Sold a vintage lamp on Facebook Marketplace for $40, then the buyer came back two hours later

I was at my driveway in Portland wrapping up a yard sale I'd been running since 7 AM. This woman bought a 1970s brass floor lamp for $40, seemed happy, loaded it into her minivan and drove off. Two hours later she pulls back up holding the lamp in two pieces. Said the base snapped off when she set it down in her living room. I wasn't sure what to do at first - felt like maybe I should have inspected it closer before selling. But I grabbed my epoxy glue, asked her to hold it steady while I put it together, and after 10 minutes it was solid again. She drove away smiling. Has anyone else had a buyer come back with a broken item? How do you handle it?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavin_reed6d ago

That epoxy fix was smart. I woulda just told her tough luck and shut the door.

taylorlewis7d ago

Ugh, that's the worst feeling when something breaks right after you sell it. I had a guy bring back a coffee table I sold at a garage sale once because a leg just split clean off when he tried to move it across his carpet. I ended up just giving him a full refund because I felt so bad about it, but your epoxy fix was way smarter than what I did. Did you actually test the bond before you let her drive away, or just kind of hope for the best while you held it together?