A Michigan husband sold his then-unwanted wife’s antique dresser online to a restoration technician, only to ask him to return the luxury furniture just two days later.
Kandra Sobel, 35, an antique furniture restoration technician, bought a Kipp Stewart Drexel three-drawer dresser from a seller who had posted it on the Facebook Marketplace.
Just two days later, Sobel, who makes a living renovating and remodeling homes and furniture, received a message from the seller requesting the return of the mid-century piece.
Kandra Sobel, 35, an antique furniture restoration technician, bought a Kipp Stewart Drexel three-drawer dresser from a seller who had posted it on the Facebook Marketplace.
Just two days after purchasing the dresser on Facebook Marketplace, Sobel received a message from the seller asking for the mid-century piece to be returned.
The message, supposedly sent by the dresser’s owner’s husband, said, “I’ve never done anything like this before,” and shared that his wife had been crying for days after selling her wooden dresser.
The husband then asked Sobel if he could give him $100 to get the dresser back.
Sobel, also a part-time social media influencer, posted the entire ordeal on TikTok inviting comments from curious viewers.
Some speculated in the comments that the wife may have shopped around for the price of the refinished vintage piece before begging for its return. Sobel suggested that in its restored state it could be worth up to $1,500.
The seller insisted he would “do anything” to get the dresser back, explaining it “meant a lot” to his distraught wife.
According to some of her commenters, the Brighton native felt there was a chance the seller’s wife had watched her video of the restoration process before changing her mind.
“What bothers me is that he sent me that message the night I posted a reel showing how amazing the wood grain is,” Sobel said.
‘Is it seller’s remorse or did you Google it and realize how much it was worth once it was restored?’ she added in the Video from October 10.
Sobel also noted that the seller’s wife was familiar with his work and knew that after the purchase he planned to restore the antique piece.
The 35-year-old man expressed sympathy for the problems his husband was facing and desperately pleaded for his wife’s childhood memory to be returned.
Sobel, who makes a living renovating and remodeling homes and furniture, was not willing to return the dresser because it was already in the renovation process, having spent time and money on restoration.
Sympathizing with the couple’s emotional bond with the dresser, the restoration technician offered to sell them the piece, granting them the right of first refusal.
“The gentleman who sold it to me is a very, very nice person,” he said. “I feel really bad if your wife now has seller’s remorse and feels bad about selling a piece of her childhood.”
‘He offered to give me double what I spent, which was very kind and generous. “It seems like he’s really trying to fix the problem for his wife,” he explained.
However, Sobel was not willing to return the dresser because it was already in the renovation process and had invested time and money into the restoration.
Sympathizing with the couple’s emotional bond with the dresser, the restoration technician offered to sell them the piece, granting them the right of first refusal.
By continuing to detail the progress of his restoration, viewers sided with Sobel.
‘If there is an emotional bond, they will be delighted to have it re-established. Give them first right of refusal but zero discount. You did the job!’ commented one user.
Another commented: ‘They sold it 100% aware of the situation. Whatever the reason you want to get it back, you are not obligated at all. Don’t let them make you feel guilty. The first right of refusal is generous.’
About two weeks passed before Sobel shared the final update: ‘We made a deal!’ Sobel shared on October 24.
In the update, he shared that the wife, whom he described as “literally a ray of sunshine,” informed him of her maximum budget and then the couple was able to come to an agreement.
“Now that I’ve met her, I feel very, very good about (selling it again),” he said. “It’s probably a bad deal because I could have gotten double what I sold them, but it’s not always about the money.”
‘This was a plot twist. But it’s good, they’re really great people.”
