Navigating Facebook Marketplace: how I furnished my whole home on a budget

Hello hello, and welcome to Episode 113 of Life On the Brink!

I’m currently in a real nesting stage of my pregnancy, and as I’m decorating and furnishing the nursery for Baby Girl, I find that I’ve returned to my favorite way to shop for the home: Facebook Marketplace. With the help of this one app, I have furnished all my living spaces over the past 5 years on such a budget, and have become quite adept at the system. If you enjoy shopping second hand and are at all interested in this super helpful resource, this episode is for you…

In this episode I'm sharing:
-my step-by-step process for success for buying
-how to get the algorithm to work for you
-helpful selling practices
-the real story of *how I got scammed* on Marketplace
-lots of helpful tips to stay safe and get a good deal

Plus, this week's Little Joy is a current pregnancy love, and I have an album of music to share that is always so perfect for me this time of year.

For the complete show notes, click here!
For full transcript, click here!


Site: lifeonthebrink.live
Social: @anna_on_the_keys

Transcript

Unknown: 0:07

Welcome to Life on the brink, a lovely little place filled with inspiration and creativity that is dedicated to enjoying life one day at a time. I'm Ana. And together, we're exploring the beautiful things in this world that fascinate us. And often discovering something new. Hello, hello, welcome to episode 113 of life on the brink. Happy Thursday. I hope that you're well. It's a beautiful spring day as I'm recording this, finally the pollen has subsided, and we're actually able to enjoy so much time outside. I am currently 33 weeks pregnant and still feeling pretty good. I had some back pain that was bothering me. And it's actually been pretty well taken care of, through a combination of sleeping in different positions and chiropractor visits. And so I even my heartburn has kind of subsided, I'm generally feeling well, very huge. But good. I definitely am feeling the the belly, it's out there now. And it's only going to get more out there over the next month and a half or so. But I've begun to get the nursery ready a little bit and just prepare a little bit more physically because mentally I feel pretty good. But the spring is just so exciting. There's so many new things coming up. And speaking of nursery and furnishing, and whatnot, that leads into the topic of today's episode. But before we get into all that, let's go ahead and pause, make yourself a nice sweet cup of something. Usually I invite everyone listening to make a nice warm cup of tea. But it's so fresh and exciting outside that I feel it opens the doors to so many other things, whether it be iced, iced tea, iced coffee, iced lattes, those have really been a joyful part of this spring for me. And actually, as I record this, and as this is released, my birthday is also this week. And so you know, I'm going to be using that free birthday Starbucks to of course, get that matcha latte with the lavender foam on top. If you if you received the monthly newsletter for April, you know that I've been all about that particular latte and the lavender line. Oh, and that reminds me I had a really sweet thought, which is that? Well, like I said, my birthdays this week. And I always grew up loving tulips because I have a memory of being a child and tulips growing in the flower bed right around my birthday. Where I live right now at least this year. Tulips are kind of fading out now. But still, those are my favorite flower. And it occurred to me that because my little girl is going to be born in June, she'll be a lavender baby. And that's really sweet. And I'm sure there's other flowers. But that's the main one for me that like June is peak lavender season. And so how special is that going to be? Anyway, very excited about that. And I invite you to make a nice refreshing beverage. As we get into today's topic. This is something that I've discussed, or I've mentioned, I should say in previous home episodes, when I talk about furnishing a home or doing things on a budget, or that sort of thing. But today, we're really doing a deep dive. And that thing is of course Facebook marketplace. This app has revolutionized the way that I think about furnishing and home decor and has been so so useful to me. But so many people have told me over the years I've asked for like advice, or really don't know where to begin with it or it seems sketchy, or it they just never seem to find anything good. And so I figure why not give a whole tutorial, deep dive everything so that you can navigate Facebook marketplace effectively, get good deals and have it work for you. I know it's not entirely worldwide. I know I've got some listeners that are outside of the United States. However, I looked it up and Facebook marketplace is accessible in 227 countries and territories worldwide. So this will obviously be more applicable to those who are in the was 227 countries and territories, which I would imagine most of you are. Now, as I'm talking through Facebook marketplace today, I'm coming more from the standpoint of, of home decor and furniture, and things like that. I really haven't bought much outside of that. I know some people look more into the clothing, side, and then I know that you can also buy some really expensive items. And even people will list cars and homes and stuff like that. And I am not very knowledgeable in those areas. I do have a pretty big purchase that I did find through marketplace though, and I will get to that in the episode. But this is mostly about furnishing a home. Or I think probably most of the stuff on Facebook marketplace has to do with the home or garden. And I have found it to be such a resource. If you're someone who is already interested in either thrifting or buying things secondhand. It's a great way to kind of cut down on some time. And it's also quite sustainable. It helps reuse and refurbish items that have been around for a while. And I think that it just helps to create a collected feel in your house. This is true of any slowly curated, vintage inspired, you know, or collecting antique things, doing things slowly rather than going to IKEA or to a department store or a furniture store and just picking out a set. And I've talked about that in other home design episodes. Because that's that I think it's just what makes rooms so special when you walk into a place and it just feels so unique, it can't be recreated. Oftentimes, it's because the pieces in that room have been thoughtfully collected over time. The best way to do that is to buy things individually, often vintage or secondhand. And in my opinion, one of the best ways to do that is through Facebook marketplace. As I was preparing for this episode, I was just looking around my home. And I realized I've done many, many Facebook marketplace transactions. Because the vast majority, I'm not kidding, like the majority of furniture items in my home, including the will the home. You know, I was in an apartment for three years before this house. And we've been fixing this one up for about a year now. The majority is stuff that I found on Facebook marketplace. I'm sitting in the office right now. So um, let's see the desk, I'm sitting at Josh's desk, a floor lamp, a filing cabinet and armar a fold out sofa bed, cool clock, a nightstand, just the stuff that I can see right now. All of those things I got on Facebook marketplace and for very reasonable deals. I have saved so much money over the years. In fact, I remember I started using Facebook marketplace when in 2019. But then in 2020 We all know what happened in 2020. That was the same year that I was moving into an apartment with Josh we got married all that. And that's when you know there was heightened protocols for everything. And I was going nowhere no one was going anywhere. But I usually had about one day a week where I would set up multiple Facebook marketplace meetups in the same general area. And then that would be like my whole day basically I would just drive out and hit two or three different meetups you know of course we were all like put the item outside and you send me the payment and we never even see each other and and that's it's sometimes it's still like that with marketplace but yeah, I have now they're kind of fond memories, but man was that a weird time. But I utilized it a lot because I was moving into a new space and we had a lot of furniture to find. And then since then we've moved into this house some of that same furniture came with us and some of it I've sold. I've actually sold several items through Facebook marketplace as well and have collected more and so as I'm getting the nursery ready and looking at baby and all that sort of thing. It's brought up a new round of energy towards Facebook marketplace. And now there are things that I do buy new. I love wallpaper as I'm sure you've gathered by now and I have bought rugs if they're if I need a particular size and color palette, sometimes curtains and curtain rods are things that I can find at IKEA, that that work well in this space. And I do still go to thrift stores, especially when it comes to things like art, and smaller little knickknacks and things. It's rare for me to find larger furniture items in thrift or charity shops or things like that. I think just because it's a smaller selection. So today is going to be broken down into three main categories, buying from Facebook marketplace, selling on Facebook marketplace, and then a little extra apart, which is basically how to not get scammed or like how to navigate potential scammy territory, because I have been scammed and I will share that story. And I've also avoided many. And I don't think it's anything to be afraid of if you're aware, and you're cautious. It's definitely an environment that I feel totally comfortable navigating for every weird or sketchy interaction. And the one time I got scammed, there's been dozens upon dozens of really great, legit interactions. And I am not deterred, and I invite you not to be deterred either, if you're someone who has an interest, so let's get into it. First, let's talk about buying. As with any thrift store, I think it's always smart to go in knowing what you're looking for, generally, because if you just walk into a shop, and there's so many things, and it may not be organized the way you expect it to, it can be like what what could possibly be in here, or I need to look through everything. And that's overwhelming. Instead, if you know, I'm looking for this particular item that looks like this, or has these dimensions, and let me go, let me go find it. That I think is the best way to get into it, because the algorithm will work for you. So if you're unfamiliar, you can access Facebook marketplace, either on a computer or on your phone, it's within the app. And it connects to your Facebook profile, and basically shows you generally things in your area, you can set the radius of mileage, so finding things that are closer or farther away from you. And then some things will offer shipping. So it's kind of like an online yard sale, in a way. So let's, let's have an example. Okay, I was looking, okay, this is a recent find, for me, I was looking for a table that was going to go in a particular spot on the landing of our second floor, it's a bit of a weird shape, because there's kind of like this little vestibule with a linen closet. And then there's three rooms that are off of it. And there's a little weird angled wall. And I said I could get a small table, put it right there underneath this painting. And it had to be no more than 28 inches wide, and no more than a foot deep. And not anything super tall or short. And so I knew I was looking for a table of that size. For me in that instance, the size was the the determining factor. And I'll just use it as an example throughout this buying sequence of steps. So I began searching for hall table, or entry table or half moon table where that's the kind that I ended up getting. And you just search through making sure that the distance is where you want it to be, so that you're not looking at things in the next, you know, like super far away from you. But so that you have enough results, it may take a little bit of driving. So the part where you get the algorithm to work for you goes like this, if you see an item that you're interested in at all, just click on it. And it lets it lets Facebook know, oh, there's some interest here in this item. And there's a nice little feature where you can save items that you're just looking at. Kind of like on eBay, you can like watch items, and you can create folders and stuff like that. I usually don't bother with it. But I will save items, just so you can reference them quickly. And if you keep clicking on things that you like, and then saving them Facebook knows okay, this person is looking for a table for their hallway. It might not know what dimensions that you know that I need but it will start to show more and more. So when you open up the app, usually the first page you'll see is called like top picks for you are newly listed. And that feed will start to be curated to things that you've been searching for similar to Pinterest or other apps like that. And so that's useful, because then usually as you continue to look, you'll get to see those listings sooner. I like soon after they're listed, the more that you keep looking for them. So that's step one is to let the algorithm work for you. Another item that I searched for a long time for before I actually found it is the vintage tea cup shelf that's in my kitchen now. And it holds like 18 tea cups and a beautiful display shelf. That's a really specific item. But I kept typing in every now and then tea cup display shelf, and I would look at all of the various listings, sometimes I would find one, but it was like really far away. And so I thought, Well, eventually, I'll find one, and I did. Okay, moving on to step two, is to be patient and stay alert. If I'm really on the hunt for a particular item, I will check Facebook marketplace, probably at least once a day for just like five minutes. Once the algorithm especially starts sending you the kinds of pieces that you that you're looking for, but I will still type them in just to make sure once there's an item that I'm willing to work with, I will act immediately and try to set up a meeting plan and close as soon as I am able, you know, depending on the schedule. Until then though, I just stay patient and know that odds are the perfect piece will come along with time. And sometimes you may have to adjust your budget I'm I try to get you know, I get I'm trying to buy stuff for nothing. Okay. So when I was looking for this table, I'm looking for like$15 $20 At most right. And eventually I found over it was probably a couple months I was looking and I realized, okay, if I really want this table, I may need to be a little bit more flexible with my price. And what I was asking people because I'm always trying to handle and just just to see because they might just want to get rid of it. And they'll say yes, but I did have to adjust my expectations for it a little bit. And I think especially if you're going into a new room or a new space, and you don't know what things are going for, just you'll find with time, if it's not coming up for your price, or the very specific way you want it to look, you may just have to adjust one of those if you want to try and find it in your area. So let's say that you find the item that you're looking for, or something that you're interested in. This is where you can just scope out, check out the sellers profile before you reach out if you want or at some point in the communication, you can do this as well. This is really useful if you're worried about being scammed, or you just want to make sure that everything looks super legit. First, I will say that there's usually a category in Facebook marketplace, it'll show you things like these are newly listed, these are something else and they'll just have little headlines. But I have found recently there's a headline called highly rated sellers, which I think is a really great way to go. Because you can only get on that feed if you're someone who has sold many items and people have reviewed you very well. So pretty good chance that it's going to be someone really great to interact with. So if you click on the person that selling that particular item, not only can you find their marketplace page, which is where any other items that they have listed will appear, but you can also go to their actual Facebook profile. And most people have it, you know, in various levels of privacy, you can't see all their stuff. But the red flags that I look for is if something has a really, really cheap price that you're like, Wow, what a great deal. And then you go to that profile, and it was made in like the past month or two. And there's no profile picture. That's kind of a red flag for me. It might not always be because sometimes people will create Facebook profiles with an alternate name just for selling. I don't really know why but I have encountered real people that have done that. But I've also encountered a lot of weird scammy listings, just that look like that. So if you find a Facebook profile that looks like a real person, especially if you can find any defining characteristics of your area in their profile picture or something jet you're probably working with a real person, you know, and Facebook will even tell you if you have mutual friends. So that's also a really, really good is a good sign a good way to feel comfortable going into something, because this is someone who has friends in the area, most likely. So that is step three, to just check out the sellers profile. And I do this sometimes right at the beginning sometimes as I'm talking to them. But this is I think, very important step four, make a personalized inquiry. So when you're going to initiate a conversation with a seller, because you want to pursue this item, there's an automatic response or like, it's already filled out by Facebook. And the default phrase right now is, is this still available? Or like, Hi, is this still available? I never, ever, ever use that. Because as someone who has now sold on marketplace, you can just be inundated with all of these. Is this still available? Is this still available? And you have to just respond to Yes, before they even get to what they're like, if it's listed on there, it's going to be available. So some people will even put in the description of the item, do not send me a message saying is this available? I won't respond. I do that. So instead, this is what I always do, I send a message that greets the seller by name. And I include any questions that I have about the item. And then, if possible, I'll suggest an upcoming time or day or place to meet, because I think this shows a higher level of interest, and usually gets the ball rolling a lot better. And it also shows that I'm not a robot. So for example, as I was looking for this particular table, for this weird hallway space, I would say, you know, if the seller is Jane Doe, I'm going to send a message that says, Hi, Jane, I'm very interested in this piece. And then if the measurements are not listed, then I would ask, do you have the measurements? I'm just trying to make sure that it will fit in my space, but I really liked the look of it. And then maybe I'll leave it at the end, then I'll end with like, thanks. If the measurements are listed, or I don't have any questions, I'm just like, I want to buy this immediately. Then I will say Hi, Jane, I really love this piece I would love to pick up as soon as you're available. I might give a few days like I I'm free on this day or this day at this time, or I would love to find a time that works for you. Thanks so much. And then there's also like a third option, which is if you're interested, but not for that price. Then sometimes I'll say Hi, Jane, I very interested in this piece, would you take X amount of money in cash, question mark. Usually I just mentioned cash just to like make things simpler. And then I'll follow up with helpful details like I could pick up tomorrow before this time, you know, because if you're trying to sell something, usually you're trying to sell it quickly. And if it's been sitting in the app for a while, and you just want to kind of get rid of it, maybe you'd be willing to take off 10 $15. If someone's going to pick it up the next day and has shown a lot of actual interest, this person will really show up. So that's step four is to make a personalized inquiry. And then you're just communicating back and forth. And if it turns out that indeed, no one else has beat you to it. And you can find a good time to meet step five is to keep good communication, and set a clear meeting time. For example, if it's a Wednesday, and you're having this kind of miscommunication, and you agree with the seller to meet on Friday afternoon, then I will end the conversation on Wednesday by saying Great, thanks so much. I will reach out on Friday morning to confirm. Just you know, because stuff happens. And sometimes people will forget. And I've had that happen. And so rather than just say, Okay, I'm ready, I'm waiting for you to give me an address or something, you can just confirm a few hours before then Friday, I will reach out in the morning, say I'm still good at this time. And then once we have a place to meet up and I'm on my way I'll give the seller my eta so that they know what time I'm meant to be there. This I think is just really good. A good courtesy and also clear communication and it also encourages that kind of communication from the other side. Sometimes I have interacted with people where I will ask very clear questions and they'll just answer with like yes or okay, and it's not giving me an information. So then I'll ask more questions. But usually if I'm initiating the conversation with a lot of specificity and clarity, it will be returned in kind. Step six on this list is kind of at the same time as you're communicating but specify the currency. I was doing some research and Facebook suggests using secure banking apps such as PayPal or you can pay directly within Facebook Messenger. I know some people will use Venmo, or cash app or other things. But some sellers may specify a particular app like I only have this one setup, or they will prefer cash. Now, if you as someone buying would like, like a paper trail, like an electronic receipt, basically, then maybe that cash won't work for you, I personally find it perfectly fine and acceptable, a lot of people have become a little bit wary here and there because of scams that go through those apps, of trying to receive payments and that sort of thing, that they're just like, I prefer cash in person. So just just specify, you don't want to get there have it all worked out. And then there's a discrepancy over how to pay. Also, I, in some of my research, I found this as a nice safe practice, if you're a little bit concerned, or you're new to this, that once you meet the person and they send if you're paying through PayPal, for example, that it's can be a good idea to send a $1 test payment to that person and just make sure that they receive it. And you can see that you're sending money to the right person, and then send the rest of it, which leads into number seven on this list, which is the exchange. This is when you're actually doing the transaction. Once you arrive at wherever the meeting location is, I send a message to the seller letting them know that I'm there. And if it's a house, then I'll then walk up to the door knock on the door, you know. And usually they've got their phone next to them because I let them know when abouts I would be there. And make sure that you stay in places that feel safe to you. Generally I do transactions during the day when there's plenty of light. But if you go in the evening, make sure it's well lit. And you can also bring someone with you, you don't have to go by yourself. In my experience, most sellers will come out to greet me once they see my message. And they make sure everything is very clear and will often have the item with them or it's already on the porch or something, don't feel pressured to go anywhere to go inside any building or to buy anything. Or to go further with the transaction that you feel then you feel comfortable with. And sometimes I have both on the buying and the selling end, I have gone to someone's house or they've come to my house and they've checked out an item and it's just not gonna work after you actually see it in person, for whatever reason. And that's okay, because you're not bound contractually in any way to buy this thing. But if all looks good, and the payment is nice and secure and agreed upon, and then you take the item, boom, you've just done the transaction and all as well, then Facebook will invite you to rate that seller. And I think that it's always nice so that things are very clear. Like I said, most transactions I've had have been great. And so I will just rate them. And then finally, number eight is to clean that item. Because I think this is just a really good practice when it comes to buying anything secondhand, whether it's been in a thrift store, or you know, in fact, I'm sure there's some people that clean everything, even if it's coming brand new from AppStore. But definitely clean it on Facebook marketplace to the best of your ability. And it's just a nice little initiation into your home. So that is it. I hope that I've made it sound simple and not complex. Basically, you just search until you find the item, then you're clear and interested and proactive in your communication. And then you're safe in your you know, in person transaction. Boom, I've done it. I wish I knew how many times I've done this. It's been dozens upon dozens, at least if not plenty more. And I definitely have maybe saved items and thought let me go back to them. And then by the time I get around to it, they're already sold. Or I've asked like can you come down to this price? And they'll say no, and you know, it just doesn't work out. But like I said, a lot of transactions have been really, really good. Alright, moving on. I've got a little section. This is probably less common, but many people are unfamiliar with how to sell on Facebook marketplace, because I do donate quite a bit, especially clothes and smaller things to the charity shops in my area. But especially if it's a furniture item, I'm going to try to sell it and rather than trying to collect things over time to have one big yard sale. I just list them individually and it's worked out several times. I just have five quick points if you're interested in selling on Facebook marketplace, these are my tips. if you will, number one is to take good photos, because this should be common sense. But sometimes I will see strange listings out there where a photo is blurry or doesn't show the full thing. So take several photos from different angles, and also show any scratches or imperfections that are on the piece. Then as your listing, you can like input details, list all the important information, I just think because it's easier for communication, put the measurements in there so that people don't have to ask you, sometimes I will be those people who will say, don't ask me if it's available, if it's still there is available, I will not respond to that. Just to like weed out those who are maybe a little interested but not actually going to follow through, then you've got a nice clear listing, you've got the price, you got the description, boom. My third tip is to be patient and be flexible. If you're really firm on the price, you don't want to you know, make it any less, then you might have to wait a little bit longer until someone is able to pay that. And then if it's just sitting there, and it's like, well, I'm either gonna donate this next week, or it'll sell then drop the price, it's very easy and and you might get more responses that way. The fourth tip is to pick a nearby meeting spot. So when that's convenient for you, if you're not comfortable giving away your address, just as with buying, feel free to have someone else with you, if that makes you more comfortable with the situation. And just make sure that you don't feel weird with whoever you're communicating with. Sometimes, especially if it's large furniture items in a dress, like going to someone's house or having them come to your house is the best option. But if you're not comfortable with that, no problem at all. Generally, what I do is I will tell whoever is going to come pick up this item, let me know when you're ready to head my way I live in this area, or I live near this landmark. Let me know when you're ready to head this way. And I'll give you my address so that it's not days in advance and not like just throwing it out there. But this is someone who knows generally how long it will take for them to get to my house because they know I live by the big Dairy Queen. It's usually the landmark I give them. And then when they're ready to come to me, I'll send them my address, I have had fine experiences with this, you don't have to go about it that way, I have also been to lots of people's houses. And it's been fine. So go with it as you will. That's just the the process that I take. And then finally, consider the buyers point of view. So after interacting with so many sellers on the app, as I'm trying to buy things, I know which behaviors to adhere to or to avoid to give a better chance of a quick successful sale. In general, just clear communication is so key. So as you're looking through the app, just ask yourself, this seller is frustrating me or this is such a good seller why and then do those things. Okay, so like I said, I've had so many many good experiences on Facebook marketplace, however, I have encountered some, some sketchier stuff. And so this is a little section called red flags, how not to get scammed. And again, I have five main tips. The first is, in the vast majority of cases, do not communicate with anyone outside of the Facebook Messenger app. So don't give away your phone number. Basically, sometimes people will say, Yeah, this item still available, text me at this number, or send me your phone number. So I can you know, no, there's no need. That can be a sign of just someone fishing for your information. Now, I did have a bit of a fluke, recently in which someone was legit, and needed to communicate outside of it, like an older man had listed an item, but it was his wife who was at home. And so he gave me her phone number. And I was like, Is this legit or what? And then I went on to his Facebook profile, which was somewhat private, but had a lot of stuff that I could still see stuff that he shared publicly. And I could tell it was just an older gentleman who had been on Facebook for years and years and years and years and seemed like a normal person who just was a little bit technologically needed more help. And so he it turned out you know, it was a very We find normal exchange. But sometimes like if, if that's the first question like, is this available? I'm interested in, here's my information. And they'll be like, yes, here's my phone number call me, like, No, I will communicate only in this app. Thank you. And that leads into Tip number two, which is just don't give out any personal information about yourself, especially if they're clearly asking about it. The only exception to this might be your address, if you're comfortable with that person picking up from your address, but like I said, I only give it out, like the day of or at the time that they're gonna come meet me. And I will let Josh know, and we'll both like be looking, you know, but yeah, especially if they're asking for random information. I haven't encountered a lot of this, but just don't do that. Number three, is to look up your meeting location, ahead of time. So once you have an address, just look it up, make sure it's a real place, know what to expect, make sure that it's either in a very public place, or it's well lit, or whatever. And again, if you get there, if you drive over there, and you don't feel safe, don't feel pressured to get out of the car, or to continue at all. But I think it's useful to look it up ahead of time. All right, so I've got two more in this area. And this is where the in the two spheres where I have encountered scams. Number four is to don't accept deposits or requests for money without interacting with that person, like in person first. So what how this happened was, we were selling things when we were moving into this house, and I was trying to sell our dining set. And this is the first, really the only time this is the time that I got scammed. And I'm gonna share this story. And like, in hindsight, I'm like, I can't believe that I thought this was legit. But it really it was such a new kind of scam that I just didn't even it didn't comprehend until I was in the middle of it. Basically, someone was inquiring and said, I'm interested in this dining set, I live out of state, but my son is for my son or something and he can pick it up today. Like, okay, and they asked if they could pay through PayPal, and because she's out of state to just send me the money ahead of time, and then her son would pick it up. And for bigger purchases like that, I think deposits are more acceptable, you know, if you really want to reserve it want to make sure that no one gets there before you. And I was like, Okay, and so she asked for my email address that was associated with my PayPal, so she could send me a PayPal payment. And then I got in my email, a fake email, basically, that looked like it was from PayPal saying you've been sent this amount of money. And then it was it was much more like say I was selling it for 200. I don't remember how much. But it was sent for like 600. And then the scammer was like, because it's such a large amount of money like or something like I needed a business level profile or something. And like, she could only send that amount. And could I send the rest of it back and you see where this is going. So in the end, I She's like can I if I send you this large payment, will you send me back the remainder of it? And I was like, yeah. Not realizing, you know, when the the email came through, it looked legit at first, but then I was looking at it later. And it wasn't from the official PayPal website. And I authorized a payment of I think it was $250 to this person. And this is how clever the scam is because I tried to you know, I was reporting it to my bank and reporting it to paper out once I realized this is not real. I stopped communication with the person on Messenger immediately I took screenshots of everything I saved all the emails. But when I was talking with PayPal and talking with my bank, it because I sent the payment it wasn't like an erroneous payment or it wasn't it because I said yes send this money with a of my own will. They're like that's a bit of a weird situation. So they're always finding new ways to go about this. The scammers my bank was very helpful and they did reimburse me for that money and the woman was very kind to me she's like, Yeah, because you don't you don't think that way because you're not got that kind of person. She's like, sometimes people are thinking of these scans. But you're not thinking about that, because that's not the kind of person you are. And I was like, Thank you, because I felt so dumb. But it does happen. That was the one time that happened to me. And I, in hindsight, like I said, I'm like, What was I thinking, but it seemed legit in the moment. So my takeaway from that is just be careful when accepting deposits. And definitely you don't go send money to somebody, unless you're looking them in the eye. It's a very clear situation, you know what I'm saying? So that that's the time that it I got scammed. And then this last point also has some interesting stories, but it ends well, and that is to be extra careful with designer items, large purchases, and cars. Like I said, I mostly use marketplace to buy furniture and house things. But you can list pretty much anything. And the more money that item is worth, the more likely it is that there's going to be fakes floating around and bogus listings. So I encountered this, mostly when I was trying to find a piano. And I did find one a little over a year ago, we finally moved into a place where I could have a real acoustic, baby grand piano or maybe a grand I didn't know. And I did find a couple that were in the area, I went to, I think two different houses while I was searching, and I used pianos and they were selling them and I got there and I played them and they just weren't in good enough shape. And I ended up not buying them. But I was looking a lot. And eventually I started to see a pattern where a grand piano would be listed in my area. And they were just kind of giving it away, or it was super cheap, because it would like belong to someone who had passed away. And it's just a family member trying to get rid of it basically, to someone who would appreciate it. And it's interesting, because one time they were, they said, I'm selling this for a friend, here's her phone number in like, feel free to reach out to her if you want or it all seemed very, you know, legitimate. And I was even one time directed to a website of a piano moving company that doesn't exist. Because I was looking on this website, and I'm like, where is it? Where's it located? Where's their phone number? How can I contact them, and none of it was there. But it was like a full website. And I realized that eventually I found a pattern of these scams. But at first I was like speaking to these fake piano moving companies more than once. And then I found sometimes similar phrases would pop out or I would get an email. Yeah, cuz they would be like be listed. And the seller would be like, it's already with the moving company. This is their website, this is their address, or their email address, you can reach out to them. And it's all fake, you know, but they would as soon as they would ask for, like, What's your address? So we can figure out the shipping costs? I was like, No, I need to know where it is. I would like to see to be no play the piano before it comes to my house. Or they would ask for more information. And I would I would say no, I need to see this. Like is it in the area, like so. That was interesting. And I never, everything was fine with that. I reported a lot of sellers for scamming. And I was just very aware of that. And sometimes I would just go looking to see if I could find a scam and then report that. But I did find my piano on marketplace, though, because a piano store about a half hour from where I live, I had listed one of their older used pianos on Facebook marketplace. And sometimes I don't know if that's allowed, actually, for a business to be advertising, stuff like that. But they were and I saw it and we ended up going to the store it's in it said very clearly, this piano was at piano showcase in the mall at this address. And we went to the mall, and there it was, and that's where we found it. And so it was an effective means of advertising and found the piano for a really great deal. So it has a happy ending. But that level of fake, fake bogus scammy material is uncommon in your day to day listings. I think that it's because pianos are such a an expensive item or they can be That's why there were more scams. So especially if you're looking for something that is the that would be worth a lot of money. That's when you'd want to be more are particular, when I get I opened the app now and people are selling diaper genies for $15. They're not trying to scare me. So that's about it. I hope that this has been informative and not stressful. As a parting thought, I would simply encourage you not to be wary of buying secondhand items online. If you're someone who's comfortable going to estate sales, or yard sales or, or thrift shops, this is kind of just one step. Beyond that. It's kind of as if you are scanning or window shopping through thrift stores all the time. But it's a little bit more efficient and more curated, and you can do it from the couch. I have interacted with so many sellers and buyers over the past five years. And the vast majority, like I said, so many, the vast majority have been fine, totally normal, great interactions. Because I learned how to use Facebook marketplace safely and efficiently. As I hope I have communicated through this episode today, I was able to furnish both my first apartment and now this new house on a very consistent and manageable budget. I'm all about embracing style in the home. And since I'm willing to expend a little bit of time, and communication, I don't have to sacrifice a whole bunch of money in order to embrace that style. So I hope that if you have been a little bit interested or have been confused, that you feel a bit more empowered, and know how to go about it. I'm continuing to look for a couple things for the nursery, even now. And I plan to use this app for the foreseeable future when it comes to furniture and home decor. If you're interested in similar episodes to this one, I would recommend listening to podcast 81, which was designing my first house and how to revamp your space on a budget. I mentioned a little bit of Facebook marketplace, but also just how to balance the quality of your space. The time and effort put into it and money. Of course, Episode 83 was an interview with an interior designer, in which she speaks about styling a home slowly which I touched on a little bit in the beginning of this episode. And then episode 109 was kind of recently and that was the one year renovation update of this house. And you can also go to the website which is life on the brink dot live, head to the blog page and search the categories for the one titled home and that's where you can find everything related to home decor and interior design. It has been such a joy of mine and I'm so loving putting this nursery together. It's like combining my love of design and homeliness and the cuteness of baby. It's been really fun. And on that note, I'll be right back with this week's little joy for this week's little joy, I just thought I would share a couple of my favorite pregnancy snacks because they have been delicious lately. Namely, there is a kombucha that I've been drinking. It's from GTS synergy. I find it in lots of places in in the States. You can find it at Target or Trader Joe's and I actually found an article that I think they're expanding internationally to Europe soon, but there's a flavor called peach Paradise, and it is the best kombucha I've ever had. Okay, I had like a top running favorite. There was something else. I don't remember who made that one. But this one, it just kicked it to the curb. It is so delicious. It tastes like in the best way if you've ever had like the little packed fruit cup that you have when you're a kid, and it's like fruit pieces in like a syrup. But it's the peaches like canned peaches Opia it's like canned peaches in syrup. It's like that peachy flavor but as like a soda is kind of what it tastes like. And I love it so much. So that has been so refreshing to me as well. As the Trader Joe's organic mini cheese sandwich crackers, they taste like they're they're basically meant to be Ritz bits. The little sandwich crackers with the cheese in between. But I actually had some reds bits like a month ago and they kind of taste like nothing. These are far superior. They are delicious. Oh my goodness, salty and crunchy, and just everything good. So like those cheese crackers with the peach kombucha on the site like I'm done. I'm done. That's just so delicious. And then finally, this is just like a recipe I was tinkering around with. I made a lavender Earl Grey chia pudding. It was inspired by a recipe that I saw on Instagram and I'll link it but basically I just took coconut milk and some almond milk, warmed it up steeped Earl Grey tea and dried lavender in it. Let it cool and made chia pudding with it. And I know that that's not a very revolutionary process, but why have I not been doing it? I haven't made chia pudding in a while but this one is so delicious. Oh my goodness. And oh, fresh strawberries. That's been the other thing. I'm just I'm so excited. That strawberry season is here. So like imagine if you will. This lavender Earl Grey chia pudding topped with fresh, ripe strawberries. And maybe a little bit of fresh whipped cream or yogurt and homemade granola. Oh, I love the granola. I'm gonna link that recipe it's on it's on the life on the brink dot live my own granola which is delicious. This is like the breakfast of dreams. Right? I'm getting hungry actually knows. Now as I talk about this, but yeah, the kombucha the sandwich crackers in this chia pudding have been changing the game for me this spring. And strawberries have been my true love and mangoes. I sound very pregnant on a fresh mango and fresh strawberries have been my favorites. So those have all been joys for me. 33 weeks pregnant. And yeah, it's been very joyful. Let me leave you with some music. What are we looking at this week? Okay, it's springtime. And I always go back to this style of music every spring. But I would like to recommend the album, St. Louis Blues by this is so cute. quintet do Hot Club de France. Basically, it's Django Reinhardt on guitar. And if you're not familiar with Django Reinhardt by name, you've definitely heard his style of playing. And there is the other member of this duo is Stephane Grappelli, and he is on violin. And it's that style of jazz, it's called sometimes gypsy jazz, which was started by Django Reinhardt. And it was very popular in France. In the early 20th century, Django Reinhardt himself was of the Roma people. So that's how it earned its name. But it just sounds like springtime. And it makes me dream of one day going to France. And this album has a lot of really nice jazz standards. And, you know, a fun and old way. So I'll of course, leave a link to that in the blog post. The show notes for this episode on life on the brink dot live. I am going to release two more episodes before the end of this season and a bit of a maternity leave. So if you are not already, I would recommend following me over on Instagram because I am going to be asking for questions and input. For the next couple of episodes, it's going to be a little bit interactive a little bit q&a. So feel free to find me over on there. That's on a I'm sorry, it's at on a on the keys, my name on the keys with underscores in between every word. And if you're not signed up for the monthly newsletter, or if you haven't left a review on Apple podcasts yet that would be just so lovely. I love to read them and share them on the podcast as well. But regardless, I hope that you have a lovely day that you're able to revamp your space in a nice cool fresh way. And that you're enjoying springtime. I'll be back in two weeks with a new episode and until then, I'll be drinking lots of kombucha thank you for tuning into this episode of Life on the brink. If you're enjoying these episodes, please feel free to leave a star rating or even better leave a review on Apple podcasts to help spread the word for podcast show notes and extra inspirational posts throughout the week. Head to the blog at life on the brink dot live. And if you'd like a little extra dose of inspiration in your life, sign up for the monthly newsletter, which lights up your inbox the first Friday of each month. Thank you so much for listening. And until next time, friends, you have a lovely week. Bye