Facebook Marketplace Gold

Shopping used dining (not dinning) table and chairs. Asked seller to see hers, she agreed to a time later in the day we corresponded. Table is in a town 30 miles away. Next message from seller:

But you'll have to secure the set with a partial payment so that I can mark it as sold under your name now to anticipate other customers
Could you possibly do $50 now. Do you have zellle?

This warning from FB appeared right below the Zelle message from seller:
Do not use Zelle to pay people you don't know.

My reply to Zelle request:
No. We will bring cash and decide if we want it after inspecting it. If it sells before we get to it, please let us know.
Please confirm W. 22nd address and 5 pm meeting time by replying to this before 1 pm. Only coming if you reply. Thanks.

Never heard back from 'seller.'
 
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Not necessarily gold but definitely a case study in Marketplace behavior. So the last hurdle to shutting the business down has been selling off the skid steer. I needed it to load a lot of the other equipment I sold but now its time has come. 230 hours on a 2020 machine, basically new. Plenty of attachments for it.

So a couple weeks go by with a few tire kickers but then I get a call from a guy who's very interested. He throws out a number for just the machine, I tell him tentatively it'll work but its in the range I need to call and get approval from the owner. She's good with the price. Call him back and he throws out a different price for the machine and all attachments. Repeat process. Deal approved. He wants to meet over the weekend.

Saturday comes and goes, nothing. Sunday comes, get to midday and ask if he's still coming. Finally get a call back that evening and he says he couldn't get finished with what he needed to, would Tuesday work. Sure thing. Talks some more details and wants to make sure a business check is fine. Pretty sure my initial conversation said certified only but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt here. So I tell him no, certified check only and he says no problem.

Tuesday comes and I message him in the morning asking what time he's coming. No response. Call him at lunch and leave a message. No response. I figure he's flaked so I tell the owner that I'll make the listing available again the next day and start trying to show the machine again. I go hunting. He calls me as I'm walking in, fairly apologetic and swears he'll make the deal happen by the weekend. Friday comes and he texts me asking availability on Sunday. I respond and he never follows up. Sunday comes and around lunch he calls and asks if I'm good for Tuesday at 10. This is the first time he's actually given me a time so I'm hopeful it'll happen for real. He also had not sent me his business info for the bill of sale at this point and said he would get it sent over.

Tuesday rolls around. He's a couple hours away so I text him a few minutes before he should be leaving to give clarification on which driveway to use. He responds with the business info for the bill of sale. So maybe this is going to happen. Then he calls 20 minutes later and says its actually his dad who's going to make the pickup for him and his dad got the day confused so would Wednesday work instead? I'm irritated but tell him yes, both me and the owner have availability for 10 on Wednesday. Then he dropped the big bomb. "So yeah, my dad has the check and everything and once he gives me the okay I'll send a picture of my driver's license". I'm confused and tell him I shouldn't need that for a certified check to which he responds "oh, no he's got a business check." So now I'm really irritated. I tell him we already discussed it a week and a half ago to which he responds that he can get a certified check but he doesn't know how soon because he still banks with the small regional bank from where he grew up (like 10 hours away). Asks if I'm cool with a wire instead. I call the owner and explain and she doesn't want to do a wire for several reasons. None of them good in my opinion, the guy was willing to wire the money 24 hours before his dad could get the machine, but it was her decision. So I relay the info. Certified check or nothing.

So now he says his dad will still come look at the machine tomorrow but he wants to give the business check as a deposit. I tell him absolutely not, he's wasted 2 weeks at this point so I'm not getting involved with a deposit because I can't trust that he won't keep dragging his feet. Tell him its his own fault, he should've ordered the check when we talked about it. He relents and says he would order the check immediately and have his dad come look at the machine the next day. So we've got kind of a plan again. So I grab the boy and we go squirrel hunting.

On the way, he texts me that he wired his dad the money and his dad would have a certified check the next day so they can take the machine. But he wants a detailed pro forma bill of sale sent over because he's worried I'll sell it out from under him in the middle of the night I guess. So I get that taken care of still mamaged to kill a couple squirrels with my boy.

Next morning I'm on my way to the shop for the 10am meeting when I get a call about 940. "Hey, we weren't able to get the certified check yesterday so we're heading to the bank now to get it." He's 2:30 hours away. "So it'll be a little later than 10". Well no duh. Says he'll text when his dad is halfway. At 1215 I get a text that his dad is an hour and 15 minutes away. So I go ahead and go to the shop to get everything ready.

130 rolls by, nothing. 200 rolls by, still nothing. I call the guy and he says he doesn't know where his dad is, he should be there already. 215 and finally they roll in. Owner has to leave at 230 to go pick up her kids. So he does a quick walk-around and says all looks good. Gives her the check and they sign the bill of sale.

I spend the next hour and a half loading all the equipment and helping get it all secured and I dont know if I've ever breathed a bigger sigh of relief than when I saw that truck and trailer pull away.

Thankfully all the other deals I've done in closing the business down have been pretty smooth, but this one made up for pretty much all of those.
 
Not necessarily gold but definitely a case study in Marketplace behavior. So the last hurdle to shutting the business down has been selling off the skid steer. I needed it to load a lot of the other equipment I sold but now its time has come. 230 hours on a 2020 machine, basically new. Plenty of attachments for it.

So a couple weeks go by with a few tire kickers but then I get a call from a guy who's very interested. He throws out a number for just the machine, I tell him tentatively it'll work but its in the range I need to call and get approval from the owner. She's good with the price. Call him back and he throws out a different price for the machine and all attachments. Repeat process. Deal approved. He wants to meet over the weekend.

Saturday comes and goes, nothing. Sunday comes, get to midday and ask if he's still coming. Finally get a call back that evening and he says he couldn't get finished with what he needed to, would Tuesday work. Sure thing. Talks some more details and wants to make sure a business check is fine. Pretty sure my initial conversation said certified only but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt here. So I tell him no, certified check only and he says no problem.

Tuesday comes and I message him in the morning asking what time he's coming. No response. Call him at lunch and leave a message. No response. I figure he's flaked so I tell the owner that I'll make the listing available again the next day and start trying to show the machine again. I go hunting. He calls me as I'm walking in, fairly apologetic and swears he'll make the deal happen by the weekend. Friday comes and he texts me asking availability on Sunday. I respond and he never follows up. Sunday comes and around lunch he calls and asks if I'm good for Tuesday at 10. This is the first time he's actually given me a time so I'm hopeful it'll happen for real. He also had not sent me his business info for the bill of sale at this point and said he would get it sent over.

Tuesday rolls around. He's a couple hours away so I text him a few minutes before he should be leaving to give clarification on which driveway to use. He responds with the business info for the bill of sale. So maybe this is going to happen. Then he calls 20 minutes later and says its actually his dad who's going to make the pickup for him and his dad got the day confused so would Wednesday work instead? I'm irritated but tell him yes, both me and the owner have availability for 10 on Wednesday. Then he dropped the big bomb. "So yeah, my dad has the check and everything and once he gives me the okay I'll send a picture of my driver's license". I'm confused and tell him I shouldn't need that for a certified check to which he responds "oh, no he's got a business check." So now I'm really irritated. I tell him we already discussed it a week and a half ago to which he responds that he can get a certified check but he doesn't know how soon because he still banks with the small regional bank from where he grew up (like 10 hours away). Asks if I'm cool with a wire instead. I call the owner and explain and she doesn't want to do a wire for several reasons. None of them good in my opinion, the guy was willing to wire the money 24 hours before his dad could get the machine, but it was her decision. So I relay the info. Certified check or nothing.

So now he says his dad will still come look at the machine tomorrow but he wants to give the business check as a deposit. I tell him absolutely not, he's wasted 2 weeks at this point so I'm not getting involved with a deposit because I can't trust that he won't keep dragging his feet. Tell him its his own fault, he should've ordered the check when we talked about it. He relents and says he would order the check immediately and have his dad come look at the machine the next day. So we've got kind of a plan again. So I grab the boy and we go squirrel hunting.

On the way, he texts me that he wired his dad the money and his dad would have a certified check the next day so they can take the machine. But he wants a detailed pro forma bill of sale sent over because he's worried I'll sell it out from under him in the middle of the night I guess. So I get that taken care of still mamaged to kill a couple squirrels with my boy.

Next morning I'm on my way to the shop for the 10am meeting when I get a call about 940. "Hey, we weren't able to get the certified check yesterday so we're heading to the bank now to get it." He's 2:30 hours away. "So it'll be a little later than 10". Well no duh. Says he'll text when his dad is halfway. At 1215 I get a text that his dad is an hour and 15 minutes away. So I go ahead and go to the shop to get everything ready.

130 rolls by, nothing. 200 rolls by, still nothing. I call the guy and he says he doesn't know where his dad is, he should be there already. 215 and finally they roll in. Owner has to leave at 230 to go pick up her kids. So he does a quick walk-around and says all looks good. Gives her the check and they sign the bill of sale.

I spend the next hour and a half loading all the equipment and helping get it all secured and I dont know if I've ever breathed a bigger sigh of relief than when I saw that truck and trailer pull away.

Thankfully all the other deals I've done in closing the business down have been pretty smooth, but this one made up for pretty much all of those.
You are more patient than me. That listing would have been put back up as soon as he stood me up once.
 
You are more patient than me. That listing would have been put back up as soon as he stood me up once.
Honestly I broke the rule that I had been sticking to the whole time, which was no listing ever gets pulled until cash is in hand. If I had stuck to my guns then it would've probably avoided all the headache.
 
Anyone who says FB marketplace is better than CL is full of it. I haven't had a single good interaction as a seller on FB
I use it quite a bit and it’s 50/50. I’ve gotten a lot of good deals and wasted some gas money as well.

We went and looked at a truck the other day. The parts alone were worth the asking price. It could have been parted out for a profit. The issue was I could t tell if it was a spray paint rebuild or actually rebuilt. There was so much half done it wasn’t worth the risk. There would be so many questions I couldn’t answer it would have been hard to flip.
 
Not necessarily gold but definitely a case study in Marketplace behavior. So the last hurdle to shutting the business down has been selling off the skid steer. I needed it to load a lot of the other equipment I sold but now its time has come. 230 hours on a 2020 machine, basically new. Plenty of attachments for it.

So a couple weeks go by with a few tire kickers but then I get a call from a guy who's very interested. He throws out a number for just the machine, I tell him tentatively it'll work but its in the range I need to call and get approval from the owner. She's good with the price. Call him back and he throws out a different price for the machine and all attachments. Repeat process. Deal approved. He wants to meet over the weekend.

Saturday comes and goes, nothing. Sunday comes, get to midday and ask if he's still coming. Finally get a call back that evening and he says he couldn't get finished with what he needed to, would Tuesday work. Sure thing. Talks some more details and wants to make sure a business check is fine. Pretty sure my initial conversation said certified only but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt here. So I tell him no, certified check only and he says no problem.

Tuesday comes and I message him in the morning asking what time he's coming. No response. Call him at lunch and leave a message. No response. I figure he's flaked so I tell the owner that I'll make the listing available again the next day and start trying to show the machine again. I go hunting. He calls me as I'm walking in, fairly apologetic and swears he'll make the deal happen by the weekend. Friday comes and he texts me asking availability on Sunday. I respond and he never follows up. Sunday comes and around lunch he calls and asks if I'm good for Tuesday at 10. This is the first time he's actually given me a time so I'm hopeful it'll happen for real. He also had not sent me his business info for the bill of sale at this point and said he would get it sent over.

Tuesday rolls around. He's a couple hours away so I text him a few minutes before he should be leaving to give clarification on which driveway to use. He responds with the business info for the bill of sale. So maybe this is going to happen. Then he calls 20 minutes later and says its actually his dad who's going to make the pickup for him and his dad got the day confused so would Wednesday work instead? I'm irritated but tell him yes, both me and the owner have availability for 10 on Wednesday. Then he dropped the big bomb. "So yeah, my dad has the check and everything and once he gives me the okay I'll send a picture of my driver's license". I'm confused and tell him I shouldn't need that for a certified check to which he responds "oh, no he's got a business check." So now I'm really irritated. I tell him we already discussed it a week and a half ago to which he responds that he can get a certified check but he doesn't know how soon because he still banks with the small regional bank from where he grew up (like 10 hours away). Asks if I'm cool with a wire instead. I call the owner and explain and she doesn't want to do a wire for several reasons. None of them good in my opinion, the guy was willing to wire the money 24 hours before his dad could get the machine, but it was her decision. So I relay the info. Certified check or nothing.

So now he says his dad will still come look at the machine tomorrow but he wants to give the business check as a deposit. I tell him absolutely not, he's wasted 2 weeks at this point so I'm not getting involved with a deposit because I can't trust that he won't keep dragging his feet. Tell him its his own fault, he should've ordered the check when we talked about it. He relents and says he would order the check immediately and have his dad come look at the machine the next day. So we've got kind of a plan again. So I grab the boy and we go squirrel hunting.

On the way, he texts me that he wired his dad the money and his dad would have a certified check the next day so they can take the machine. But he wants a detailed pro forma bill of sale sent over because he's worried I'll sell it out from under him in the middle of the night I guess. So I get that taken care of still mamaged to kill a couple squirrels with my boy.

Next morning I'm on my way to the shop for the 10am meeting when I get a call about 940. "Hey, we weren't able to get the certified check yesterday so we're heading to the bank now to get it." He's 2:30 hours away. "So it'll be a little later than 10". Well no duh. Says he'll text when his dad is halfway. At 1215 I get a text that his dad is an hour and 15 minutes away. So I go ahead and go to the shop to get everything ready.

130 rolls by, nothing. 200 rolls by, still nothing. I call the guy and he says he doesn't know where his dad is, he should be there already. 215 and finally they roll in. Owner has to leave at 230 to go pick up her kids. So he does a quick walk-around and says all looks good. Gives her the check and they sign the bill of sale.

I spend the next hour and a half loading all the equipment and helping get it all secured and I dont know if I've ever breathed a bigger sigh of relief than when I saw that truck and trailer pull away.

Thankfully all the other deals I've done in closing the business down have been pretty smooth, but this one made up for pretty much all of those.
Did the check clear? 😜 That interaction had all the markings of a scammer. You were far more patient with them than I would have been.

The downside with wire transfers with an untrusted party is that the wire instructions include your account number. Many people are reluctant to give account numbers to people they don’t know / trust.

I sold a car few years ago where I had a bad feeling about the buyer right from the start. I actually had him FaceTime me from the bank as he was getting the cashier’s check because I didn’t trust that it would be legit. I also got the email address for the person at the bank who was doing it, and emailed her at her work email address to further confirm. And to make extra sure, I did the exchange at a local branch of the bank that issued the check so that they could verify it was a good check that they would cash on the spot. Only then did I sign over the title and give him the keys. I’m sure he thought I was a real jerk for putting him thru all of that. Working in the anti-fraud business for the past 25 years has tainted my views of humanity…
 
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Not necessarily gold but definitely a case study in Marketplace behavior. So the last hurdle to shutting the business down has been selling off the skid steer. I needed it to load a lot of the other equipment I sold but now its time has come. 230 hours on a 2020 machine, basically new. Plenty of attachments for it.

So a couple weeks go by with a few tire kickers but then I get a call from a guy who's very interested. He throws out a number for just the machine, I tell him tentatively it'll work but its in the range I need to call and get approval from the owner. She's good with the price. Call him back and he throws out a different price for the machine and all attachments. Repeat process. Deal approved. He wants to meet over the weekend.

Saturday comes and goes, nothing. Sunday comes, get to midday and ask if he's still coming. Finally get a call back that evening and he says he couldn't get finished with what he needed to, would Tuesday work. Sure thing. Talks some more details and wants to make sure a business check is fine. Pretty sure my initial conversation said certified only but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt here. So I tell him no, certified check only and he says no problem.

Tuesday comes and I message him in the morning asking what time he's coming. No response. Call him at lunch and leave a message. No response. I figure he's flaked so I tell the owner that I'll make the listing available again the next day and start trying to show the machine again. I go hunting. He calls me as I'm walking in, fairly apologetic and swears he'll make the deal happen by the weekend. Friday comes and he texts me asking availability on Sunday. I respond and he never follows up. Sunday comes and around lunch he calls and asks if I'm good for Tuesday at 10. This is the first time he's actually given me a time so I'm hopeful it'll happen for real. He also had not sent me his business info for the bill of sale at this point and said he would get it sent over.

Tuesday rolls around. He's a couple hours away so I text him a few minutes before he should be leaving to give clarification on which driveway to use. He responds with the business info for the bill of sale. So maybe this is going to happen. Then he calls 20 minutes later and says its actually his dad who's going to make the pickup for him and his dad got the day confused so would Wednesday work instead? I'm irritated but tell him yes, both me and the owner have availability for 10 on Wednesday. Then he dropped the big bomb. "So yeah, my dad has the check and everything and once he gives me the okay I'll send a picture of my driver's license". I'm confused and tell him I shouldn't need that for a certified check to which he responds "oh, no he's got a business check." So now I'm really irritated. I tell him we already discussed it a week and a half ago to which he responds that he can get a certified check but he doesn't know how soon because he still banks with the small regional bank from where he grew up (like 10 hours away). Asks if I'm cool with a wire instead. I call the owner and explain and she doesn't want to do a wire for several reasons. None of them good in my opinion, the guy was willing to wire the money 24 hours before his dad could get the machine, but it was her decision. So I relay the info. Certified check or nothing.

So now he says his dad will still come look at the machine tomorrow but he wants to give the business check as a deposit. I tell him absolutely not, he's wasted 2 weeks at this point so I'm not getting involved with a deposit because I can't trust that he won't keep dragging his feet. Tell him its his own fault, he should've ordered the check when we talked about it. He relents and says he would order the check immediately and have his dad come look at the machine the next day. So we've got kind of a plan again. So I grab the boy and we go squirrel hunting.

On the way, he texts me that he wired his dad the money and his dad would have a certified check the next day so they can take the machine. But he wants a detailed pro forma bill of sale sent over because he's worried I'll sell it out from under him in the middle of the night I guess. So I get that taken care of still mamaged to kill a couple squirrels with my boy.

Next morning I'm on my way to the shop for the 10am meeting when I get a call about 940. "Hey, we weren't able to get the certified check yesterday so we're heading to the bank now to get it." He's 2:30 hours away. "So it'll be a little later than 10". Well no duh. Says he'll text when his dad is halfway. At 1215 I get a text that his dad is an hour and 15 minutes away. So I go ahead and go to the shop to get everything ready.

130 rolls by, nothing. 200 rolls by, still nothing. I call the guy and he says he doesn't know where his dad is, he should be there already. 215 and finally they roll in. Owner has to leave at 230 to go pick up her kids. So he does a quick walk-around and says all looks good. Gives her the check and they sign the bill of sale.

I spend the next hour and a half loading all the equipment and helping get it all secured and I dont know if I've ever breathed a bigger sigh of relief than when I saw that truck and trailer pull away.

Thankfully all the other deals I've done in closing the business down have been pretty smooth, but this one made up for pretty much all of those.
...maddening.
 
Did the check clear? 😜 That interaction had all the markings of a scammer. You were far more patient with them than I would have been.

The downside with wire transfers with an untrusted party is that the wire instructions include your account number. Many people are reluctant to give account numbers to people they don’t know / trust.

I sold a car few years ago where I had a bad feeling about the buyer right from the start. I actually had him FaceTime me from the bank as he was getting the cashier’s check because I didn’t trust that it would be legit. I also got the email address for the person at the bank who was doing it, and emailed her at her work email address to further confirm. And to make extra sure, I did the exchange at a local branch of the bank that issued the check so that they could verify it was a good check that they would cash on the spot. Only then did I sign over the title and give him the keys. I’m sure he thought I was a real jerk for putting him thru all of that. Working in the anti-fraud business for the past 25 years has tainted my views of humanity…
Yes, thankfully the check was good. Loan has been paid off and all is clear. It was definitely right on the cusp of spidey sense saying "no deal" but he did provide enough info for me to do some verification of who he was and all that. I did a lot of praying for the deal to go through too.
 
Art of the deal:

Details​



  • Condition
    Used - Good
  • Brand
    Chicago
Generator that I will take $60 dollars for but the lowest price i will take for it is $50 and it runs good it is a 2 stroke gas and oil mix two cycle

Canon City, CO
Location is approximate

I bet he’s already gotten 4 messages “what’s your bottom dollar?”
 

2024 Ford f-250​

$138,000
Listed 2 days ago in Colorado Springs, CO




About this vehicle​




Driven 8,900 miles

Automatic transmission

Exterior color: Red · Interior color: Black

Fuel type: Diesel

Excellent condition

Clean title
This vehicle has no significant damage or problems.

Seller's description​



FOR SALE: 2024 SHELBY F-250 SUPER BAJA — LIMITED-EDITION COLLECTOR’S TRUCK — ONLY 8,900 MILES — ONE-OWNER GEMPrice: $138,000 (Well below original MSRP of $147k+ for comparable new models)Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Condition: Excellent / Like New (Garage-kept, no accidents, non-smoker, clean Carfax available)Mileage: 8,900 original miles⸻🔥 Vehicle OverviewThis isn’t just a truck—it’s a rare Shelby F-250 Super Baja, one of only ~250 produced for 2024, blending Ford’s heavy-duty reliability with Shelby’s legendary performance upgrades. Meticulously maintained by its original owner (a discerning enthusiast), this diesel powerhouse drives like it just rolled off the assembly line. With bold styling, extreme capability, and collector appeal, it’s the ultimate head-turner for off-road adventures or weekend hauls. Serious buyers know these don’t last long—act fast!⸻⭐ Key Features & HighlightsLimited-Edition Shelby Super Baja: Authenticated with serialized components, badging, striping, and interior accents.Low Mileage: Just 8,900 original miles—one-owner, purchased new.Powertrain: 6.7L Power Stroke V8 Turbo Diesel engine delivering 475 HP and 1,050 lb-ft of torque; 10-speed automatic transmission; 4WD.Suspension & Off-Road Upgrades: BDS suspension system with FOX shocks, 4-inch lift for superior ground clearance; 20-inch alloy wheels with aggressive 37-inch BFGoodrich KM3 mud-terrain tires; dual spare tires on steel chase rack.Exterior Enhancements: Custom front grille, painted fender flares, XL power steps with rock sliders and LED lights, spray-on bed liner, powder-coated exhaust tips, and premium window tint.Luxury Interior: Black Onyx leather seats, heated/ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, advanced tech package including 12-inch touchscreen infotainment, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Bang & Olufsen premium audio, 360-degree cameras, and panoramic moonroof.Safety & Convenience: Blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, emergency brake assist, keyless entry, GPS navigation, and more.Capability: Best-in-class towing (up to 20,000+ lbs) and payload; ready for work or play.Condition Perks: Full service records, remaining factory warranty, garage-stored—impeccable inside and out.⸻💬 DescriptionExperience the pinnacle of power and prestige with this 2024 Shelby F-250 Super Baja. Shelby’s Super Baja edition transforms the already formidable Ford F-250 into an off-road beast with enhanced suspension for tackling rugged trails, while the luxurious cabin ensures every drive feels premium. Feel the thunderous torque as you accelerate, grip any surface with those massive BFGoodrich tires, and turn heads with the aggressive Shelby styling.With under 9,000 miles and flawless care, this truck offers exceptional value—saving you thousands over a new one while delivering like-new performance. Ideal for collectors, adventurers, or anyone seeking a unique daily driver that stands out from standard pickups. Don’t miss this opportunity; similar low-mile examples are selling quickly in the $130k-$150k range.(High-resolution photos available upon request—exterior, interior, engine, and more. Virtual walkarounds or in-person viewings welcome.)⸻📞 Contact InformationSerious inquiries only—let’s get you behind the wheel!Call or text: Jake at (801) 971-4542Email: [hidden information]Available for immediate viewing in Colorado Springs, CO
 

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