(MSK Ep. 02) How Much Is My Old Toy Really Worth? Teaching Kids to Set Their Own Price
A declaration is made.
A child holds up an old toy robot and shouts, "This is going to sell for a ton!"
The parent laughs and shakes their head. Behind that laugh, one question is hiding.
Why does my child think anything that belongs to them is automatically expensive?
The answer is simple. They can't yet tell the difference between value and price.
Value is how precious something feels to me. Price is the number someone else pays. The two are not the same.
Today's mission is about learning that difference firsthand. Pick one old toy from around the house. Today's mission is to put a price tag on it directly.
Why does my toy only look precious to me?
The child absolutely can't let go of the toy they've put up for sale. Even when told to lower the price, they shake their head. "But I played with this robot every day" bursts out.
In their eyes, it's a treasure chest. In everyone else's, it's just an old box.
Without understanding that difference, a child will spend a lifetime believing only their own things are expensive. Negotiation can't start. Neither can a deal.
Press the "standard" button, and the child comes to see their things through someone else's eyes, too.
Why does the first number matter so much?
The child throws out a high number first, with no basis at all. And then can't get away from it.
The anchoring effect — when your mind locks onto the very first score you see in a game. (In plain terms: the first number you hear sticks to your mind, and it can't be changed.)
Just like the first score that pops up on a game screen becomes the standard, the first number a child says becomes the standard in their head. Even if that number is wrong, their mind is already tied to it.
Press the "number" button, and the child becomes someone who moves past the first price they named.
It's not even new — so why does it still have a price?
Looking at the scratched-up toy, the child gets upset. "Can I even get money for this?" Seeing the faded color and one loose button, their face falls.
Condition is an ingredient in price. How worn it is, how clean it is — all of it goes into the number. Even a single scratch, a single stain, becomes part of the ingredients.
It's the same with clothes, with shoes. The better the condition, the higher the price.
Press the "condition" button, and the child gains an eye for examining things closely.
If no one wants to buy it, what happens to the price?
When there's no buyer, the price comes down. That's not failure — it's a signal the market is sending. Lowering the price is also a step in negotiation.
The price you want to receive and the price the other side is willing to pay are different. Finding a new number somewhere between the two — that's a deal.
Press the "signal" button, and the child comes to read the answer the market is sending.
Once the button is pressed, how does the child change?
After much thought, once the price tag is finished, the child learns to attach a reason to even a single object. Instead of a vague number, they start giving a number with a basis behind it. When a parent asks why that price, they answer by pointing to the condition, the scratches.
Press the "action" button, and starting today, the child becomes someone who makes their own price tags.
Leo (not his real name) used to be a kid who insisted his toys were automatically expensive.
One button was pressed.
He checked the condition, and learned the standard for setting a price through someone else's eyes. He checked one loose arm, lowered the price himself, wrote it down, and stuck the tag on. It came down to almost half of the number he'd first named — but his face was bright instead.
Look at the object, then set the price. That's Leo's first pricing standard.
📌 Coming up next:
The buy-one-get-one secret even the grocery store owner doesn't know.
That's next time.
Please look forward to it.
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