Say what you will about the evils of social media--you're probably right with most of the ire you send in its direction--but Facebook Marketplace brings me great joy.
For the past year or so, I've been trying to shed unneeded possessions. I'm not going full-on minimalist by any stretch, but when I view the accumulation of items in my house and basement, I catalogue mostly junk I haven't touched in years, don't need, and won't ever miss. At the same time, I'm a firm believer in the adage, "One woman's junk is another's treasure."
Maybe it's the thwarted yenta in me, but the fact is, I take great pleasure in pairing objects with people who will be happy to have them. I like finding proper homes for the items that are in the basement of the wrong owner, namely my items in my basement.
Here are a couple stories of possessions I have rehoused:
We had three inflatable mattresses complete with electric pumps. Two of them were twin-sized and the other was a queen. When we bought them, they were top-of-the-line. However, over the years, all three had sprung small leaks. While it felt great to lie down on them right after they were inflated, the unwary sleeper would discover in the middle of the night, that she was on the hard floor. (Sorry, EKO, I think that happened to you a few times!) I did not have the energy or motivation to find and repair the leaks, so I listed the mattresses on Marketplace with full disclosures about their shortcomings. I got several bites right away. After checking to make sure the first respondent had read that they were all leaky, I ended up meeting a man of about thirty in the parking lot of the local library to give him the three beds. I asked what he planned to do with broken mattresses. He said that he would happily find and fix the holes and then take his kids, who had been asking non-stop, out into their yard to go camping. He and his kids were delighted with the free beds. I had made a match!
I've found happy homes for so many other items:
- bookshelf
- vacuum cleaner
- porcelain cat statue
- Pendleton blanket
- Papasan chair
- placemats and napkins
- chalkboard
- electric keyboard
- a tiny, fake Christmas tree
- Tuukka's specialty kidney-support food
We didn't need these items any more. Not only would we not miss them, we would cherish the empty space. In the case of the last, we would even feel happier for not having to think about not being able to feed the kibble to our beloved dog. In every case, the person who got the free item felt great about getting a deal, and I felt the same about finding the right home for our hand-offs.
Is it going too far to say that I feel like the Match.com of inanimate objects? Probably, but in any case, I love having the technology at my fingertips to offer items in this way.
Are you a fan of Facebook's Marketplace? In the comments, please write about perfect matches you've made or items you've scored online.
This makes me think of Miranda July’s book, It Chooses You. Plagued with writer’s block, she took to reading the LA Pennysaver classifieds and reached out to the people who were selling items. She ended up collecting their stories and turned them into a book!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11266880-it-chooses-you
Oh, that book sounds super cool. I bet you could base an entire film elective on this idea and the creation of stories that follow objects.
You had a papasan chair? I don’t remember that at all.
I also love Facebook Marketplace; in fact, I was on it immediately before I was here (in this case as a buyer, but also frequently as a seller). It’s so much easier for me to part with objects when they go to someone who wants them. And so much better for the world!
The papasan chair wasn’t mine; it was A’s. She had a mini-sized on in her room for years.