And So It Begins…
A short story by Jaanu
The Webster family recently discovered the elusive charms of the world of online resale. Little do they know that each person is actively undermining the others’ efforts to earn a dollar with their own attempts to sell and buy “needed” items.
It began innocently enough, with the purchase of a beanbag chair-which-can-also-turn-into-a-mattress, on Facebook Marketplace. This, actually, was a useful, affordable, and unexpected purchase. None of the Websters knew that such a thing even existed, until Mama Webster spotted it amidst the hodgepodge of items on that famous online bazaar. It only took a tiny bit of haggling, and the fascinating object was theirs. They victoriously sallied forth from the house and brought home the prize: an enormous grey beanbag.
That evening they gathered around it in the basement, and everyone took a turn sitting on it. It was extremely 
comfortable. Unzipping the beanbag revealed a fluffy mattress, which could easily be resealed into the beanbag. All in all, a massive success. Little Albert Webster put up a new boxed set of X-men action figures which he had been stuck with since an unfortunate gift swap at the class Christmas party years prior. To his surprise, someone in North Kingsley wanted it for $20.
The Websters began to understand why the bartering system has existed for so many hundreds of years. The hard-earned satisfaction of exchanging goods fairly is delightful. Whether they bought or sold, they felt like winners. Nina Webster, aged 12, was fumbling for the switch in the dark of the family’s basement later that week when the bulb flickered on above her head, both literally and figuratively. That heap of old coats, that box of unused board games, the rug which was too small for the living room… everything could be sold! All of it!
Each family member began assessing the cramped basement with the practiced eye of a marketplace expert. The messy hoard of things they once dreaded having to clear up started to seem like an infinite amount of wealth. One 
man’s trash is another man’s treasure, right?
Their first mistake might have been their prideful streak of independence. It can be so useful and so alluring to strike out on your own in modern capitalism. They each turned away from the sunny fields of leisure and toward the greener fields of all the money they stood to make, but where things devolved was the rugged individualism inherent in these ventures. In other words, they were experiencing a total lack of communication.
A month after the grey beanbag, Mark, 15, came thundering up the stairs after a frantic basement search failed to yield his drumsticks. “Oh… did you still need those?” inquired Mr. Webster sheepishly. He had sold them the prior week. He apologized to the angry would-be drummer and suggested that Mark take his skateboard out for a spin. “Mark still skates?” asked Nina, surprised. “I haven’t seen him use it in a while…”
Mark turned on her in a rage, and under duress Nina admitted that she had sold the skateboard on Marketplace that morning. The two tried guiltily to placate Mark. “I’m sorry, Mark,” Mr. Webster said, rummaging through the kitchen cabinets. “I know it’s been a while since I’ve turned on the grill, but let me make those roasted eggplant burgers you like so much for dinner, shall I?”
Mark coughed. He admitted, upon further questioning, that he had cleaned the dust off the long-dormant grill just that morning, and it had been picked up for $120 not even 2 hours ago.
The Websters gathered in their sparse living room that evening after lunch. Not everyone was home, but an emergency meeting had to be called. The living room had once been a comfortable gathering space, but with the couch cushions long-since sold, and the paintings sold off the walls, it was as grim as a conference room in a low-budget startup office.
“We need to stop selling things willy-nilly,” said Mrs. Webster, firmly.
“But at least we’re making a net profit!” said Nina, brightly. “Look how much we’re earning, as a family. At least $500 since this morning.”
They all heard the door open. Albert rushed into the room. “Everyone, come to the car, right now!”
Letty Webster, 18, had been assigned to pick Albert up after his tee-ball practice, but it appeared that the two had decided to take a detour. “We found advertisements on Marketplace for 3 more beanbags, in different colors!” said Letty happily, eyes alight with the joy of finding a good deal. “$450, which is $100 less than what they cost new!”
Then and there, the family decided that they had to close their Facebook account. Grandma Webster opened up her laptop, and the family gathered around to delete the communal Marketplace account once and for all. “Wait!” cried Uncle Webster. “There’s a new, 75-inch, flat-screen TV for free!” Everyone looked at him. For a TV? A steal… 🤪
