Slightly OT, but ACK! I don't know what to do!!!

[mommajo143]

Our local police dept. has a designated spot for online sales to occur which is at the police station. It is well lit & there are police coming & going all day & night. Should you decide to do this I would recommend you take a (male) friend & do the exchange at the police station, esp if yours offers this option. Honestly though, no- I personally would not meet him.

You should call around to local stores about consigning or selling them your used furniture. It may be less profit but your safety would not be compromised.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

How can a mother of 3 children even ask this question? Why would you expose yourself and your children to a sex offender? I'd block him from my facebook account and have no contact with him. I wouldn't even risk meeting him in a neutral location. I'd donate the items to a shelter. Priorities need to be set and no amount of money is worth endangering your children or yourself.

 

[Allons-y!]

I feel bad - not because of the loss of a sale - but because I feel (as a Christian) that people deserve second chances, and I'm judging him based off of two pictures that look similar and an Internet search that provided no details. BUT, I don't want to take any chances with my life or my family's life...

I'm Christian, too, but any desire to give people a second chance pales in comparison to wanting to keep my children safe.

 

[hollypoast]

I would offer to deliver the items to him so that you don't have to tell him where you live or any other personal details. And then I'd have my husband and one or two of his friends come with me to deliver. (Assuming you have a way to deliver-- trailer or truck, etc.)

 

[MamaBelle4]

I feel bad - not because of the loss of a sale - but because I feel (as a Christian) that people deserve second chances, and I'm judging him based off of two pictures that look similar and an Internet search that provided no details. BUT, I don't want to take any chances with my life or my family's life...

A second chance to a registered sex offender is a job somewhere, not treating him differently (as in as if he is beneath you) and that is it.

A second chance does not mean you give a registered sex offender your address and especially the address of your children. Putting your children in harm's way for a small profit, ignoring or pretending there is no risk is such a bad decision.

ETA: I have four girls myself, 7 & under. The world is scary enough without inviting dangerous situations inside our front doors.

 

[scrapquitler]

I'm on several yard sale sites on FB for my area, and after cleaning out our basement & having two garage sales, I've been selling the larger items online that didn't sell. I have two bed sets, plus one more bed frame posted right now, plus our Living Room set and our twins' cribs, etc still to go up.

Anyway, I haven't had much interest in what I'm selling, until today when a guy PM'd me to send me pictures of all the stuff I was interested in selling. When I asked why, he said that he refinishes furniture, I have a dining room set that I would love to refinish, so I asked him if he had a site, but he said no.

I then looked him up online to see if anyone had reviewed his work, and it looks like he's a registered sex offender for rape!!!

Do I go forward with the sale, because it's a quick way to get rid of it all (plus he might be reformed and trying to move on with his life), or do I make up an excuse and not sell to the guy? (He's going to have to pick up the furniture at my house.) I have 3 girls 6, 3 & 3.

Need opinions!

Find a couple of big scary looking guys to be at your house to sell the stuff and help load it in his truck when he comes to get it. Have the stuff in the yard/driveway when he gets there, and have the children not at home.

 

[BabiesDaddy]

Why would he be any different than any other stranger you sell to on Craigslist? Is it because he's been caught while the others have not? You can pick anyone off of Facebook and find their address and possibly their home phone number if you try hard enough. When you have the home address, then you know what school the kids attend. i agree about not letting him come over, but don't under estimate the criminal mind and the expanse of information we all put on the Internet everyday.

 

[mistysue]

That sucks that you almost sold your things but the guy was scary.

The good news is it might make all of us think more about how we try to sell things. You may want to look into if your area has any sort of online transaction zones or anything.

 

[Karenj2]

Sorry to get back to this so late - all three kids have been sick in one form or another. I never did reply back to the guy. One of the bed sets sold, and I've decided to sell the rest more slowly. Thank you all for your advice.