When TikToker Rachel Anderson (@rachelanderson471) came across a vintage mirror on Facebook Marketplace that she absolutely loved, she reached out to the seller to negotiate prices.
The seller gave out their address so that Rachel could come over and pick up the mirror. Rachel was under the impression that the seller was a sweet older lady with no means of transportation.
When she arrived, she messaged the seller to let them know she was there. They told her that they were busy unpacking stuff upstairs and that the door was open, so she could just come right in.
Rachel was immediately overcome with a bad feeling. She responded that her son was outside with her and could help carry the mirror out to the car.
She was actually alone, but felt it was safer to say that she was with someone else. The light that was on upstairs in the house instantly turned off, the listing disappeared, and she was blocked on Facebook.
“So, I peeled out of there, get home, and I’m like, trying to calm myself down because I was afraid of what that could have turned into,” she said.
She called the non-emergency line, told the authorities what had just happened, and gave them the address. The police went over to the house to check it out.
They knocked on the door, but no one answered. Since they didn’t have a warrant, there wasn’t anything they could do about it.
However, one of the neighbors let them know that the house had been abandoned for about six months.
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“I’ve never actually purchased anything off of Facebook Marketplace, but within seconds, the listing was gone,” said Rachel.
“This might be something common that happens to people all the time. It’s never happened to me. You all be really careful on these sites.”
In the comments section, many TikTok users chimed in with similar stories of their own, along with advice to meet at a public place next time.
“Something very similar happened to me. When the seller found out my husband was with me, that was it. No response. The lights in the house went off, and I was blocked. It was for a rug,” commented one user.
“I’ve picked up or purchased a few things off of Facebook Marketplace, and every single time, it has been either a meetup at someone’s front porch or at a public location like a busy parking lot. Or, they left it outside for me to pick up. You absolutely did the right thing by refusing to go into that house and getting out of there as quickly as possible,” wrote another.
“One time, I felt so dumb after the fact that I bought a curling iron, went to the lady’s house (she lived in a sketchy place, too), and she invited me inside. I obediently went inside, and she closed the doors. I was so scared,” added a third.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
