Bought a "carpet stretcher" off Facebook Marketplace for $50 and it was a total scam

So I saw this listing for a power stretcher that looked brand new, guy said he used it once and got out of the business. Drove 45 minutes to pick it up and when I got home I realized the head was cracked and the teeth were all stripped out. Tried to use it on a bedroom job yesterday and it slipped on every pass, took me twice as long. Has anyone else had bad luck buying used tools from random sellers online?

2 comments

2 Comments

paulw631mo ago

Man I just had a thought - that $50 price shouldve been your first red flag. A decent power stretcher new is like $300+ easy. I saw a guy selling one for $40 last month and when I showed up it was just the handle part with no head or tail section. He tried telling me the rest was "in the mail." These Facebook Marketplace tool flippers are getting creative. I think they know most people dont inspect tools close enough in a parking lot meetup.

the_blair1mo ago

The handle with no head or tail is wild haha. Reminds me of the time I bought a "complete" tool set and the guy handed me a milk crate full of random sockets with no ratchet.