This Monday Musing finds me bemused by Marketplace, an online group site on FaceBook to sell/ buy/give away 'stuff.' Living in this world of consumerism how could it fail, right?
Categories help one find items you knew/ never knew you needed, wanted / had to have/ get rid of. With the right timing, pricing, description and visual you are bound to experience success. It's very similar to Ebay, with no overhead.
Part of Marketplace's success is the possibility to see just local items. Like Ebay, there are photos and descriptions along a condition status and price. On Marketplace shipping although a possibility, is not a given and most transactions are in person. Instant messaging is the means of communication.
Marketplace has been helping me unload some of our stuff. I really have been lucky at finding new homes and satisfied clients for most items. Let's just say they were very easy transactions until the last two.
I was spoiled with having an interested party who initially checked availability, perhaps had a question/2, exchanged meet up info with a time. And poof the item had a new home. Painless, socially distanced and all.
A week ago a rocking chair had sold at a negotiated price, the meeting time was set by the buyer and then a text arrived an hour before her selected time that that time now wouldn't work. I get it, life happens. She wasn't sure now when would be good and would let me know. Never heard back from her. Disappointed, sure, but what got my goat was why couldn't she just message me to say she wasn't interested any more?
The second sale fiasco followed, a mattress set give away. We had purchased a new set for ourselves moving our queen set to the guest room to replace the full sized set. Mattress recycling would take us transportation time and money so it seemed a no brainer to try Marketplace. I had seen used mattress sets for sale/free on there. This price tag would be $0.
Within the hour there were interested parties and then a definite strike. The young Mom living on the south side of town made her trip feasible but timing was just not in her favor. She wanted to come that evening but I tried to dissuade her as it's not so easy to navigate the countryside without lights. She would let me know if late afternoon could work but if not, it would be the later time. That was fine but when the later evening time came and went, I finally messaged her. Oh, her husband got home too late, would after virtually schooling work the next midday? Sure, but then noon arrived and her husband had taken the truck but had a half day so they would come after he returned mid afternoon. She never showed nor contacted me. ?
I had to consider the sale dead and since the set was already outside with iffy weather with no word from her, the set was offered to the next interested party. After the set left the following day with new owners, it seemed common courtesy to message her the set had a new home explaining my regret that the exchange didn't work out.
In the old days we used to say, "Why don't you pick up the phone and call?" but in this new world of technology with instant messaging I guess the rules of common courtesy have not really been set/ have they?
BTW if you are interested in a great rocker -Message me.
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