15+ Moments When Selling Online Revealed the Heart and Humor of Human Nature

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Selling stuff online sounds easy enough. Post a photo, set a price, and wait for buyers. But as these 15+ stories prove, a quick online listing can turn into a full-blown saga. From a buyer who asked the seller to carry a free vase all the way to the subway to a stranger who asked a seller to sign a book for his dad’s birthday. Every deal came with a twist, a reminder that there’s more to a simple sale than just the price tag.

We were selling a microwave. A couple arrive. They’re making faces: there’s a scratch here, a dent there. Then they say, “Can you give us a warranty so we can return it if it breaks down?” I suggested they go to an appliance store.
I closed the door behind them, and 3 minutes later, I got a call from them. “We talked to the owner of our rental apartment, and he’s willing to buy this microwave for that price.” Were they trying to talk me into giving it to them for free or what?

I was selling a new set of baking pans. A lady from the city writes to me, wanting it for free in exchange for a good review. I reply, “Alright, but come and pick it up, I’m not covering delivery costs.”
A week later, she writes back saying she’s willing to pay a little, but delivery should be on me. She seems to think she’s a star who is paid millions for a review.

I was selling clothes. A lady asked to come over to my place to try a dress on. I open the door and there’s a whole family.
I bring out the dress. Her husband says, “Guests shouldn’t wear black at weddings.” I reply, “It’s a little black dress, a classic.” But the lady suddenly starts taking pictures to send to a friend.
After the friend apparently approves her choice, she goes back to her husband with a pleading look in her eyes. The man gives in. “Alright, alright, we’ll take it.” At that moment, we all sighed in relief, the lady transferred me the money, and then they finally left.
This entire scene lasted about 30 minutes. All over a cheap dress.

The fridge in the rental apartment broke. It was so ancient that not a single repairman agreed to fix it. Everyone said, “Just throw it away.”
We found another fridge, seemingly a decent one. What to do with the old one? How to take it out? I decided to simply list it for sale, like giving it away for parts for free, just take it yourself from the fifth floor without an elevator.
Not even half an hour passed before my phone started ringing off the hook. The man who called first immediately said he’s on his way and will be there in half an hour. I regretted not listing this treasure for money. I didn’t expect it to be in such high demand.

I was selling kitchen chairs. A guy messaged me, asked about the price. I replied that the price was non-negotiable and mentioned in the ad, and the guy agreed.
He arrived, asked for a discount just in case, got refused, sighed, and took them at the price we originally agreed upon. Then he left a 3-star review and commented, “Usually there’s a discount when making a deal, but not here.”

I have a children’s store. I actively post online ads.
One day, I get a call from a woman around 55-60. You can tell by her voice she’s affluent and demanding. She wants to organize a party for her grandson, asks a lot of questions, and I answer them all in detail. Then the interesting part begins.
I hear, “I have 3 comments for you. First: you didn’t give me a discount. Don’t you need customers? Second: why do I have to make a prepayment? Just set aside a few items for me and I’ll choose.”
I didn’t listen to the third comment, I just hung up. I’ve got a new contact in my phone book now — 3 Comments.

I love selling online. Though, when I’m offered a trade instead of money, I usually get annoyed. But not this time.
A woman offered to trade my jacket for pickles, frozen garden berries, and homemade bread. Now that’s a deal I’m willing to make!

I get a phone call. A voice on the other end says, “Did you sell me a computer a week ago?” I say no.
The person continues, “Well, you have an ad up for selling a computer, you’re Paul, right? Tell me, how do I set a password so my wife can’t use my computer while I’m at work?” I reply that you set a password in the account settings.
And he goes again, “Listen, I see you know your stuff, come over and set it up now while I’m home.” I told him he had the wrong person and hung up the call.

I was selling a vase that my mother-in-law found in her storage room. Eventually, I gave up and changed the price to “free,” but with the condition that the person picks it up from my place.
A woman immediately appeared, ready to take it. We agreed, and I gave her my address. And then she suddenly writes to me that she doesn’t want to come up to my floor and I should meet her at the entrance. So, I go down, the lady opens the box and announces that she’ll take the vase.
As I’m about to go back inside, she suddenly asks if I could help carry the vase to the subway. I stand there silently looking at her. Then I ask why I should do that.
Her reply was fantastic. “The box is big, it’s uncomfortable for me to carry it.” I silently turned around and went back inside.

My husband is a massage therapist. He once listed a massage table for sale and noted “pick-up only” in the ad. A girl calls, asking for the address in a snobbish tone, saying she’ll be right over. Then, she decides it’s inconvenient to come our way, saying she’ll stop a couple of miles away, and I should bring the table to her.
I suggested she could pay the loaders and make a deposit, and then the item would be reserved for her. Her response was, “Oh, I flew business class, my back hurts after the flight.” I replied indifferently, “Make the deposit, relax, and come in a couple of days, fully rested and with loaders.”
She hung up with “oh whatever” and sent me a message: “Sellers always make concessions, you’re strange, this is a first for me.”

I listed a car seat for sale. The girl bargained for a long time, persuading me to sell it for half the price. I relented. And then she arrived to pick it up in an Infiniti. I’m done.

Selling my car. I get a call from a city that’s about 450 miles away from mine. A man says, “I like the car, I’ll buy it, just bring it over to such-and-such city.” That’s about halfway there.
I was surprised, didn’t even bother to respond, just hung up. That buyer never called me back.

I was selling books. A guy from another city called and asked me to mail a book, transferring the cost to my phone.
He just had one request: “My dad’s been looking for this book for a long time. His birthday is coming up, and I want to make him happy. But the surprise can be doubled. Can I ask you to sign the book, congratulating my dad with a few words?”
I spent a long time picking the warmest words, crafting heartfelt phrases to delight a stranger. Sent it off. After some time, the guy called and thanked me profusely. His dad was thrilled with the gift. It’s indescribable how wonderful it feels to bring joy to someone else.

Posted an old phone, detailed all the flaws in the description, attached all the photos. Added in bold: “As long as the ad is active, the phone is available.”
Every day I get 20 messages: “Are you selling?” “What are the flaws?” “What does it come with?” Can’t people read 10 lines of text?

We were renovating, and the furniture was in the way. Some of it was taken to the summer house, and some was put up online for a token amount or for free.
So, there was a sofa in decent condition: intact, not sagging, but old. About 12-15 years old. It was a pretty good option for a rental or summer house. Especially since we listed it for free, with pick-up only.
Then the questions began: “Can you offer a discount?” Sure, on a free item. And the most interesting: “Why should I pick it up? You should deliver it!” In the end, my husband got fed up, took the sofa apart and threw it in the trash.

I embroidered an owl for 12 hours. Put it up for sale. A woman writes, admires it, and asks for the price. I tell her. And she says, “How much?! How can it be that expensive?” Every bead was sewn by hand twice and every stone was re-sewn until it found its place to look harmoniously.

I was selling a children’s winter suit. New, with tags. A lady messages me saying that she will pick it up this evening. Okay. 10 minutes before the appointed time, she writes that today won’t work, but tomorrow for sure. The same story the next day.
On the third day of promises, I sold the suit to another buyer. I immediately wrote to the lady that she no longer needed to come. Oh, what followed: “But we had an agreement! My husband was just about to come to you.” I even received a bad rating from her.

If you’ve ever sold anything online, you probably have your own wild story. Whether it was a moment of unexpected kindness or a request so weird you’re still laughing, we’d love to hear your own “marketplace moments” in the comments.

And here are some stories proving a simple trip to the store can be more entertaining than any TV show:

Preview photo credit ov_kate / Threads