The Buyers

This week I used Facebook Marketplace to post some items to sell online. I have sold some things online before, this was not my first rodeo. But it was my first time using FB Marketplace to sell. Unlike some other platforms, FB Marketplace does not facilitate the sale, it simply connects buyers to sellers. Interested buyers then communicate on their own to agree on price and determine how to exchange money and product.

The short story is that I photographed and wrote up verbiages for my items and posted them on FB Marketplace, where a buyer found me. We agreed on details, then, the next day, we met face-to-face where they paid me and I gave them the items. That’s the short version.

But, you’d probably like the long version, right? Right?

The long version:

In cleaning out and clearing out our house, we found a preponderance of items that we no longer need or want. I checked with my 4 adult kids, and they gave me the green light to get rid of some of their childhood toys. I knew that some vintage toys from the 80s, 90s, and 00s are pretty desirable these days. So, I decided to sell some Littlest Pet Shop toys (LPS) on Facebook Marketplace. I made several different listings with a variety of LPS characters, houses, stores, playgrounds, and accessories. I posted my LPS listings at 6:23pm. By 6:25pm, I was receiving messages from potential buyers.

If you didn’t catch it from a previous paragraph, FB Marketplace does not allow a buyer to BUY NOW. There is no mechanism for purchases. If interested, a buyer sends a message to the seller, and then they conduct business via back-and-forth message negotiations. In my case, I refused to ship items (been there, done that) and my prices were set, so I was looking to arrange a buyer to meet me to exchange money and deliver the product.

Of the buyers’ messages and questions that started rolling in, one stood out. It was a young woman who was beyond excited that she had found my listings. She wanted to bundle and buy the whole set, all of my separate listings, immediately to give to her little sister. She wanted to clean me out. Since she was the first buyer to pull the trigger, we arranged a time to meet for the transaction the following morning. I followed FB Marketplace advice to keep my listings live until our transaction was complete, lest the deal fall apart. So, even though I had secured a buyer, my Littlest Pet Shop toys continued to be advertised. Here is a sampling of my some of my publicized product. There were more than this.

To say that I was BOMBARDED with messages would be an understatement. Buyer after buyer after buyer contacted me, hoping to grab the toys. I used a handy auto-response to tell them that I was in talks with someone else, but I would let them know if that deal fell through.  I continued to receive messages from 6:30pm until well after midnight, buyers offering overbids, buyers pleading their case, buyers begging that I pick them, pick them, please. It was completely crazy. I stopped counting after I vetted questions from 73 different buyers. My phone message notification was dinging like no tomorrow.  

All told, 1641 potential local buyers viewed my toy listings that night. Within just a few hours. Come midnight, I removed the listings, marking everything as SOLD, even though I didn’t have money in hand yet. I had to stop the madness. Even then, a few people continued to hound me during the wee hours of the night.  As mentioned earlier, my buyer met me the next morning and the sale was finalized.  She was thrilled. Had I been willing to back out of the arrangement with her, I could have made more money with one of the many overbids I received. But, I didn’t want to screw her over after our gentlewoman's agreement. I gave her my word.  It was all good.

During this situation, what interested me more than the urgency of the hungry buyers was my reaction to them. At first, I was surprised by the enthusiasm of those reaching out to me. Then I was amused. Then I began to feel like a kingpin with my small stash of coveted toys. In many ways, I held the cards. I had the power. The people wanted something that I possessed.

This is textbook instant gratification from social media interactions. While the barrage of messages became somewhat annoying, it also gave me a sense of enjoyment. Like Galinda, aka Glinda, aka Arianna Grande in Wicked, I was pleased to be Pop-you-lar. It’s all about Pop-you-lar! The buyers loved me. My online selling presence felt validated. Even when I was thinking that everyone needed to calm down a bit, it gave me a real rush of dopamine. Seeing their reactions, their responses.  They wanted my approval, but I was the one getting massive approval from them. Just for selling some toys.

And the buyers… There were a few people who seemed interested in re-selling my LPS toys for profit. I was offering a pretty good deal at an attractive price. But, most people who contacted me were all about the nostalgia. They remembered playing with Littlest Pet Shop when they were young and they wanted to get their hands on the discontinued collectibles. A completely emotional response. That’s what pulled at my heartstrings. That's what made me like those guys.

Perhaps years from now my kids will regret selling their toys. But, they are all too busy in life right now to care about those things. I don’t have room to hold onto that stuff anymore.  This week I have positive feelings about my Littlest Pet Shop sale. Passing the toys on to someone else who will enjoy them. Brightening my buyer’s day. And, interacting courteously with the buyers who walked away empty-handed. All-in-all, my kids netted some spending money (I'm a nice mom like that), buyers took defeat graciously, and I got social approval that my stuff wasn’t worthless and I was on the right track as I started to purge.

It was a win-win-win.

Besides toys, I have, at times, sold things online such as art supplies, books, clothes, furniture, and musical instruments. Some have been successful. Some have been duds.  Keeping up with inquiries, tracking items, responding in a timely manner—selling can sometimes seem like a fulltime job. A big commitment. Not to be entered into lightly. Because, it’s all about keeping the buyer satisfied.

Do you have experience as a seller? As a buyer? How did that work out for you? Ever crave positive feedback? Talk to me.