Buyer's Dilemma

This is for all you Craigslist/Ebay/KSL/Kijiji peeps out there: Ever thing you had this great deal, and were so excited to pick up a super awesome piece of furniture, only to find that, well...you really, really don't want it? What do you do? Do you feel guilty enough that you told the person you wanted to item, drove all the way out to get it (over an hour, maybe? ugh), got there and didn't like it, but still bought it? Did you tell the person that you'll have to "think about it"? Or did you totally fess up and just say it wasn't quite what you had in mind and you hope they find a buyer for it?

Case in point:

I was really excited about this dresser/hutch. I knew it wasn't solid wood, but I loved the curvy little design and thought it would be great painted and "shabbied up" a bit - maybe really cute for a nursery or something. It looked the same in person, except that it is totally made of particle board and it had some flaws I just couldn't get over. *cries* I still thought maybe, just maybe, I could ever so carefully repair areas with some wood filler-type putty, maybe still sand a tiny bit by hand, prime it really well, and we'd all be happy.

But then I saw it: Water damage. Ugh! I was already humming and hawing about it, but when I spotted, well...SPOTS left from water glasses - not a deal breaker until... - a big part of the lower hutch had been set somewhere and gotten really wet. Do you know what happens to particle board when it gets wet? It turns into a mushy, layered paper-like mess. There's no repairing it my friends. Nighty nite, dresser/hutch. See you on the other side...

Luckily, the sweet gal who owned the furniture said that she had a couple other people interested, so it's okay if I changed my mind about buying it. *whew*

Don't worry though folks, I didn't walk away from this adventure empty handed. I had another stop to hit on my little outing, and this time I totally scored! Yay!

Pretty, right? Nothing super unusual or unique, except that it's a touch larger than I expected, very sturdy, nice solid wood throughout , and only ten buck-a-roos! $10...yes, please! I can't wait to sand down and paint this little lovely! And not just a boring ol' antiqued white or glossy black - oh no! This baby is going to be special! Just you wait!

How about you? Any crazy Craigslist finds that you were guilted into buying? Ever paid too much for an item and wish you hadn't? Or maybe you've been blessed by the Thrifty Fairies and always get the best deal on the best stuff? Do tell. Go ahead, make me jealous...

{seller's images}