My Facebook Marketplace Horror Stories

it's wild out there but you've got to do what you've got to do for pretty things
✿ Check out Book of the Month and use the code "ARIEL"! www.bookofthem... ✿
☞ Support my channel by joining my Patreon family: / arielbissett
☞ Website: www.arielbisse...
☞ My book podcast: www.booksunbou...
☞ Music by: www.northernso...
☞ My name is Ariel and I’m a Canadian writer, poet, and KZbinr. I organize my shelves by genre and then colour and my favourite book is Animal Farm. I've been making bookish content online for a decade and love spreading a love of reading through videos, panels, articles, and more!
☞ Thanks for watching! ☜

[@biblionomads]

I wanted to go pick up some bluetooth headphones that a guy was selling for $75 (retails for $120). I was negotiating the price with him but then in the morning he messaged me saying that he was craving a Wendy's Baconator burger and that if I brought him one, he would give me the headphones for the price of the burger. I thought it was maybe a prank, so I brought my sister-in-law with me just in case. Got him the burger, he was stoked, and he gave me the headphones 🤷🏾‍♀ People are strange.

[@ArielBissett]

This is incredible 😂

[@bobbigaukel3860]

That’s somebody who is in complete control of marketplace 😂

[@Katie-hh9eu]

Sounds like he had the munchies, haha

[@liz-tastic.]

Definitely sounds like the munchies

[@cozyninos]

he bartered his headphones for a baconator XD

[@erin_neon]

"I am very dedicated to picking up these chairs" 😂 this is hilarious thank you for sharing all these stories omg

[@jordandmx269]

A story of proving there are good people! I was buying something for $35 dollars, and left the money under the mat. I had a newborn at the time so I was extra spacy and frazzled. Instead of leaving $20, $10, and $5 bills, I left a $20, a $10, and a $50. She contacted me right away and I was able to turn around and get the money right away and gave it to me for $33 because I didn't have another five, but did have a few random singles in my car. So grateful that she was honest and kind.

[@Stacy_SJA]

LOVE that she was honest!

[@poodlegirl55]

My best Facebook story is we moved into an older stone house that had a huge kitchen that was in rough shape. It only had one small section of cabinets and all the lowers were water damaged. We priced cabinets at builders stores, an Amish cabinet shop etc and it seemed like it would cost a fortune to get more than we had. We got the room all fixed up, new plumbing, electric and appliances but still no cabinets. I took a coffee break while working, looked at marketplace and five minutes before a man had listed an entire huge pile of cabinets he removed from a house. They were dark and ugly but solid oak and Amish made for $400. We raced over and picked them up and there were 17 cabinets, a whole trailer full. I painted them out and we installed them. 7 years later my husband still brags how I saved the budget and the whole home remodel with my amazing find. I wish I could show you the before and after!

[@ArielBissett]

Oh WOW!! I did think after this video that I want to make a sequel that’s “most victorious fb finds” or something because I’ve had a few of these more “construction materials” finds like your cabinets that just completely change the budget game!!!!

[@ginasmitasin479]

Our neighbors were remodeling their kitchen and they’d rented a dumpster for the cabinets. I asked if we could have them and put them in our garage. Floor to ceiling, wall to wall with a large area for working on projects. They were perfect. When we redid a kitchen (several houses later) I called a friend and asked if he wanted our old cabinets for his garage and delivered them to him. I hate throwing things away that someone else could use.

[@empressche333]

I did the same thing at my beach house. Bought solid oak cabinets off marketplace..whole kitchen for $500. Used what fit in my configuration, and sold off the rest!

[@EyeGlassTrainofMind]

Yes! This is exactly why Kitchen cabinets should be saved in demolition if they are still in good shape. So many people just rip and dump them out because they want a different style but they're still in great condition. Your cabinets sound amazing!

[@poodlegirl55]

@@EyeGlassTrainofMind The best thing is they look like they have always been there. I have an older home and I don't think new big box cabinets would look as good.

[@dorothyburgess1248]

I was in the market for 2 twin beds for what seemed like forever and when I found a pair I loved on Marketplace I was so thrilled. Only issue was the guy was selling them with mattresses which I didn’t need. I reached out and told him I would love to buy the beds (could even come today to scoop them) but would he consider selling them without the mattresses (I would pay full price, he just keeps the mattresses.) His literal first correspondence to me was, “ I DON’T HAVE TO SELL YOU ANYTHING!” And then he BLOCKED me! I was like... WTF just happened? 😅😂 People are so weird. LMAO.

[@ArielBissett]

Hahahaahhahha oh my god what! He freaked out. That’s so silly 🤦🏽‍♀️🙈

[@tikusblue]

Lol im guessing he just wanted them out of the house and doesn't want to figure out how to dispose of them himself.

[@poodlemuffin]

Sounds like someone who’d already dealt with a lot of unreasonable buyers who started out by asking an innocuous question and wasn’t prepared to spend energy to find out if that’s what you were going to turn into 😅

[@echothegoodwolf]

I bought a queen bed with mattress on marketplace and the lady I bought it from told me *repeatedly* that the only person who had slept on it was her elderly mother who was not $mexually actively. She really wanted me to be assured that her mother was celibate 😂

[@Stacy_SJA]

Yeah I see the “must take mattress” A lot… they probably can’t get rid of it but need it gone 😂

[@Hillary429]

“We just have to move the organ” is such a great inside joke Me and my friends say “it’s just like getting the mail” everytime our hiker friends recommends a trail cuz it’s always so much longer and harder

[@thevirtualtraveler]

My family's 'in joke" dating back to when my mother was a teenager is, whenever someone suggests doing something that, yeah, you COULD do that; but why WOULD you??? is "Yeah. And I could slit that convertible top."

[@meganchung69]

This video was so so fun!! I love both buying and selling on marketplace and I have a sweet story to share. My best marketplace story is that I met someone who is now one of my closest friends after buying from her! In January I bought a crib for my baby who was due in May. When she gave me her address it turned out that she only lived 2 blocks away. When I showed up at her place, she looked like she was a similar age to me, and her baby was also due in May. She also had a dog, and I wanted to reach out to her to see if she wanted to go for a walk or something because I just had a feeling like, maybe we have more in common. We ended up crossing paths with her and her partner a few times over the next few months because we live so close, and we even commented like "oh, eventually we'll see each other and have babies!" I ended up chickening out of contacting her, but a few weeks after I had my baby I messaged her something like "hey, I know you were due in May, too, I hope it went okay and you're all doing well". She messaged back asking if I wanted to go for a walk together with our babies. We went for coffee and found out that we both have so much in common, in particular we're both elementary school teachers working in the same district, we even have friends, students and families in common. We also both had traumatic birth experiences and being able to talk to each and grow through it with each other has been really special. We now hang out every week and our sons, who are only 2 weeks apart in age, are growing up together ❤️

[@adriana4animals]

That is such a beautiful story!! 😍

[@emilyb898]

this is so nice oh my god 😭

[@AvecPoesie]

This is so touching to read. It can be SO HARD to make friends, especially GOOD friends, as an adult. It is so lovely that you two found one another. 🖤

[@cjdflkj]

Oh Facebook marketplace is insane. I once sold early 1800s shutters and doors, great price, this woman said she wanted to come to look but for half price. I told her I had multiple people who wanted them full price that day, but she could come look as I was having a yard sale. She got there first but offered me again half. I said “no, this is already a fair price and another guy just called and is minutes out.” She grabbed the shutters and tried to load them and said “You don’t know if they’ll be here and I’ve got cash now, you’ll take my price.” I told her no and please leave. She put them back and blasted off. 😂 lady please

[@ginasmitasin479]

WOW! Who does that?

[@vaderladyl]

Cheapskates that have no patience or manners?@@ginasmitasin479

[@ah5721]

The audacity!

[@meganharper6566]

This reminded me of the time I was "robbed" at a yard sale I was having. After turning a man away earlier in the day for absolutely ludicrous low balling on everything, he rolled up at the end of the day, aggressively driving his car into the driveway, ran around and opened all of his car doors and then just started grabbing and shoving as many items as he possibly could in any available crevice in his already filled-to-the-brim-car. He was talking at me so fast and moving so quickly that I felt unsettled and backed away. Luckily my sister had the wherewithal to run and gather her boyfriend and his friends the second she saw his car, and they came out and stopped him from grabbing anything else. He jumped in his car and tried negotiating on prices from there, but it started getting pretty heated so I just agreed to let the items go. At that point the man turned to me and asked if he could return at 7:00 to take me out for something to eat. Guess he thought I was "so nice" that maybe I would pay for dinner too.😅 Anyway we laugh about it still.

[@vaderladyl]

The nerve of that guy.@@meganharper6566

[@merrimcarthur7198]

The tiny table is a cigarette box. My grandmother had one exactly like that...WITH the music. My mother inherited it. I believe my sister has it now. If she ever doesn't want it I DO! So yeah, you have a lovely cigarette box/table.

[@Inky1313Starlight]

Thank you! I’ve been wondering what it was cause I’m fascinated with it, I love music boxes

[@darenallisonyoung8568]

I thought for sure stand-alone jewelry case. Cigarette box didn't even occur to me!

[@ninirossau2304]

I have one, it had inserts and was used cards (like poker) it actually lives in my bathroom next to the toilet. I love to read.@@darenallisonyoung8568

[@christinec1928]

@@darenallisonyoung8568 I thought it was a jewelry box too.

[@The.meadows]

Not a strange one but I saw my DREAM vintage wood kitchen for £100 on fb marketplace and roped in my fella, father in law and friend to go and dismantle it and then make about 3 trips there and back with everyone’s car full of dirty kitchen pieces! Then roped in my dad to make it fit my kitchen, and now I have the most beautiful charmed/practical magic kitchen

[@maxsun2989]

I would love to see pictures of your kitchen!

[@linalikesreading]

We bought a painting on Facebook marketplace from a couple living in our neighborhood. They were so sweet that I told my boyfriend afterward I wish they were our friends. Fast forward a couple of months, my boyfriends cousin hosted a party. Shockingly the couple was there! It took us the whole evening to figure out why we recognized each other haha, but ever since then we hang out regularly!🥰

[@empressche333]

Selling furniture and collectibles on marketplace is how I’ve met the bulk of my friends! Somehow, chatting it up over a piece of furniture somehow leads to having coffee together and friendship emerges from there! :). I love Marketplace, even if it’s an alien landscape at times…😂

[@CheySandra]

One time I bought a rug on Marketplace, and I showed up the house and the lady says "wait in the driveway and I'll open up the garage" and the garage door opened to reveal her full on pumping breast milk. I'm all for a mother doin her thang, but it does quality as my weirdest Marketplace interaction.

[@daphblue]

😂😭

[@annprince5218]

I had a HUGE supply of really good yard, needles, crochet hooks and even books of patterns that came from a squatter that had taken over my daughter's house. She just left all this stuff. I wanted to just find a good home for it, FREE! I had SO many rude people contact me! They would ask me all of these insane demands, like wanting a detailed list of every item (it was five HUGE boxes full). Calling me names because I wouldn't drop it off and others just not showing up. I couldn't believe people were behaving like this for FREE items! Thankfully a woman from a local nursing home got hold of me and she took all of it for their knitting/crochet club.

[@joannadann2271]

7:10 the little scrunched up paper hiding behind the cushion is so relateable

[@ArielBissett]

Hahahaha pretend you didn’t see that!!!

[@kristybowman8731]

Omg FB Marketplace! Our worst story was where I sold a glider and told the buyer it was on the front porch (and the listing photos showed it on the front porch). Guy picks it up and leaves the cash as agreed, but also takes the glider and matching chairs and tables from the back deck! Had to threaten to call the cops. Also had a guy come pick up something and pay with a huge bag of loose coins, another time someone picked up a refrigerator and backed into our mailbox on the way out, kept on driving.

[@ArielBissett]

Oh my god Kristy these are INSANE!!!!!!

[@fishelle80]

I literally couldn’t concentrate on what you were saying while kitty was rolling around looking adorable then you pet her and I instantly relaxed. Every single cat on this planet has me wrapped around its tiny paw.

[@zzflvr]

The musical table is so sweet, I would tell everyone visiting me to open so they'll get a surprise. lol

[@hannahl610]

I often give stuff away for free on marketplace because my apartment is small and for furniture I have to operate a one-in-one-out system like a nightclub lol. It’s wild how demanding people are even when you’re literally giving them something for nothing. However it is a lot easier than hauling it to the thrift or wherever

[@cariiinen]

Oh yes, there's nothing more unreliable than a free pickup! I now generally put things up for a small symbolic sum to weed out the flaky people.

[@empressche333]

I have found it more trouble to give stuff away for free than stick a $20 price tag on it. Then, people actually show up. You may want to try it!

[@shellsisacoolpear]

I have something listed for free currently and the 3 people who said they wanted it either ghosted or bailed. Like I'm ready to throw it on my curb and post the street and let anyone show up for it. 😂 Had another guy that I told to come in the afternoon(stupidly gave address night before) then he messages me at 8am saying he's an hour away and shows up at 9????? Messaged him at 1 saying "I said afternoon cause that's when I was available" 🤔

[@ChannelCreator]

The audacity of people asking for you to drive to drop off something you’re giving away for FREE? Like I’m going to lose time AND money for no profit????

[@hannahl610]

@@ChannelCreator exactly! I don’t even have a car so that’s a non-starter. I consider someone picking up the item as their payment.

[@jaelikesjackalopes]

the eternal question of whether i want the item more than i don't want the interaction

[@karenholmes6565]

My only facebook marketplace purchase was awesome. I bought an art deco dresser with bakelite handles for 100 bucks. The guy DELIVERED it to my apartment, which was on the 6th floor in a downtown apartment with nightmare parking. I was worried he'd be some sort of axe murderer being willing to deliver this dresser, but he was my age, handsome, friendly, and a really nice guy. He would be the kind of guy you'd strike up a conversation with at a coffee shop. I have never bought anything else, I got all of the good luck the first time I did facebook marketplace. I am not going to get that lucky again.

[@cRazYhYPerPenGuin]

THE ‘I AM VERY DEDICATED TO THESE CHAIRS’ HAD ME CRY LAUGHING HELP FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE IS INSANE

[@SkySpiral8]

Let Us Descend, which I see in your book of the month box, has what I’d call an “iconic” first line: “The first weapon I ever held was my mother’s hand.”

[@veronica.theswamphag]

"I am very dedicated to picking up the chairs" is a frankly hilarious sentence I love it so much

[@susanladouceur890]

And the morale of the story, not all costs are monetary 😂

[@thebjm1967]

Ain’t that the truth!

[@ashleyrose1840]

I had one recently where a woman was trying to buy a bunch of my jewelry, basically 40+ pairs of earrings, for $10. And then come to find out she lived nearly 2 hours away from me and we weren’t driving all that there and back, so I said I could mail but $10 is too low because it would probably cost around that much just to ship them. She literally became unhinged on me and was talking about how unfair I was, that I just must not want to sell to her for some reason, etc. it ended up with her “apologizing” and me offering for her to pick out around 10 pairs of earrings and I would ship them out to her for $15. We went through all of that for her to start ignoring my messages. At that point I blocked her because the fact that I was still willing to sell anything to her even after all of that, just for her to ghost me in the end, made me so very angry. I wasted so much time on trying to be polite to a very clearly unhinged person. That’s not even all of it, because she was initially talking about me going over to her house and drinking with her and trying on clothes, etc. like WHAT. 💀💀

[@ginasmitasin479]

So weird…giving I want to wear your skin vibes.

[@ashleyrose1840]

@@ginasmitasin479 LMAO. It was very bizarre!

[@mjjae8122]

This is so relatable I have given way too much time to unhinged people and immediately regretted it, you just gotta block and move on 😂😂

[@monika.mitchell]

The one FB marketplace exchange I’ll never forget is when I reached out to a seller about a table she was selling and we agreed I would pick it up in the morning. I had her address and drove there the next day. I was by myself, so I stayed in the car in front of her house messaging her several times telling her I was there. I stayed for a little bit and still hadn’t heard back from her. I then messaged her saying I would be back later (giving her the benefit of the doubt). I get a message after I leave telling me she sold it to someone else who offered her more money 🙃 so instead of reaching out to me to tell me that before I left my house she let me waste my time and gas…I was a little heated after that one hahah.

[@joyindrelie6715]

Ugh!

[@au_clair_de_la_lune]

Omg the worst!!

[@amara560]

Wait, why didn't you ring the doorbell?

[@monika.mitchell]

@@amara560 I was by myself and it didn’t feel like a very safe area, so I wanted her to respond before standing out there for long!

[@northwoodfalls1403]

Some of those stories were wild lol. I haven’t had too many strange encountered via marketplace, but the one I did have just made me 🤨. They were a couple that refurbished pieces. They had a lovely set that wasn’t an original set. A Queen Ann style table (quite a large one) and a suit of chairs of a different style but lovely and made of solid oak. The table has a pine top so clearly not original to the piece. They had given the entire table a pickled finish. All fine because I was intending to use the table as my work surface in my office/studio and I wanted something lovely but not precious. The price was phenomenal. I think it was like $300 for the table and all the chairs (6 ) and we whittled that down to like $280. Anyhow, the one caveat they had was that we had to promise to never paint it. Henh? Lol. When we met up with them at a point half way between them and us (it was an hours drive for us) they basically vetted us there in the parking lot. It took a good half hour of talking to convince them that we so appreciated the work they had done that we would never in a million years think of painting it. I mean ….. what the what what now? Did they really believe they could hold people to such a promise? You sell it to me, I can hack it into a million pieces and use it for kindling if I want to. How bizarre. Anyhow, it has layers of paint on it now because we are a family of artists and it gets used for a million projects. One day I will strip it and refinish it because it really is a lovely piece, but also it’s just a pine top. It’s not like it’s antique mahogany or some such. People are funny …..

[@tiachu]

“I feel like I’m not gonna get the mirror. I feel like she might not like that” IM ACTUALLY CRYINNGGG THESE STORIES ARE SO FUNNY

[@britt740]

Fb Marketplace was a blessing when I had to furnish a whole house on my own! I actually only had lovely interactions with the people I was purchasing from, it felt like they were all cheering me on 😊 Everyone actually helped with moving the furniture (including a sweet old man) and a family even held on to a couch for me while they were moving (I had to wait a week before my dad could help me go get it)! I definitely also saw some dodgy stuff, but I would only engage if there were multiple pictures in the listing and the communication was clear from the beginning.

[@empressche333]

I moved across the province last year, only taking a vans worth of personal stuff. I had to buy every piece of furniture and I had very little money. But a year later, my place is full of beautiful antiques! Marketplace has been amazing! But yeah..a few head scratching moments but didn’t let it get to me. :)

I once sold a little footstool for 4 euros. The guy showed up on time and wanted to negotiate the price to 2 euros. I declined because 4 euros was already a very good price. He said okay, gave me the money and basically ran off. Later I discovered that he didn't give me euros but similiar foreign money which was basically worth 20 cents... at least I could gift my dad the money because he's a coin collector.

[@mjjae8122]

The mirror story is crazy too bc asking for a phone number on facebook is such a red flag that its a scam, if someone was asking for all the money in advance and wouldn’t give me the address unless I texted them I would’ve just been like well scam ig 😂😂 so glad you got your mirror its so beautiful!!

[@theautumnreader327]

The speed with which I clicked on this notification. Yes please!

[@meadowrae1491]

I wish I could provide a photo of my very large desk in my small SUV. It defied the laws of physics, but I love this desk.

[@emmathomas2832]

"We only need to move the organ" meaning this is going to be harder than we think it will be is definitely inside joke worthy. My family has a similar one about how many lanes there are on a certain motorway to mean being stubborn (my mum refused to admit she was wrong)

[@joyindrelie6715]

Love it! Our family inside joke is "starfruit DOES exist". ❤

[@sunsets.starlight]

I find this video so interesting! I've not really bought anything on Facebook yet. We sold my piano when marketplace was brand new. We needed it gone quickly and my mum had got it for super cheap so she stuck it on for a penny. A very similar one to the one you have. The guy gave a penny that was blown up in the war and saved his life. We still have the penny 😊

[@thebjm1967]

Omggg yes!!!! I’m here for this bc it’s so relatable. I sold a refrigerator and this guy started stalking me. He would message me saying he was outside my house (I never gave my address) and at all hours of the night he would message me saying he’s watching me. I would block him and he would pop up under a new name. It’s scary.

[@anniekate76]

That is terrifying

[@dauriagroux-holt4028]

The chairs lady defintely started trusting you with her address after your use of "fickle" and "garner"

[@buildingadream]

love that your horrorstories are so mundane, and I mean that in the best way possible. I was worried a bit when I saw the title 😅

[@timewithbooks]

I found this AMAZING media center it was gorgeous. Huge solid maple wood. They were only asking $200 - from the pictures it was well worth it for fine furniture. We coordinated and mwt up at a sketchy self storage. It was awkward because she had brought her brother who was very intimidating. Looking back I can see it was for her own protection but at the time I felt like I was going to be kidnapped. They were fine and nothing bad happened. When she opened the storage unit it was clear that I wasnt going to buy because there had been a rain leak and everything in the unit was super moldy. I mean SUPER moldy. 😬 I was disappointed but glad that I hadnt spent money on a moving rental truck.

[@Annj97]

That Mirror Lady...sounded so sketchy, and she may not know, people do the etransfer scams on the daily. I know a few people who got ripped off from those scams of send the money before you get item and then never hear from that "supposed" seller again. Never send money to anyone until you are physically holding your item!

[@angela86753]

I don't mind buying off Marketplace but selling is a nightmare

[@mondinsel4235]

Honestly, I probably wouldn't have bought the mirror out of principle after that attitude, even though the mirror is pretty. You are probably correct that most people wouldn't bother reporting or suing over a mirror if you are even taken seriously by the police. Most would probably just cut their losses begrudgingly and I think some small-time scammers rely on that, so I would have been unsure as well.

[@marshawargo7238]

It was the "just so you know" that got me! When handing the money over, Ariel should have told her about what a waste of time & money pursuing her would have been "just so you know!"😂 Just so you know is equal to I told you so! They imply that they are smarter than you but they are too couth to actually say it😢

[@luella2u152]

The police do not have access to her account or records. Someone would have to get a court order to obtain that information. And the police would probably just tell you to chalk it up to experience. Remember buyer beware.

[@craftyrouze]

Im a bit surprised that any money transfers before coming to collect the item are even considered. Not usual in Britain.

[@kaitieskates]

I've only used Facebook Marketplace once but it really is the Wild West. I decided to get rid of some exercise equipment. My bench had basically turned into a coffee table and it was bothering me. Time to clear out. So I listed them for free. Obviously lots of interest but people were so aggressive! I had already agreed with one person but left it open in case he didn't show. People were trying to guilt me into giving it to them instead. Like, "I'm a single mom trying to get in shape, I really think you need to give it to me instead." Yeesh! Just kept having to say if this person doesn't show, I'll let you know. So cleaned everything, brought it down from my apartment to the lobby and waited, and waited...lol. He ended up sending a friend who had to pick up his mother from the airport first and finally got there after I had been sitting in the lobby for about an hour. Like I'm doing more than half the work, and cleaning everything to boot, you could at least get there somewhat on time. Definitely one of the craziest evenings of my life but all the same, I got the stuff out of my house, and this person can continue their fitness journey.

[@tatumbarrett4765]

Once I went to pick up a $50 loveseat with a friend. When we showed up, the girl was sobbing. She had to be moved out of her old apartment into her new apartment that night, but her boyfriend broke up with her. She needed help moving. We ended up moving all of her furniture out of one second story apartment to another second story apartment. We got the loveseat for free… not really a fair trade. She lucked out by having the two most mushy hearted pushovers coming to her house that day.

[@eileenmiller9914]

I love the fact that all of these items have a story and memories attached. It makes them kinda special.

[@francyfey4646]

That little music box table was used to keep sewing supplies. The table would be next to a chair and people would keep their embroidery yarn, buttons and needles and stuff in there. My greatgrandma had one of these and I loved it as a child because it felt like a treasure box.

[@rebeccaeblin3413]

Facebook Marketplace is just the weirdest! My pet peeve is when you list something you will get a lot of comments “Is this available?” Then when you respond “yes” there isn’t any further communication! I always do a pick up in a public space I can just see myself being cut up in little pieces and fed to the pigs or something if I would go to a strangers house lol! Anyway, I am so glad you are putting more videos out because I enjoy them! You are such a pleasant person with great style Ariel!

[@renee72]

Yeah, I hate that they have that little "is this available" box so easy to hit. I finally started putting in my listing that I would not respond to "is this available" messages. If it is posted it is available. I get why people ask though because some people leave their listings up for months, even a year.

[@auroraasleep]

Sometimes FB will do that if you hover over the "is this available" button too long. People don't even know they sent it.

[@crystaldollhouse]

I love the musical table so much! It’s lovely. I used to allow pick ups on a local selling site I use but ohhh it was so much more stress that it was worth. Some people were great but others were so hard to pin down to a time and day, so I wouldn’t give out my address until they committed! Because some people would just turn up unexpectedly or make you wait around all day! I’m too anxious for that. Plus I’ve had some people get weirdly aggressive and I’d really prefer they don’t know where I live 😅

[@MsTinaBinaBallerina]

I can’t believe the sellers in that organ story. That is so manipulative and also if your bf hadn’t come with you what would’ve happened??

[@ArielBissett]

Yeah I literally don’t know… I think I would have had to just drive away because I would just hurt myself trying to move an organ?!

[@anniekate76]

@@ArielBissettand then you would have been the villain in this story to all their friends! “Oh this sketchy girl claimed she was going to buy our rug but then she wouldn’t just because there was a bit of furniture on one corner! Can you believe how fickle people are on Facebook marketplace?!” 😂

[@natashakent6046]

I feel like I need to start this all off by prefacing that I really love and enjoy your channel. I know you live in ns somewhere but it never occurred to me that you live in the same area as me until a few weeks ago when I saw you at the pharmacy. Unfortunately, so excited to see you standing there that I'm pretty sure I just stared at you, did not say anything. Sorry about that, I should have said how much I enjoy your videos and appreciate you making them.

[@booplesnoo9648]

Just what i needed ❤ would also love to see a video on tips for using fb market xx

[@ArielBissett]

Ooooo that’s a fun idea!!!

[@scrapgirl82]

What a great idea for a video. Who can’t relate to these stories? 😅

[@gooseberries608]

Oh gosh Facebook Marketplace literally saved me earlier this year when I moved across the country to an expensive city. I took a job there for the future earning potential, not necessarily paying well this first year lol so I gotta scrounge around a bit for this short time. I’ve actually ended up getting furniture that I genuinely love and didn’t break the bank for my first apartment! If you can handle the weirdness it’s usually worth it 😂

[@1_viewer]

All that comes to mind story wise is I had nicely aged old red bricks to give away and lots of people wanted them. The person who I agreed to come to get them arrived and got an impressive bloody nose while loading them in his vehicle. He was embarrassed. I offered him a kitchen towel to use to stop it and to keep. He got the bricks all loaded, thanked me and handed me a very nice bottle of wine in gratitude. It was a decent bottle.

[@Ad-Infinitum]

In the UK kitchen towels are paper towels, so it was nice he got to keep it 😆 I realised you meant tea towel! It's a lovely story 🙂

[@bekindfox]

I have no FB marketplace story but I find it so nice to see that apparently you also bond with things emotionally as I do. I always say that as soon as I would forget the story of a piece of furniture or decoration in my house, I could also throw it away. If visitors ask me to show them my house, I feel I have to stop myself because every single piece has a story that I love to share but I don't want to bother them. When I clean e.g. a sideboard I think about it's story, how I got it, who gave it, the situation when I bought it, and it makes even the cleaning nicer. ;-)

[@theyxaj]

Aww, while it sounds difficult for you to downsize, it sounds lovely for your every day life! Built-in mindfulness.

[@maya-gur695]

Stories like these are the reason why I'm afraid to shop on Facebook marketplace.

[@np1584]

Love your piano and the colouring/aging on it!! I had a flatmate who rescued an upright piano from a school he was p/t working in (clearing it for bulldozing). He lugged it up this big hill by himself and then asked for help getting it into the front door. At that point I swore I'd never have or move a piano again and had to hear this thing being played out of tune for a couple of weeks before it was tuned up via youtube videos I believe... Bloody heavy things, but you are right, the people wanting rid of them are almost paying us to take them. As an adult buying for the house, I've bought a lounge lightshade and a vintage vehicle of off marketplace :)

[@missyrohrer385]

My sister-in-law got a piano off of facebook marketplace for free, and she was so excited about it! They went to pick it up and the older gentleman that was getting rid of the piano said that he had noticed it was super dusty, so he had used a hose a SPRaYED THE PIANO OFF! My SIL tried to salvage it, but the piano was basically ruined. She ended up revamping it by gutting it and creating a pretty external housing for her electric keyboard, so now it looks like a piano but she can easily turn the volume down.

[@Beruthiel45]

Oh, that's so sad. I'm glad your sister in law was able to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear though. 😊

[@andreamalik2961]

I do love that mirror though...😅

[@fannyhell6473]

the musical table is so cute i loved that

[@laureljackson9800]

Great idea for a video! Loving your house fix series!! You are doing fantastic! I find it so annoying when people ghost you to pick up something after all the back and forth leading uo to it. If you change your mind just send 1 more message, how is that so hard!!?? I find comfort knowing that others have odd experiences and I am not the only one struggling, hahaha!

[@sarahplummer2828]

This is such a great and fun video idea!

[@ArielBissett]

Thanks 🥲

[@randomkatherine]

Stories like these make the furniture even more special! I found a great deal on a big couch and went with my boyfriend to pick it up. The seller was nice and there to help but he did not mention the couch was on the third story of this narrow house and it barely fit through the doors. We called my boyfriend's family and they came to help us get it down the stairs. It was so heavy it took 4 people to move. We still have that couch years later! I love secondhand shopping for the deals and environmental impact, but also for the unique stories!

[@nola3963]

I’m sorry but I’m not native speaker of English. When you said “left the organ” I thought you were talking about bodily organs lol 😭😭😭😭😭😭 my heart dropped 🤣🤣

[@tessabellstar]

You are delightful. I just happened upon your video about the 3 bathroom designs and have been watching for the last 2 hours. I enjoy your joyfullness. My brother died on Saturday so I’m grieving and looking for things to watch to cheer me up. Thank you!

[@Beruthiel45]

💞 Sorry to hear of your loss. My husband passed away on December 23rd, so I'm watching a lot of videos too. 💞

[@erin9868]

Well, now I want a music box table. I didn't know that was a thing. I don't even like music, tbh. But now I *need* it.

[@susannaCdonovan23]

I had bought a beautiful Table and Chair Set at a Thrift Store which, according to my Dad, was made of Walnut. It had Ladderback Chairs, and cane bottom seats in very good shape. the Table had zero scratches. It was only $250.00. It was appraised at $1500.00. I was going to sell it to my brother at cost but he didn't evidently want it. So I decided to sell it. I tried Newspaper ads. No bites. I found out about Craigslist, and sold it to a young couple for $750.00. I actually spent too much for worthless newspapers ads. I was very glad that the couple who bought it loved it, and it would have a good home. I decided that selling furniture was not my forte. It would have looked fantastic in your home. Still have the photos.

[@m.maclellan7147]

Re: Piano. Excellent story ! Something to keep in mind as you redesign your room. I grew up in Boston, and MANY of the "3 Deckers" have what are called either parlor or piano windows. They were high enough, so an upright piano would fit under them, were normally stained glass, and let light into the room. Not sure if your design for piano is an exterior wall, but I thought I would mention it. Also, since many people "got rid" of these design elements, you might find an original/antique one !? I have family in Nova Scotia and have seen historic homes with either stained glass or just panes of glass in different colors. The church my father was raised in has gorgeous arched windows with the panes of colored glass. It's very beautiful, though simpler than stained glass. It is St. Margaret's in Grand Mira, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Stunning view over the river, as well.

[@jennslifeinhuntingtonwv2678]

I bought my stove for $200. In the picture it was nice and clean in a nice clean house. My son picked it up for me, so he just paid for it, no questions asked. It took 2 cans of oven cleaner. One for the inside and one for the outside. The large eye heats on high no matter what the setting. That's my only purchase off Facebook marketplace.

[@toniadkins3854]

You have a bad switch/sensor thing. lol. I don’t know what it’s called, but ours was doing the same. My, not handy at all, husband researched it on KZbin and replaced it himself.

[@jennslifeinhuntingtonwv2678]

@toniadkins3854 Thank you so much. I'm pretty handy. I might youtube that.

[@Mel-tw6qv]

The address paranoid people are the worst! I’ve had countless people do this to me. Even when I’m on my way they will give out some vague location like “ I’m on 8th street.” Am I expected to wander around 8th st like a weirdo hoping the item is outside? What are these people thinking? Just meet at a nearby park if its that traumatic to you!

[@ItsJustKaitlyn]

I have a marketplace tale to tell in which I was unfortunately the organ lady. I was helping my mom sell a desk. Giant corner desk in a 1940’s house with tiny doors. I told the person coming to buy it that he would need to help me move it. It turns out (my mom did not tell me this) that it needed to be partially disassembled to even get out of the room. I believe we had to remove the top of the desk from the body before it could fit out the door and in order to reach the screws holding in the top we had to fully remove the drawer slides. It was a real can o’ worms and I felt really bad. He was pretty nice considering how silly the whole situation was.

[@auroraasleep]

I've only sold a few things through FB Marketplace. One was a really expensive industrial sewing machine that (used) was going for around $950, but we REALLY needed it out of the house so we could replace a window, so I listed it for $300 with the stipulation that they move it, and it had to go down stairs & out a door. This guy shows up and he's like 6'9" tall. My upstairs was made for short people. He fit in the rooms but had to duck through the doorways and avoid light fixtures. He didn't bring a truck. So he left us with $100 in the sewing machine drawer and a promise that he'd be back in 3 days with a friend and a truck, which he did.

[@jenced80]

People are sooo odd, though, a lot of times! LOL! Their communication styles/skills are really bizarre, and you have to wonder if they realize how strange or weird it comes off and how tough it can be to have a straightforward conversation or conclusion with them.

[@jadesunflowercat]

I am all about this!!! I love browsing Facebook marketplace frequently like it's a challenge to find and obtain things I need and want

[@o_o-lj1ym]

The organ rug is so funny. I’m imagining you yanking the rug out while they’re lifting up the organ like wow that’s a scene.

[@lilkrissyy]

i was selling 2 pairs of leggings on marketplace last year. the lady who ended up buying them (after sending 4 messages within 5 mins asking if they were available) conveniently lived like 3 minutes up the road from me (small town newfoundland slay) so i said i could drop them off to her. she then started asking me if i could take her bag of clothing donations (???) because i "might find something i like".... then she asked if i could drive her to the mall..... then she asked if i had any purses that i could sell to her..... then when i wouldn't take her bag of clothing donations she asked could i bring them to a drop off spot for donations..... :) once i dropped off the leggings and had my money i blocked her LOL this was a complete stranger to me and she was giving the worst stranger danger vibes

[@deadbirdkitsch]

When you said "this table has a secret" I went "oh, Arielle didn't know it was a music box!" I have one of those that I got from my mother who picked it up in Italy when she was 17 (so the 70s). Extremely similar, right down to the spinny legs. Mine plays The Godfather theme. And I've done the same thing where it almost never gets played, lol

[@marilyndorn8741]

The short bench on vintage couch is normal. Many good replica’s have bigger benches, but they are modern. People didn’t lounge on them unless it was a chaise explicitly designed for that. Formal furniture was formal. I have an early 1940’s? Salmon colored flex steel couch. And it has a short bench as well. You can’t sit too far back. I can lay down on it though.

[@sourcandiii]

I got a blue velvet chaise from a lady on FB marketplace. It had very little give to it like from the frame and curved wooden backrest, my chaise is more a lounge to the side style. Plus, it didn't help that I drive an Echo hatchback so it was a MIRACLE it fit, one end was up against my front windshield, literally touching the glass and I could barely close the trunk. It's not that crazy alone but the lady selling it was telling me the history of it and how it was basically an heirloom from her grandma and they'd just spent like $1000 reupholstering it but were moving out of NS and it wasn't going to fit in their new place! like??? I was shocked bc it was so beautiful I would have MADE it fit somewhere in there. xD

[@jordynclark444]

Ariel!!! That teal rug looks like it matches pretty closely to the light teal accents in your dining room. Have you considered putting the rug under the dining table?? If the scale works I think it could maybe look nice to tie into those accents?? Just a thought/idea.

[@Sindri27]

I've been lucky but know alot of people have had some issues buying on the market place. I recently got a fountain that would have cost me almost 2000 if bought new. I got it for 250. I also feel so happy to have gotten this fountain as it was bought from an old couple who were the second owners. They had a beautiful old turdor house and a beautiful backyard. They had 6 fountains. Now I'm really enjoying having this fountain and plan to re stain and care for it the best I can to hopefully one day when I'm older to give it to someone else.

[@baileypugh]

I didn't think I needed this content but I was hooked from the first story, better than half hour on Netflix.

[@Nate_is_a_BurgerBoy]

During Covid I was selling a library table. I listed the dimensions in the listing and a lady was interested. I put it outside my garage to do a no contact pickup because Covid. She shows up in a tiny tiny car, realizes the table won’t fit then starts screaming at me through the windows that it wouldn’t fit then drove off. Realized she had put the drawer on her car and had to come back to return the drawer. It was awful!!!!

[@okayheykae]

I don't have a Facebook account (and I'm pretty sure you need one to use Marketplace?) so I'm always super interested in hearing the tales of people who buy stuff from there. I'm gonna come back to this video later and read people's comments so I can hear even more stories!

[@nikig2891]

I don’t have Facebook either, but I asked someone and you do have to have it to use the marketplace. Her videos do make me consider getting it just for the cool shopping.

[@okayheykae]

@@nikig2891 That's what I thought, thanks for the confirmation! It does seem like it would be off brand for them to not try to get more people to have or keep their account, so it makes sense haha

[@JasperisCasper]

@@nikig2891 My dad keeps a separate acct for any marketplace buys. make sure to check "local pickup only" that helps a lot! I will only pay cash in person after seeing the item. no transfer apps. I think that has helped a lot. I've gotten a lot of good deals.

[@bythewater1963]

Love the surprise cat feature when we moved to the floor, great stuff

[@rhiviews5587]

A chap arranged to come and collect some games my husband had listed. Was very pushy with demanding money off but we weren’t willing to go any lower. He accepted, arranged a collection time with us but then didn’t show up or answer our messages. TWO DAYS later we get a message saying he’s outside our house but there’s no answer. We weren’t home and messaged him back to say you didn’t show up when you’d arranged and you can’t just turn up at peoples homes without notice when you like. He sent a shitty message back about us wasting his time and he’d come all this way for nothing blah blah blah. I was so freaked out we drove all the way home like a bat out of hell just to get rid of him. He then had the nerve to give us the cash for what he originally wanted to pay, not what we’d agreed on! I stood firm and insisted the agreed price. He was not happy. Thankfully we moved not long after but have not sold on marketplace since 😱

[@craftyrouze]

I went to pick up two tall wooden stools from some rich estate. The front house was not the house that answered the door. The guy eventually came out of some summer house in the back garden and he asked me to follow him. I thought I was gonna get locked up in there somewhere, but I wanted the stools, so I followed. Crazy looking back. But I am alive and have two very useful items that I use when I need to reach something on the top of my tall Ikea wardrobe 😄

[@stschubs]

as a piano teacher the piano story makes me smile

[@hisomeonetrackingmuch1309]

Crazy mirror lady: Its an IMMEDIATE NO if someone asks for my phone number! I would have not gotten the beautiful mirror. Congratulations on your brave trusting heart & great score😊😊😊😊

[@SixthSenseSynesthete]

I once bought a dining room sideboard from someone; rolled up to their house and it ended up being a massive $1M+ mansion. Had to go through their front foyer area to get it and the whole experience made me feel like a lowly peasant. Feeling was compounded when my friend helped me load it into my 20-year old car. Was an excellent sideboard though.

[@katehucks774]

I once picked up two separate pieces of furniture in the same town in one day… the first one was in SUCH a nice house, absolutely massive but still tasteful, in a gorgeous neighborhood, the second one was in such a drastically different neighborhood despite being only about a mile apart, it was mostly mobile homes, no sidewalks, front yards littered with trash and small kid’s toys… It was a bit of geographical whiplash, to travel such a short distance from an upper-class neighborhood to a barely-above-the-poverty-line neighborhood, it’s easy to forget how STARK those red lines can be sometimes.

[@cineselena]

I didn't think about this until now, but I'm just realizing you have all this beautiful furniture with no cat scratches in sight! How did you manage that? My step-kitties are about to move in and I'm just thinking about all the tape I'm going to have to buy for the couches ahaha

[@MartaAngelo98]

Personally I ALWAYS have 2/3 cat scratchers and some cardboard boxes all over the apartment, rubbed with catnip, so that they are more appealing. And I try to place them in problem areas (scratcher where they scratch, cat tree where they want to climb). Also make the wild one always chase me while holding a string, so she gets really tired 😂

[@rachtheace]

You call it ruthless, I call it feral 😂 I moved house 3 days ago and found a locker style TV unit I wanted on marketplace. I had saved it weeks ago and I messaged the seller to ask if it was still available, because I was surprised that someone hadn't snapped it up already. She said yes it was available, and I said I might be able to pick up that evening if I could look up the address. Cue the seller asking when I would arrive, telling me she had another buyer interested, and ignoring multiple messages where I directly asked for the address, until I told her I didn't know when I would arrive because I didn't know where I was going?? Finally she gave me the address, and it turns out she lives on the weirdest road I've ever been on with multiple strange diverging roads in different directions. I literally had to follow a spiral road to find the house, and got lost finding the road in the first place so I was a little late. I picked up the cabinet in the end and when I got it home I found it was so grimy inside and out, it hadn't been wiped down at all. It was still a bargain but wow, marketplace really tests my patience both as a buyer and a seller 😆

[@charoraimondogarcia]

I really love the music table, it's one of those rare things that just knowing that you have it is magical

[@ategetho]

I love FB marketplace for furnishing my house. I just got an amazing rug for 20 bucks and its full wool! Amazing! And the lady had a love bird on her shoulder when I picked up! Best pickup ever. I also bring my long suffering husband along with me to many of these pickups because I need his muscle. He puts up with a lot.

[@joyindrelie6715]

Yes! Isn't it fun to meet such unique people and see such a variety of interesting homes? I love having a story to go with the items ❤

[@ClaireFaith]

My piano teacher used to say that it's better for pianos if they are against an interior wall. Just a note as you think about future placement. :)

[@ArielBissett]

Exactly! I’m excited to move it to a more climate controlled place!

[@joyindrelie6715]

Glad you said that, I was thinking the same! When we chose our piano off of FB marketplace I looked at the picture to make sure it was located on an interior wall. We ended up with a gorgeous Baldwin acrosonic for only the cost of our time and effort (thanks to husband and neighbor) and the moving truck rental for $25 (the hardware store gave us a deal!). The fun part of our piano story were the odd surprise items in the piano bench (the advertisement for the piano from the 50's was so hilarious!). Plus, the house and lady we got it from were fantastically odd (she was wearing an elaborate hat, her house looked like one of those search and find games, she sold antiques for a living out of her house).

[@Phalaenopsisify]

I bought our solid oak coffee table and matching sidetable for 600 SEK on FB Marketplace. That's a steal and there was nothing wrong with the tables, they just needed a bit of waxing. The catch though was that my parter was going away on a trip the day I was supposed to get the tables and we're car free and couldn't rent a car either. Enter the cargo bike pool we're part of, and to top it all off it was the very first time I tried a cargo bike, I thought it had e-assist but noooo, it was totally pedal powered which is unusual. I rode across town, wrangled them into the bike with some help (the seller probably pitied me) and rode home again (in a heatwave). Then I got the sidetable up four stairs (no elevator) and the big table into the basement until my partner got home a couple of days later. After that I wiped out on the sofa for the rest of the day.

[@niamhfox9559]

I love 'secret drawers' on things but a secret music box is amazing!

[@marymack4105]

I love this video so much! I buy and sell on marketplace all the time, and thank goodness I’ve had good experiences. But sometimes I read sellers postings, and I think, “Who hurt you?” 😂😂😂

[@oregonisdead]

This video and the stories in the comments are making my night!😂😂 People are so…people-y.

[@HealedandThriving]

I sold a pool table and had a walk out basement. It had four steps down the porch though. I was so so so clear that I would NOT be able to help move it. The guy even came and looked at it and I said again I wasn’t helping lift or load. He was like 60 or older and walking with a limp so it made me nervous. He says yea yea I’ve got people. He shows up with NO ONE and gets mad that I won’t help him load it. I was done selling after that. He was scary and I called my husband who called our neighbor who came over and told him get it out and leave or just leave. I was so glad he came over.