Just a minor rant here - more of a “huh, people are the dumb”.
Posting some really cheap stuff on FB, mainly to get rid of it. I expect the usual “is this available?” , followed by no replies ever again when I quickly respond “yes it is”. I think that some folks click this reply button because they think it’s a “like”
Posted an old trunk for $10. I included the dimensions of the trunk. I included three pictures with a tape measure showing the dimensions of the trunk.
First question: “What is the height, width of the trunk”?
Posted an old Craftsman (Sears) radial arm saw. Price is “Free” General and closeup pictures. Title is “OLD craftsman radial arm saw”
Description includes "This is really old - has been kicking around my basement for 20 years and was old when I got it.
First question: “Is this saw new?”
Posted a backpack with a closeup of the logo and mention of the brand name in the title and in the description.
First question “what brand is this?”
All three have not contacted me again. You’ve just got to laugh at the folks out there.
Yeah, a lot of listings I see on FB marketplace say ‘FREE’ in the search results, but the listing itself says a price (often a price that is offputtingly high, which is why they listed as ‘free’ - nobody would even look if they priced it), but sometimes because they don’t know the price they want and they just want people to make offers.
But yeah, a lot of people asking questions never come back. It’s annoying.
I posted a Zylux multimedia computer speaker system recently …
I got a message : “Is this still available”
I replied “Yes, do you want it ?”
I got the reply “Address and door number”
I ignored it and got rid of the item on Freecycle.
Worst I had to deal with was when I was giving away a couple of queen mattress sets. One woman was all set to come the next day, then I got a message “My husband thinks it’s too big.” And that’s why I don’t mark anything as sold or taken till it’s gone.
Same bed ads - people would ask, I’d respond, then hear nothing till the next day, and they’d be upset when I told them the beds were gone. Hey, you snooze, you lose.
Honestly, I’ve had worse luck with Craigslist. Marketplace seems to be pretty effective in my area. Except for the baby monitor - I still have that one. Dammit.
I sold a lot of power and hand tools and other stuff on FB when we were getting ready to decamp from Portland. Lots of trolls, for sure, but I did sell most everything I put on there. I learned to never agree to hold something for someone, as they often never showed up. My reply was always that there are several people interested; first one to show up with the money takes it. I never replied to the obvious trolls asking questions already answered in the ad.
My favorite was when I sold a computer, posted a bunch of photos of the exterior and interior, was talking to someone who was acting interested then he says “Nevermind, the case is ugly”. Wait – how did you avoid looking at all the photos until now? I assume he was just mad that I wouldn’t come down to where he wanted on price but that that was a weird way to bow out.
I agree though that, overall, I’ve had better luck with Facebook Marketplace than other options in terms of finding buys and finding buyers who aren’t total flakes. OfferUp, when I used it, was full of people who would ghost and Craiglslist was just a waste of time.
A couple of years ago, I had a long (16 foot) piece of 1 X 6 from a deconstruction project. Just a single piece. So I put it up for free.
Person: “Can you deliver to me?”
Me: “Sorry no. It’s free to the first person to pick up.”
Person: “That’s not very nice of you.”
Me: “That’s correct.”
Person: “Can you deliver to me?”
Me: “For fifteen bucks plus ten cents a mile."
Person: “But that’s more than the item costs.”
Me: “That’s correct."
Person: “You’re meaner than that guy with the piece of wood!”
Me: “And so the pupil has become a master…"
There’s a new variant of the ‘sextortion’ scam going around where the scammer sends a picture of your house to supposedly prove they have been surveiling you.
