Alex gave me $1000 cash after I met him on Facebook Marketplace. An hour later he asked me if he’d paid me

Résumé détaillé

A friend of mine is still regularly contacted about a listing for a bookshelf she dumped six months ago. Are online sellers deliberately cruel, or just time poor?

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A few weeks ago, I signed a contract for a job in Adelaide, and my time in Melbourne is coming to a close. The city of churches is a wonderful place for the religious, and a so-so place for people in their late 20s. That said, it’s where my new employer is, so it’s time to clean out my apartment.

Some of my favourite things are from random people on Facebook Marketplace. Their junk became vital to me. You can – and will – find anything here. Want a three-seater bench from the old Jetstar terminal? Marketplace. A full-size model of a battle droid from The Phantom Menace? Marketplace. Some creepy porcelain doll that is 100 per cent cursed? Marketplace.

Marketplace can satisfy any type of person with any type of demand. There’s no performance. Just a weird chair that a nonna is selling, and an arts student who wants it.

It is also filled with some of the most fascinating people you will ever meet.

Recently, I tried to sell some memory cards for a camera I no longer own. I listed the items for $1, mentioning in the description that interested buyers should “make me an offer”. I do this because if there’s one thing people on Marketplace love more than a deal, it’s a haggle. Five minutes later after the listing went live, a man messaged me asking if the memory cards were “free”. I told him, “Nah, make me an offer. Do you have an offer?” He responded, “No, I don’t need them.” But he would have needed them if they were free?

I sold some old camera lenses to a bloke called Alex. We agreed on a fee of $1000. Alex gave me the cash, and left with a pep in his step – I feel as if this purchase made his week. I was fascinated by the amount of trust Alex had in me. He brought $1000 in cash. I could have been a murderer. I’m not. Just in case you were curious.

An hour later, Alex asked if he’d given me the money. I stared at his message for a few minutes, holding the cash in my other hand.

These…

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