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Apr 07, 2024

Aussie mum selling $50 furniture item on Facebook Marketplace left stunned over customer’s strange act

A young mum who was trying to sell a piece of furniture for $50 on Facebook Marketplace has told of the bizarre encounter she had with the potential buyer. Roisin Tarrant, from Queensland, gave her

A young mum who was trying to sell a piece of furniture for $50 on Facebook Marketplace has told of the bizarre encounter she had with the potential buyer.

Roisin Tarrant, from Queensland, gave her home address to a stranger after he messaged her inquiring about the old workbench she had listed for sale.

When the man arrived with his wife to collect the item, Roisin expected them to hand over the cash.

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But instead, the unsuspecting seller watched as the couple simply drove off with her item without paying her.

“I think I just got majorly scammed on my own Facebook Marketplace listing,” Roisin said in a video.

“I listed this workbench for sale and I listed it for $50. This guy had messaged me and said, ‘Can I come get it now?’ I said, ‘Yes’, gave him my address, he arrives.

“The first thing he says to me is, ‘Thank you so much for your generosity’... I was like, I mean... it’s a sale.”

After loading the workbench into his trailer, the couple simply drove away without paying.

“They’re at the end of my driveway, and they’re like, ‘Thanks so much again, bye’,” Roisin recalled.

Despite the bizarre encounter, the mum saw the funny side to the situation as she pointed out she needed to get rid of her furniture before her big house move.

“At this point, we’re moving and I just needed it gone so whatever, I can’t be f***ed... Anyway, one less thing for me to move from one house to another,” she said, laughing.

“But yes, I kind of respect the assumptive close of just, ‘Thank you so much, that’s so generous for you to give it to me without charging me’. Or he could’ve just completely forgotten, who knows?

“You’ve gotta respect the confidence.”

Roisin later revealed she ended up messaging the man to let him know he’d forgotten to pay.

It’s unclear whether the man has responded to her message.

“I have realised I am too trusting,” she said, laughing.

Her video has been viewed more than 110,000 times - with many sharing their own Facebook Marketplace experiences.

“Girl, I literally helped someone move a couch they ‘bought’ from me and they never paid,” one shared.

Another said: “Omg! This happened to me once too! I was too scared to be like, ‘Wait you are coming back to pay it?’”

One revealed: “I had a guy pack an entire bedroom suite into a trailer and then when my partner asked for the money, he laughed and the guy said, ‘I thought it was free’. It was $400. He had to unpack it all.”

Another shared: “Had this happen to me! Some people have no morals.”

One added while laughing: “I had someone organise to buy something from me the other day. She turned up without her money acting like she forgot, at least she tried.”

While another explained how a customer got away with a free item, saying: “This happened to me but with a Christmas tree. I just couldn’t be bothered to mention it.”

Meanwhile, many suggested being transparent about the payment over Messenger before they arrive.

“My rule is you give me the money before I hand anything over,” one said.

Another suggested: “I’d reiterate the price like, ‘Please bring $50 cash, I don’t have any change on me’.”

One shared: “Always ask how they are paying before giving address.”

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