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To think that no one has ever had a weirder selling experience than this??

156 replies

curiousgeorgie · 10/04/2014 09:52

I'm selling off some of my baby stuff (sob!) and had received an enquiry about my baby swing. Well, I say an enquiry, it was a 3 word email.

Is it clean.

I replied that it was, and a lengthy conversation ensued as to where I was, how much the item was (£45), if I had any other baby items. I said I did, crib, Moses basket, pram, bouncer etc. mostly with a pink hood / pink lining / pink blankets.

Oh no. I need blue. Can you get blue.

Well.. I'm not a shop, so no. I have what I have, I'm afraid. The swing is cream though.

Oh no. I will have a look and make the best of a bad lot.

I thought someone was winding me up, or that I was about to be PayPal scammed but sure enough, yesterday afternoon, the most colourful dressed woman I've ever seen in my life pulled up in front of my driveway. And when I say in front, in mean, she drove as if to pull on to it, realised it already had two cars and was full, and stopped her car there. And got out.

DH went out to tell her she would be blocking the road so she told him to move the car. Because obviously my baby shop has valet parking. My DH pulled it into a space right outside of our house (on a mostly empty residential street) as she walked by me into the house.

I took her into the living room and over to the swing. She said 'no, no, I need the toilet first!!' Okay, you're pregnant, I've been there... It's just across the hall. So I wait and wait. DH comes back in and so does the woman's older daughter (maybe 10) who she had left in the car. She flops (literally the best description for it) onto my sofa and puts her feet up on the coffee table.

I smile at her and she glares at me. She is a little bit scary.

DH abandons me and the woman comes in, I show her the swing. She asks if I can lift it. I say, it's quite heavy but my DH can take it apart and put it in your car. She ignores that and asks me again if I can lift it. I said that actually I've pulled my neck so can't, but have in the past as I'm the one who built it and put it here. She says if I can't lift it, she can't lift it. So she'll have to think about it.

What else do you have to show me?

Clearly thinking this is some kind of state visit to my house, I graciously lead her into the dining room, where all my baby stuff is laid on the table. I tell her briefly what things are and what they cost. She points to my daughters ride in Mini Cooper through the doors to the kitchen and says 'I'll take that, this stuff and the swing' thinks hard... '£40.'

Um... That's my DD1's beloved prize possession that's about 3 months old. It
was also hundreds of pounds and not for bloody sale. I explain this.

But look at your house! (She says, gesturing to my very average, slightly untidy semi) you don't need this car. I need it. My house is small. I don't have a living room or a garden. Or a bedroom.

Fighting the urge to ask her where she intended to put my daughters car when she clearly lived in a kitchen with ensuite bathroom I said again that it wasn't for sale.

How much for the car? She said again.

I was patient, I explained again that it wasn't for sale and she laughed and said that she knew that, she meant the one outside. The blue one.

My ford focus? Well.. That's my car, that's not for sale either.

She was annoyed by this, and being annoyed must make her thirsty because she asked me for water. I got it for her (noting that her scary daughter had moved into my DD's playroom and was emptying all the Barbie dream house furniture onto the floor.)

She asked for the toilet again. She stayed in there for about 15 minutes. Her scary child moved onto toy story toys. DH looked at me through the window looking puzzled.

She came back. 'Right, you want all my money don't you. I've come a long way and I don't need this. I'll take these sheets. And the swing. £65.'

Old sheets cost around the same as a Mini Cooper I see. I took the money, DH packed up the swing and helped her to the car. Came back in and started to empty the toys out of the basket under the high chair.

What are you doing??

She said you sold her the high chair?? I was just taking it to her car?

What??! Shock I went outside and she sped off. Like she'd made a killing.

At 8am this morning she sent a message to ask how long until she could pick up my DD's car. I said about 6 years. She said okay.

Anyone had stranger?? I've got someone coming for a Bumbo chair today and I'm a bit scared! Wink

OP posts:
alltoomuchrightnow · 10/04/2014 12:49

that's brilliant, Pawprint. And did you make her one?! Grin

poorincashrichinlove · 10/04/2014 12:59

Wow-folk are strange?

nochips · 10/04/2014 13:00

That;s interesting alltoo. I have an ex friend who was pretty wealthy (owned several rental houses in SW London) and she used to haggle to the point of extreme embarrassment in charity shops. 'How much for that top? £3 ? I'll give you £2.75' that sort of thing. If the staff person refused she would get really nasty and throw the items.

One reason why she is no longer my friend- that sort of mean-ness manifested in other ways too. (Last straw was when we bought coffee and a slice of cake to share and when we finished she told me I had had more than half of it so owed her 'some money back' and meant it.)

Sorry, slight derailment.

AlpacaYourThings · 10/04/2014 13:04

I love this! She sounds interesting

alltoomuchrightnow · 10/04/2014 13:09

oh yes i had people throwing stuff, most days. Always people from cultures where haggling is accepted. I mean, sometimes, stupidly, i'd given in to get rid of them. But not if they were offering e.g. £2 for a clean, good condition buggy i'd only priced up at £10 to get rid of as we didn't have the space

poorincashrichinlove · 10/04/2014 13:09

Just out of interest OP, was the buyer from a different culture and perhaps not conversant with the British way of doing things?

alltoomuchrightnow · 10/04/2014 13:12

i had a friend like that too nochips. She was my best friend but in every way was not generous. I remember once being totally skint (out of work) but going all the way on the train to hers from herts to southampton for a weekend as she was lonely; she charged me for anything i ate plus money toward loo rolls no I did not have diarrhoea and yes, stupidly i paid it.

candycoatedwaterdrops · 10/04/2014 14:20

Is your dog fierce looking?

borisgudanov · 10/04/2014 14:20

I think that when she started with the stuff about the car would've been about the point at which I'd have put the silly cow out on her arse with a very clear and roundly deserved fuckoffity.

Thisvehicleisreversing · 10/04/2014 14:20

After my nan died my mum wanted to give the practically brand new sofa and armchair to someone who needed it. My nan's church arranged for a single mum who'd recently moved into the area to come and have a look at it.

She turned up barefoot stinking to high heaven, took one look at the sofa and said "oh no its definitely too old lady. But I'll take that mirror" pointing to a broken mirror on a pile of stuff ready for the tip.

The sofa was free and immaculate yet she wanted a broken mirror!

Bonkers people about.

chandlerbing · 10/04/2014 14:24

What an utterly weird experience, OP.

There are some real nutters around

dawntigga · 10/04/2014 14:26

This is brilliant - what is her feedback like?

BloodyHellTiggaxx

PeachyTheSanctiMoanyArse · 10/04/2014 14:31

We have an online shop, I thought 'no chance. we'll have weirder' when I saw your title.

Er no.

There IS no weirder.

We have the occasional person asking if complicated £3k theatre lighting desks would power their Christmas lights but no, you win, hands down!

I would suggest you move, quickly.

HelenHen · 10/04/2014 14:41

Wow this is brilliant... What a nutter Grin

nutcasenan · 10/04/2014 15:05

Are you sure you are not due for an appearance on some TV programme? Sounds like a real send up. You and your husband must be really nice people with a sense of humour.

salsmum · 10/04/2014 15:11

I suspect she was NOT in fact pregnant but just had a very large,bulging money filled cushion cover under her clothes and every time she went to the loo she was counting how much she'd saved through haggling....BTW is your lovely Yankee candle still there?? Hmm

Hissy · 10/04/2014 15:15

feesh i have to confess that my first thought too was that this woman was from somewhere in the ME.

Blithereens · 10/04/2014 15:19

I'm glad you posted this. I arranged to meet an ebay buyer at the station recently as I didn't want them to know where I lived. DH thought I was being ridiculous but now I can show him this thread!

Thanks OP Grin

GemmaTeller · 10/04/2014 15:23

People like this scare me!

This is why I always make sure DH is with me if someone comes to collect an ebay purchase and I make sure its in the porch ready to go and they don't need to come in the house.

springlamb · 10/04/2014 15:31

How weirdly woo.
Mind you, my house buyers were very strange. They kept on asking if such and such was included and that it was unfair that it wasn't included because it would be impossible to get replacements to fit.
Eg: 'the sofas will be left otherwise no others will fit in?'
'No, the sofas are from Argos on a buy one get one free offer, any sofa will fit in here, it's a 30 foot room'.
Eg: 'we must have the glass cabinets, they are made to measure and fitted furniture'
'No they are from Argos'.
Even my bed (not from Argos, from EBay) was fair game. yuck.

Chattymummyhere · 10/04/2014 15:33

Never had this but i always make dh is home and that the dogs are on gaurd. We get oh wow how many? 4 oh ok heres your money bye.

Never had one try to buy other items or want the toilet. Love my dogs.

HeirToTheIronThrone · 10/04/2014 15:36

We gave away our old TV for free on Gumtree. The guy came to collect it and asked if we were having chicken for dinner (there was one in the oven). DH said yes, guy said, 'oh, I'll put this in the car then share it with you'. We laughed, but he was serious... We managed to get rid of him and locked the doors!

devientenigma · 10/04/2014 16:48

Must admit I would be looking for things that have gone missing! Even her DD could be in on it! Was the money real?

Otherwise very weird !!

PatriciaKrenwinkel · 10/04/2014 17:08

She's put a camera in the toilet.

HTH Grin mmmmwwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

treaclesoda · 10/04/2014 17:17

But, this being mumsnet and all, I need to ask, did she poo in your toilet? And did she offer to take her shoes off in your house? These things matter...