Salient Weekly Challenge: Will vs Facebook Marketplace

Within the span of a week, I’ll be trying to accomplish a long-term task just to see if it’s possible, and to see what I can get out of it. Life lessons? Skills? Resilience training? The stimulation alone should be enough motivation.

This week, I challenged myself to beat Facebook Marketplace. I’ve never really liked using it—aside from occasionally browsing flat listings—but after discovering the “One Red Paperclip” story, I felt inspired. In 2005, Canadian blogger Kyle MacDonald famously traded a single red paperclip all the way up to  a house in just one year. And from this I thought, “I could do that…but in a week.” 

Saturday: 21st February

First day. I went through multiple items, and landed on two interesting things to start me off:

1. A Toaster

2. A Golden Scooter

Disappointingly, I quickly found out that people didn’t seem to understand what I was doing. There were a lot of vague questions, unintelligible responses, and a lot of being left on seen. 

Monday: 23rd February

After a weekend of no interest. I had one last trick up my sleeve, and wanted to run it by: Vic Deals, the Facebook group with over 250,000 members. It’s the digital equivalent to everyone in Pōneke yelling at the same time. Nico (friend, known Marketplace haggler) was apprehensive, as it’s notorious for being a melting pot of poor politics and lost cats. Yet, I said I’d adopt their confidence and dive headfirst into the jungle, as it seemed to be my last hope.

Tuesday: 24th February

A big jump in content occurred today, and I was ecstatic. Firstly, a nice lady named Haddley traded my toaster for a bottle of Prosecco! I was nervous to meet her outside the Vivian Street Subway, but she was nice and very glad to get a new toaster that would actually work.

I listed the Prosecco & the scooter on Vic Deals, scared to be saying anything with a massive spotlight on me. However, a lot of people were invested in the challenge. I was starting to get some interesting trade offers: a bowling ball, a half eaten jar of honey, a puffer vest, and (my personal favorite) an art print of someone’s penis. These were the kind of weird, kooky items I was hoping for. I had to accept trades carefully, as if I accepted too quickly I might be stuck at the end of the week with someone’s penis that no one wants.

Wednesday: 25th February

This day was the highlight of the whole challenge. I finally got rid of the scooter … for a FULL DRUM KIT! A seriously dope guy named Mike apparently had an older boss who has a scooter he rides around in his office, and he wanted one to match! Despite the kit being a bit old, I am forever in debt to Mike, who I met up in a random parking building to make the handoff.I saw him ride off with my stolen scooter as I drove away with the drums.

Additionally, my next door neighbor Ava saw the Prosecco post on Marketplace and wanted to get in on the action. She was having a REALLY bad week due the power being out. In return for the Prosecco, she gave me a pink road cone that she spray-painted. 

Thursday: 26th February

After I listed the drum kit, Vic Deals seemed to be invested in keeping up to date. By this point, I was a Top Contributor! A dude named Liam gave me his BMX bike! Looking back, the bike is probably one tier down from a drum kit, but I’m so glad not to lug the snares around and am very happy to trade it for something with wheels.

Friday: 27th February

The last day of the challenge. I listed the bike on the group, but so far had no bites. Content with this, I thought I was going to end the week on a boring note with no more trades … until Ivanna.

Apparently Ivanna has an affinity for pink things, and really wanted the pink road cone. When I asked her what she had to offer, y’know what she pulled up with? TWO pink/gold cigarettes originally from London! Despite not being a smoker, I happily took the imported ciggies out of aesthetic desire. I waved Ivanna off, and went up to my flat happy to end the challenge with two fags and a bicycle.

Did I win this challenge? I reckon! What have I learned? People on Marketplace are weird, but you can count on community contribution to pull through.  While I ride my new BMX bike, I’ll be hoping Haddley’s toast doesn’t burn this time, Ava raises a glass to her power turning back on, Ivanna has another trip to Europe, Mike takes his boss to the skate park, and Liam is able to play some real drums instead of his cheap electric set.