bed are damn near zero, but it doesn't have the slightest bearing on what I intend to charge.