Yard Sale Shopper Overhears A Man Trying To Lowball A Widow, Steps In To Tell Her The Real Worth

Yard sales are a sacred weekend ritual, but it’s a delicate dance between finding a diamond in the rough and haggling over a slightly-used toaster. But the ultimate goal stays the same: to score a deal.

But there’s a fine line between a savvy bargain and a predatory rip-off, especially when the seller is a grieving widow who has no idea what she’s selling. What do you do when you witness a deal that’s just too good to be true? One shopper recently decided to break the cardinal rule of yard sales: they minded someone else’s business.

More info: Reddit

Yard sales are a treasure hunt, but there’s a fine line between finding a bargain and ripping off the seller

Young man and woman examining golf clubs outside, illustrating rich guy trying to rip off widow by lowballing golf club price.

Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

A shopper overheard a man offering a grieving widow just $200 for her late husband’s golf clubs

Widow sells late hubby’s golf clubs low price, rich guy tries to rip off, stranger steps in to help.

Widow shows late husband's golf clubs to a rich guy trying to buy them at a low price before a stranger steps in.

Widow’s late hubby’s golf clubs undervalued by rich guy, stranger intervenes to prevent rip off and protect her.

Hands holding cash and a plastic container at a flea market, illustrating a rich guy trying to rip off widow.

Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Realizing the clubs were worth over $1,000, the shopper quietly advised the widow not to sell

Text excerpt about a rich guy trying to rip off a widow by buying golf clubs at a low price, with a stranger stepping in.

Golf clubs listing including GT3 driver, Mizuno irons, Titleist wedges, Scotty putter, and Titleist cart bag for sale.

Widow advised to avoid rich guy’s low offer on late hubby’s golf clubs with help from local pro shop.

Set of golf clubs in bags and lined up outside a house, linked to rich guy trying to rip off widow.

Image credits: ASphotofamily / Freepik (not the actual photo)

The would-be buyer became furious, told the shopper tomind his business, and threw a tantrum

Man glaring while trying to buy late hubby’s golf clubs cheap, widow refuses cash, stranger intervenes in the situation

Text excerpt describing a confrontation involving a rich guy trying to rip off a widow by lowballing late hubby’s golf clubs.

Widow watches as rich guy tries to buy late hubby’s golf clubs at low price while stranger steps in to help.

Text post about feeling conflicted over stopping a rich guy from ripping off widow by buying golf clubs cheap.

Image credits: KaleidoscopeFront939

The shopper’s coworkers later said they should have just let the man get the good deal

The narrator, a new golf enthusiast, was innocently browsing a city-wide yard sale when he stumbled upon a potential rip-off in action. A well-off-looking man approached an elderly widow and asked about golf clubs. The OP’s ears perked up, and he decided to watch the potentially epic negotiation that was about to unfold.

The widow, explaining her husband had just passed, dragged out a set of clubs she knew nothing about. The man, who clearly knew exactly what they were, gave them a few pro swings, dismissed them as “not that great,” and offered a predatory lowball of $200. Before the hesitant widow could even agree, he steamrolled her, announcing he was going to get the cash.

While he was gone, the hero swooped in. A quick peek into the bag revealed a treasure trove: a Scotty Cameron putter, Mizuno irons, and a GT3 driver. This wasn’t a $200 set; it was a steal at $1,000. They quickly advised the shocked widow to get the clubs professionally appraised before selling anything.

When the man returned with his cash, he was met with a polite “no thanks.” He got angry, told the narrator to “mind [their] business,” and was then told by the widow to please leave. After throwing a toddler-like tantrum at the end of the driveway, he called the narrator a jerk and stomped off. Controversially, the narrator’s coworkers later said he should have just let the guy rip her off.

Young man in red plaid shirt putting on sunglasses on a city street, illustrating rich guy trying to rip off widow.

Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)

With an estimated 6.5 to 9 million yard sales every year in the USA, there are more than enough deals to go around. Legendary finds are not uncommon, according to Whatsellsbest.com, like the man who bought a box of junk for $2 and found a $2.2 million painting inside. There was also someone who purchased a $3 photo that turned out to be a rare picture of Billy the Kid worth $5 million.

The OP’s assessment of the golf clubs was not an exaggeration either. According to pricing from resources like Golfclubbrokers.com, a high-end Scotty Cameron putter or a GT3 driver can each be worth nearly $500 on their own. The man’s offer of $200 for a full, premium set of clubs was just plain criminal.

While the OP’s coworkers saw this as a simple “good deal,” the buyer’s tactics are just one of many common yard sale scams. As investigative reporter Karin Price Mueller has detailed, many scams rely on overwhelming or deceiving a seller who is vulnerable or uninformed. Tactics like the “quick change” scam or feigning an emotional connection are all designed to exploit the seller’s trust.

There is a clear ethical line between a savvy bargain and a predatory rip-off. Finding a dusty, underpriced antique that the seller is happy to get rid of is one thing. But knowingly taking advantage of a grieving widow by lying about the value of her late husband’s prized possessions firmly crosses that line.

Do you think the man was right to step in or should he have let a fellow golfer get the score of a lifetime? Share your moral instincts in our comment section!

The internet overwhelmingly declared the shopper a hero for protecting the widow from a scammer

Widow stands firm as a rich guy tries to buy late hubby’s golf clubs at low price, stranger intervenes.

Comment discussing a rich guy trying to rip off a widow by buying late hubby’s golf clubs at a low price.

Comment discussing a rich guy trying to rip off a widow by buying late hubby’s golf clubs at a low price.

Comment text on a white background discussing scamming an old lady and deserving interference in a situation involving golf clubs.

Comment highlighting a vulnerable widow being unfairly pressured in a low-price golf club sale and a rich guy trying to rip her off.

Reddit comment discussing a rich guy trying to rip off a widow buying late hubby’s golf clubs at a low price.

Comment on widow’s late hubby’s golf clubs, hinting at a rich guy trying to buy them at a low price and a stranger stepping in.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment saying NTA and calling coworkers crappy people in a text discussion.

Screenshot of an online comment stating a man was trying to scam a widow by lowballing the price of late husband's golf clubs.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing a rich guy trying to rip off a widow by buying late hubby’s golf clubs at low price.

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