A mother was left scratching her head after receiving a strange response from a “grandma” who wanted to buy her a $10 toy on Facebook Marketplace.
Katie, from Calgary, Canada, was getting rid of some things her one-year-old daughter had outgrown and offered an “activity center” on the online marketplace for $10.
She started talking to a woman claiming to be a grandmother who was buying the toy for her new grandchild, but delayed getting it back saying her husband of more than 50 years wanted to file for divorce.
Katie thought she could give the woman the toy for free out of sympathy, but her husband accused the buyer of scamming the mother by making up a sob story to get the item for free.
Netizens were divided on whether the ‘grandma’ was scamming Katie and shared suggestions on how to respond.
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Mum Katie (pictured) was trying to sell her daughter’s old toys on Facebook Marketplace. Shopper delayed pickup saying husband suddenly filed for divorce
“My husband thinks I’m being scammed on Facebook Marketplace,” Katie said in a TikTok clip.
She explained that she was getting rid of a bunch of things her young daughter no longer needed and had listed the activity center on Marketplace for as little as $10.
“I’m pretty sure they sell for hundreds of dollars new, so I thought it was a good deal,” the mother said.
“This very lovely woman messages me and she says, ‘I’m a grandmother and I’d love to buy this for my brand new grandbaby.’
Katie was touched by this “kind” gesture and they both agreed on a time when the grandmother would collect the item.
“Then this morning I realized that she was going to come just when my baby was napping and that it’s an hour a day that I spend alone, so I don’t risk waking the baby,” a- she explained.
“So I wrote him and said, ‘Hey, look, is it cool if we just do a contactless exchange?’ I’ll put the thing on the road and you can just leave the money.’
Katie also left a note on the post in case the woman missed her message before picking it up, but her response left Katie stunned.
Katie wanted to give the woman the $10 item for free, but her husband accuses the buyer of making up a story to get her to pay the price.
“Can we do tomorrow now?” My husband just filed for divorce and I’m shocked. I’m 66 years old! And we have been together since we were 13,” the woman wrote.
“Obviously it’s not funny if it’s true and my first thought is it’s so sad, I should just give him that thing,” Katie said.
“My husband says no, she’s totally scamming you, she’s trying to get this stuff for free and she’s making you work.”
Katie describes herself as “a lifelong optimist” and thought there was “no way” someone would try to scam her for as little as $10.
“My husband is convinced, because he’s very cynical, that this is his plan and there’s no divorce, he says, ‘She’s probably not even a grandmother.'” she declared.
“Is he right? Am I being scammed? Am I breaking down?
Viewers were quick to share their opinions, with many agreeing with Katie’s husband and warning her to proceed with caution.
“I’m with your husband. I’ve seen people give so much extra information when they back out of a meeting, then ask to pay less or never come,” one woman said.
“My spider sense is definitely tingling.” But I’ve been scammed before and I don’t trust anyone now,” another wrote.
“I was literally scammed the same way. They said they were grandmother. They wanted to buy it for their grandchildren then turned around and sold it for a high price,” added a third.
Others weren’t as skeptical and said the woman may have been “sincere” but a bit “oversharing.”
“As a child of a baby boomer…people in their 60s and 70s can be notorious for oversharing with strangers,” one viewer responded.
“She is sincere in my opinion. If anything she was probably looking for someone to talk to or offer condolences for her marriage,” a second commented.
“Maybe she doesn’t have anyone to talk to. Don’t stop being a good person just because others might not be. Give it to her,” someone chimed in. ‘other.
Some gave suggestions for how Katie should respond to better understand the buyer’s situation.
“I would just say ‘I’m really sorry.’ Whenever you are ready, contact us and we can make the exchange. See where it goes from there,” one woman suggested.
“I always search the other person’s profile to see if they are real. if it’s a brand new, clean account I’d be skeptical,” warned another.
