A man recently shared his experience after listing an old IKEA desk for free on Facebook Marketplace. He was upgrading his home office and thought the desk, still functional but no longer needed, would be gone quickly. Instead, what followed was a stream of bizarre requests and frustrating interactions that left him questioning the entitlement of some people online.
After posting the listing explicitly stating that the desk was free and available for pickup only on weekends, the first message arrived almost immediately. A potential buyer asked if he could hold the desk for two weeks until payday. The seller, baffled by the notion, responded that he wanted to get rid of it sooner. The conversation ended with the requester saying they would check back if no one else claimed it. However, a week later, the desk was still available with no further communication from them.
Things took another strange turn when the second person contacted him. They requested that he disassemble the desk before pickup because they had a small car. He agreed, thinking it was a reasonable request. But then the conversation escalated. The same buyer asked if he could also bring the desk down three flights of stairs to the street because they had a bad back. The seller, living on the third floor, found the request bewildering. After all, they had just met online. It was a free desk, and the expectation of him carrying it down seemed unreasonable.
The third person confirmed a pickup time for Saturday at 11 AM but did not show up. After waiting for a couple of hours, the seller followed up only to receive a message apologizing for the no-show and suggesting rescheduling for the following Saturday. The seller, frustrated but also determined, told them he had already relisted the desk by then.
Finally, after a series of odd requests and no-shows, a fourth person reached out. They simply said, “I can come tomorrow at 10, does that work?” Pleased by the straightforwardness, the seller confirmed the time. This buyer showed up on time with a friend, carried the desk down without any fuss, and expressed gratitude before leaving. It felt like a breath of fresh air after days of complicated interactions.
The seller’s experience has sparked reflections on why people feel entitled to make demands over free items. He noted that his intent in listing the desk was not just to declutter but to avoid sending it to a landfill. Yet, the interactions he faced made it clear that some individuals perceive receiving free goods as an opportunity to negotiate terms, rather than acknowledging the generosity behind the offer.
One reader commented on the situation, pointing out that the mentality around free items on platforms like Marketplace often creates confusion about expectations. Another remarked on how his experiences were not unique, suggesting that people may behave differently when they think they are getting something without cost attached.
As the seller weighed whether to continue offering items for free or to reconsider his approach entirely, he remained unsure what to expect next time. He found himself pondering how often such interactions reflect a broader sense of entitlement that seems to bleed into many aspects of online exchanges, especially regarding free goods.
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