Tried using a handshake deal at a flea market in Nashville and it blew up in my face

Honestly, I was at that big flea market off of I-65 last Sunday and agreed to buy a vintage lamp from a guy named Carl for $40 with just a nod. No contract, no receipt, nothing. Turns out the lamp was already sold to someone else and he gave me a broken fan instead. Has anyone else gotten burned skipping a written agreement at a casual event?

3 comments

3 Comments

joseph_bailey7d ago

That's rough. I started bringing a small notebook to swap meets after a similar thing happened with a guitar amp. Just write down the price, item, and seller's name on a piece of paper and both sign it. Saved me twice since then.

the_rose7d ago

My grandpa always carried a carbon paper receipt book from the office supply store for exactly this reason... he'd write out the deal and tear off a copy for both people. You can get them for like three bucks at Staples and they leave a trail that's way harder to argue with than a notebook.

aliceharris7d ago

Thought I was too cool for written receipts at flea markets before this, honestly figured handshake deals were the way to go. Bought a signed poster from a guy two weeks back with just a nod and turned out it was a print he'd made himself. Now I always make them scribble something down on a scrap of paper before I hand over cash.