The “What Else Do You Have?” Rule Is My Secret to Scoring More Home Finds for Less

Last summer, I was doing one of my usual Facebook Marketplace sweeps when I came across a stunning chair that stopped me in my tracks. With a gorgeous cane seat, the chair also featured a fantastic tapestry-like back that was unlike anything I had ever seen. As a major tapestry trend lover, I messaged the seller instantly to buy it. I knew that the verdure-inspired piece would fit into my bedroom — which is rooted in various shades of blue — perfectly.

Luckily, the seller responded right away, and we arranged for the chair, which you can see a corner of below in my bedroom, to be sent to my apartment via Uber courier (This is a great Facebook Marketplace hack to keep in your back pocket if you’re carless like me!). While I wasn’t going to be physically present for the pickup, the seller mentioned he was looking to offload quite a bit of his stuff. “Can you please send me some photos of what else you have?” I asked him while waiting for the Uber driver to arrive. After all, I figured, I may as well make the most of this paid pickup! 

Immediately, the seller showed me a photo of another chair, one that I actually like even more than the original tapestry piece I’d set out to buy. Chair number two has a beautiful iron base and came with a fun checkered cushion that’s full of personality. “I’ll take them both,” I told the seller enthusiastically, and he happily obliged and loaded both into the car for me.

The lesson here? If you get an inkling that a seller has more to get rid of — whether they mention that or you see several items listed on their profile — it’s always worth asking to take a look at those items, particularly if you’re already working with a mover or Uber courier-like service or will be traveling from far away for a pickup. 

The more pieces someone sells to a single buyer, the more likely they are to cut you a deal, too, which is what ended up happening here. So you may be able to save money with this rule, too.

I now have the tapestry chair sitting in my bedroom and the iron chair in my living room. While they couldn’t be more different from each other in style, they both suit different aspects of my design aesthetic perfectly. I’m always so glad I made time for that five-minute Marketplace scroll — and the “What Else Do You Have?” Rule. Asking that only takes a few seconds!