Bianca thought she might finally have a serious buyer after a stranger showed interest in the car she had listed on Facebook Marketplace.
The man contacted her through the listing and asked whether he could take the vehicle for a test drive. The Melbourne business owner agreed to meet him.
Following a 40-minute drive, Bianca began to believe the sale could soon be completed, especially after spending nearly five months trying to find a buyer.
‘When I listed my car on Facebook Marketplace, everyone warned me about the people I’d encounter and all the time-wasters. But this guy honestly takes the cake,’ she said in a video.
The prospective buyer said he needed time to consider the purchase, prompting Bianca to send him a follow-up message a few days after their meeting.
It soon became clear that the FIFO worker was less interested in buying the car than he had initially suggested. Instead, his messages began to steer the conversation towards asking Bianca out.
‘I really liked your car, and I’ll be back in two weeks, so hopefully I can come and see you then. I also really liked your energy,’ he wrote.
‘I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. Buying a car can be complicated, particularly when you don’t have much time. I just want to be certain I’m making the right decision and not buying myself a problem.’
‘And I promise I’ll take you out for a lovely dinner to celebrate!’
Bianca was hopeful when a stranger expressed interest in buying a car she put up for sale on Facebook Marketplace. But days later, she realised he wasn’t as keen on the car as he’d led her
About a week later, the man sent Bianca another text.
‘Hey beautiful! How are you? I’m still working at the mines but I’ll be back next week! If you’ve already had another offer for the car, no worries at all. I completely understand,’ he said.
‘To be honest, I really liked the car but I also thought you were really cute and smart! I honestly didn’t expect you to be even more beautiful in person.
‘As you can see, I’m still flat out at work! We’ve had three blasts this week so it’s been pretty hectic and I haven’t even had a chance to think about the car. Just wanted to let you know I haven’t forgotten about it.’
It suddenly dawned on her that the man was ‘stuffing me around just to ask me on a date’.
‘Women can’t even sell their car in peace. Do men just see everything as a dating opportunity?’ Bianca said.
‘I don’t know if it’s just me, but a real man would’ve bought the car and then asked me on a date. In what world am I gonna say yes now?’
Speaking to Our News Outlet, Bianca realised she missed the signs upon reflection.
‘Taking speed dating to a whole new level,’ she said, laughing.
‘He was lovely, he was originally from America. But thinking back now, he did comment on Australian dating culture and how men don’t approach women.
‘I think I should have seen it coming but I was determined to sell my car.’
The potential buyer started hinting at taking her out on a date instead
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Sharing her Facebook Marketplace experience on social media, Bianca explained how she didn’t think anything was suspicious when she met the buyer.
‘I finally find someone who seems like they’re actually genuinely interested,’ she said.
‘He looks over the whole car and he’s like, “Yep, the car looks amazing, can I take it for a drive?” We literally go for a drive, and no joke, we were on the road for like half an hour to 40 minutes.
She joked: ‘At this point I’m like, “Am I being kidnapped?”‘
Bianca said the pair had a ‘good old yap’ before parting ways.
‘So I get in contact with him… following him up, do you want the car?’ she explained.
‘He’s like, oh no, I’m looking at another car the next day. I follow him up again, and he tells me he’s flown back to Perth. At the end of the message, he says, “It’s really complicated buying a car, but I really like your energy. I will take you out for dinner”.
‘It’s really weird but whatever, at this point, I’m like, please just buy my car.’
The seller got an offer from another buyer so she decided to ask the man if he was still interested before she proceeded with the sale.
However, the man seemed more focused on the seller than the car before casually mentioning how ‘beautiful’ and ‘smart’ he thought she was in person.
‘I’d like to think he was genuinely interested in buying my car. But his behaviour that followed didn’t suggest he was as keen as he led on,’ she told Our News Outlet.
She stopped responding to him as his compliments became more frequent.
Join the discussion
Should selling something online ever turn into a chance for someone to ask you out?
Bianca stopped responding to him as his compliments became more frequent
Her video has been viewed more than 30,000 times, sparking a divided reaction to the man’s messages.
‘People like that act like they want the car but they won’t go ahead with it. If they genuinely want it they won’t waste time and just buy it. Block him,’ one said.
‘Obviously he was wasting your time… But also no harm with a man that genuinely was looking for a car at the same time shooting his shot with a woman he found attractive. I dated the car dealer I bought the car from for six years,’ another shared.
‘You miss opportunities on all the shots you never take. You could have gotten to know each other and it could have been some crazy love story – married 30 years strong and you would still have your car,’ one joked.
‘Plot twist he has no intention of buying the car he’s just trying to secure a baddie,’ another suggested, laughing.
Meanwhile, another added: ‘Welcome to car sales – this is normal for us.’
