The digital marketplace has become a bustling hub for bargain hunters and those looking to offload pre-loved items. However, it's not without its risks, as a recent incident in Melbourne has starkly highlighted.

A woman with hopes of selling her designer handbag on Facebook Marketplace was allegedly assaulted in a scam that reads like a plot from a crime thriller.

The woman, seeking to sell her luxury item worth thousands of dollars, connected with a prospective buyer on Facebook Marketplace.

Trusting the process, she arranged an in-person meeting in May to inspect the bag. Little did she know that this decision would lead to a harrowing experience.

A woman was about to sell her designer handbag when it led to a traumatising experience. Credit: Shutterstock

During the supposed routine transaction, as the female 'buyer' was inspecting the handbag, an unexpected twist occurred.

A man approached the seller, assaulted her, snatched the handbag, and made a swift getaway.

The aftermath of the incident revealed a sinister plot: police alleged that the assault was not a random act of opportunism but a premeditated robbery.

The female buyer and the male assailant were reportedly in cahoots, staging the entire episode to steal the handbag and profit from its sale.

The duo allegedly sold the stolen item and divided the spoils of their deceitful act.

In the wake of the incident, authorities have taken action.

A 21-year-old woman from Gladstone Park and a 28-year-old man from Broadmeadows were charged with theft and handling stolen goods.

Both were granted bail and are expected to appear before the Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court on 9 October.

While items can be easily put for sale online, there is always a risk. And sometimes, transactions can take a devastating turn.

In a previous story, a Coles worker suffered a serious injury after her foot as run over during a car sale wrong, facilitated through Facebook Marketplace.

The victim called for Facebook to increase security on their platform to prevent scams and urged users to be cautious when selling items online. You can read more about the story here.

Key Takeaways

• A Melbourne woman was allegedly assaulted while trying to sell a designer handbag on Facebook Marketplace.
• The seller was approached by a supposed buyer, who was allegedly working with an accomplice to steal the handbag.
• Both the female 'buyer' and her male accomplice have been charged with theft and handling stolen goods.
• The accused were bailed and are expected to appear before the Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court.

Have you ever experienced a scam or a close call while selling items online? Share your stories and tips in the comments below.

 

[DLHM]

Stranger Danger

 

[Gaena]

I advertised a large 8 seater couch/ chaise lounge on market place and after deleting the usual stupid comments offering less than half of the price I had advertised it for I communicated with a woman who asked to see it urgently as she was moving into her new home in the next couple of days and as yet did not have anything to sit on, we arranged a mutually agreed time and happy that it looked like I was going to sell it for the cash price I had asked for I waited for her arrival. She knocked on the door on time but she brought 3 other people with her that I had not been expecting, alarm bells rang as I noticed the 3 other people were very large burly men, one of them more than capable of picking me up with one hand, no exageration I am not a small woman but I was wrong the 3 men were there to help the woman remove the couch. She said she loved it (the couch) and happily handed over the cash My feelings of intimidation when they had arrived were not warranted especially as a couple of the men mentioned they knew my husband ( he was not at home but working away at the time) I had feelings of intimidation because all of a sudden my large family room was crowded with people I had not been expecting and my feelings of "Stranger danger" had taken over my usually friendly nature. It all worked out, the couch was removed and I was just left with the need to vacuume the carpet to remove 5 years of dust and crap that the couch left behind, Happy note the new owner of the couch sent me photographs to show how good it looked in her new home and thanked me for the opportunity to purchase such a good quality item for a lot less than she thought she would have to pay

 

[IAN3005]

I advertised a large 8 seater couch/ chaise lounge on market place and after deleting the usual stupid comments offering less than half of the price I had advertised it for I communicated with a woman who asked to see it urgently as she was moving into her new home in the next couple of days and as yet did not have anything to sit on, we arranged a mutually agreed time and happy that it looked like I was going to sell it for the cash price I had asked for I waited for her arrival. She knocked on the door on time but she brought 3 other people with her that I had not been expecting, alarm bells rang as I noticed the 3 other people were very large burly men, one of them more than capable of picking me up with one hand, no exageration I am not a small woman but I was wrong the 3 men were there to help the woman remove the couch. She said she loved it (the couch) and happily handed over the cash My feelings of intimidation when they had arrived were not warranted especially as a couple of the men mentioned they knew my husband ( he was not at home but working away at the time) I had feelings of intimidation because all of a sudden my large family room was crowded with people I had not been expecting and my feelings of "Stranger danger" had taken over my usually friendly nature. It all worked out, the couch was removed and I was just left with the need to vacuume the carpet to remove 5 years of dust and crap that the couch left behind, Happy note the new owner of the couch sent me photographs to show how good it looked in her new home and thanked me for the opportunity to purchase such a good quality item for a lot less than she thought she would have to pay

No way I would let strangers in the house when I was alone

 

[DLHM]

I advertised a large 8 seater couch/ chaise lounge on market place and after deleting the usual stupid comments offering less than half of the price I had advertised it for I communicated with a woman who asked to see it urgently as she was moving into her new home in the next couple of days and as yet did not have anything to sit on, we arranged a mutually agreed time and happy that it looked like I was going to sell it for the cash price I had asked for I waited for her arrival. She knocked on the door on time but she brought 3 other people with her that I had not been expecting, alarm bells rang as I noticed the 3 other people were very large burly men, one of them more than capable of picking me up with one hand, no exageration I am not a small woman but I was wrong the 3 men were there to help the woman remove the couch. She said she loved it (the couch) and happily handed over the cash My feelings of intimidation when they had arrived were not warranted especially as a couple of the men mentioned they knew my husband ( he was not at home but working away at the time) I had feelings of intimidation because all of a sudden my large family room was crowded with people I had not been expecting and my feelings of "Stranger danger" had taken over my usually friendly nature. It all worked out, the couch was removed and I was just left with the need to vacuume the carpet to remove 5 years of dust and crap that the couch left behind, Happy note the new owner of the couch sent me photographs to show how good it looked in her new home and thanked me for the opportunity to purchase such a good quality item for a lot less than she thought she would have to pay

Happy for you that it worked out well.

 

[Barbara V]

Never trust fb sales

 

[MariaG]

I advertised a large 8 seater couch/ chaise lounge on market place and after deleting the usual stupid comments offering less than half of the price I had advertised it for I communicated with a woman who asked to see it urgently as she was moving into her new home in the next couple of days and as yet did not have anything to sit on, we arranged a mutually agreed time and happy that it looked like I was going to sell it for the cash price I had asked for I waited for her arrival. She knocked on the door on time but she brought 3 other people with her that I had not been expecting, alarm bells rang as I noticed the 3 other people were very large burly men, one of them more than capable of picking me up with one hand, no exageration I am not a small woman but I was wrong the 3 men were there to help the woman remove the couch. She said she loved it (the couch) and happily handed over the cash My feelings of intimidation when they had arrived were not warranted especially as a couple of the men mentioned they knew my husband ( he was not at home but working away at the time) I had feelings of intimidation because all of a sudden my large family room was crowded with people I had not been expecting and my feelings of "Stranger danger" had taken over my usually friendly nature. It all worked out, the couch was removed and I was just left with the need to vacuume the carpet to remove 5 years of dust and crap that the couch left behind, Happy note the new owner of the couch sent me photographs to show how good it looked in her new home and thanked me for the opportunity to purchase such a good quality item for a lot less than she thought she would have to pay

Glad it worked out for you. I am one of a rare breed who refuse to sell anything online and have no desire for people to come into my home for such a purpose. Spooks me somewhat.
Actually, I have never sold anything online. I pretty much keep things until they have to be given a decent burial via kerbside pickup. We did have a big cleanout of decent furniture and household objects when we down sized but chose to donate those to charity.
If I had 3 guys come into my home like they did yours, I would have freaked out big time...probably ending up in a corner of my wardrobe curled up in the fetal position. You were very brave.

 

[ElleJay]

I've sold a lot through Facebook and not had any problems. When I was clearing out my late Mum's house, I sold vintage china, homewares and clothing. Also regular clothing, school uniforms etc. I find local BSS groups and special interest groups, like vintage clothing and vintage china, are better to sell through rather than Marketplace. At one stage I was selling a washbasin from an old Victorian train (my Grandpa worked in the Railways), so I joined a group called "Australian Railways - Past and Present" and ended up selling it to a lady who had an old train carriage on her farm that she was doing up as a holiday let. I do usually make sure I get people to come when my husband is home (he works from home a lot), but I've met lots of interesting people and the only problem I've ever had is a couple of no-shows. Probably thieves wouldn't be interested in the kinds of things I'm selling, as they are not high value and wouldn't be easy to on-sell.

 

[Gsr]

I have never sold anything online but my son and daughter do it all the time and have never had any problems. I did meet a man who was himself scammed, he saw a lounge advertised, paid for it and was given an address to pick it up. The address was the local youth centre, where I happened to be working as part of an election. He came with a friend and a trailer to pick it up, stated it was the youth centre address he was given, but he didn‘t know it wasn’t a house address. i told him sorry and suggested he try a couple of houses nearby. He said he had already paid the money. After trying the nearby houses he drove off up the street without a lounge so I’m guessing he had been ripped off. I don’t think he will ever pay upfront again for any item.

 

[Catherines]

Always sell when a male person (preferably husband or a big, burly guy) is in your home and with you for protection. NEVER allow anyone into your home because some of them may just be 'casing the joint' to come back when they see you leave and then they steal anything and everything of value.

Always sell FOR CASH - no excuses from the buyer to transfer money to your bank account etc. That is one sure way they get your bank account number and can scam you out of your savings later. Once they have your address or bank and phone number you could be a 'goner'. If we need to sell anything I have two undercover patios and the goods will be displayed or picked up from outside the house not from inside. It can be difficult to do this if the item is large and not easily moveable but your safety and safety of your home should come first. Fortunately, we have a monitored back-to-base security system and have not sold more than a couple of items online and my husband has always been with me.

 

[Gaena]

Thank you to everyone who expressed concern for may safety in regard to my previous message about my selling a large item of furniture via Face Book market place, I might just explain that at the time my husband and I were living in a large regional town where of course every one knew each other, hence my comment that a couple of the afore mentioned "Burly Men" knew my husband. We were moving to another regional town and had excess furniture to get rid of before that move, my husband was hardly ever at home and even if he was not working away he would be at work all day and so still not home ,so all the disposing of excess furniture and appliances like extra TV's was up to me. I was not worried about strangers coming into the house to look at or pick up things that they were interested in because even if I did not personally know them my husband or a friend certainly would. If I felt threatened in any way (which I did not) a frantic phone call would have produced a small army of protectors running to my door so my feelings of "stranger danger" of so many people suddenly in my family room were in fact not valid. the only down side to the whole excercise of selling was the calls/messages from people who wanted the items cheaper than the advertised price! One in particular was a woman who insisted that she would pay a deposit on the advertised TV and then come back and pay the rest that she owed after pay day which was obviously a center link payment but of course she wanted to take the TV after only paying the deposit!! I had to read / listen to an entire sob story of how her son was sick and she wanted the TV for him to play his video games on, blah blah blah and then of course the foul abuse when I would not agree to her plan. I have always believed in charity for the less fortunate but by the same token I am not the fool that she was trying to take me for, maybe she should have tried borrowing some cash from a member of her mob before trying that plan on me. Happily the TV was gone the next day to a buyer who had difficulty believing that the large "flat screen" he was purchasing was not a "smart TV' like he thought that it should be, I tried showing him but to no avail, there is no remedy for stupid. most of the replies from the interested parties in each item showed an inability to read the description, so they made a useless trip to our door, their problem not mine. It turned out to be a very busy week of answering messages and then waving at them as they left but I managed to sell everything that I had for sale