Man says he bought a dining table for $50 on Marketplace and flipped it for $480. Then the original seller finds out and asks for more money

A man claimed in a social media post that he bought a dining table for $50 from a woman on Marketplace, sanded it, refinished it, and later sold it for $480. He added that the original seller then messaged him as if she were a silent investor in the deal.

The post, which appeared in a screenshot shared on TikTok by an account named GTA, showed a profile picture of a smiling bearded man identified as Nick J. 

Nick J. wrote in the post, “Bought a dining table for $50 from a woman on marketplace, sanded it, refinished it and sold it for $480. The original seller just messaged me like she’s a silent investor.” A message bubble shown below the post contained a response from the woman who said she had sold the table.

Viewers respond to the request for extra payment after the sale

The message in the screenshot began, “Hello, my husband and I just saw our old table on marketplace for $480.” The woman continued that she wished he had told her he planned to resell it because she would have charged more. She stated, “I understand you fixed it up a little, but it was solid wood when I sold it to you. That’s where most of the value is.”

She proposed that sending them $150 would be fair. She added, “You’d still be making money for your time.” The message also said her husband had wanted to keep the table, so she now had to explain why they had basically given away a $480 table.

Several people who viewed the TikTok shared their own experiences with similar Marketplace situations. One commenter who said they regularly buy, fix, and resell saddles noted that they encounter the same kind of messages often. They wrote, “I buy and sell saddles. I flip them and fix them. I get these messages all the time.”

Another viewer described a past transaction involving a car they had sold. They explained that the buyer fixed it up and put it back on the market, after which they decided to purchase it again. The commenter wrote, “I sold a car once to a dude who fixed it up and resold it. I saw it was for sale and bought it back. He did a good job to that car.”

A different commenter focused on the idea that a completed sale ends the original owner’s claim. They wrote, “They need to understand once it’s sold it’s no longer theirs.” Seller’s remorse after a completed sale is not unusual, as shown when an ex-wife wanted her sold wedding dress back.

Others offered suggested responses the man could send. One proposed calculating the time spent refinishing the table and billing it at an hourly rate. They wrote, “Message her back saying it took you 10 hours and you bill your time at $50 an hour, so since she wants to split the profit / loss after the fact she owes you $35.”

Some viewers recommended more direct actions. One suggested offering the table back at a higher price that would cover both the original purchase and the listed sale amount. They wrote, “Tell her you’ll sell it to her for $530 – getting back the $50 you paid and the $480 you’re asking for.” Another simply advised, “Block, delete.”