Shire's Most Wanted: The Outdoor Lounge That Keeps Getting 'Resold' - But Never Gets Delivered!

Riley Corbett | Crimes Reporter | Sutherland Shire Gazette

15 February 2025

Sutherland Shire residents have been left scratching their heads (and clutching their wallets) as an elusive outdoor wicker lounge set continues to pop up on every single Facebook community and buy/swap/sell page at an eyebrow-raising discount.

The luxury set—allegedly worth over $5,000 and in “brand new, only used once on Christmas Day” condition—has been making the rounds at a too-good-to-be-true price of $200. That’s right, a high-end, barely-touched wicker masterpiece for less than the cost of a night out at Northies.

But while dozens of eager bargain hunters have rushed to claim the deal, they’ve all experienced the same fate—handing over a “small, refundable” deposit via PayID, only for the seller to vanish faster than a parking spot at Cronulla on a sunny Saturday.

“It was a steal! Turns out, I was the one being stolen from,” said local mum Karen, who was hoping to upgrade her backyard setup. “I transferred the deposit, and boom—gone. No reply, no lounge, and now I have to explain to my husband why our ‘smart investment’ was actually a donation to the scam economy.”

The post usually comes with a suspiciously vague backstory: “Selling due to downsizing,” “Moving overseas ASAP,” or the classic “My loss, your gain.” The only thing missing is “Too heavy to lift, so don’t ask to inspect it.”

Online sleuths are now tracking the phantom lounge’s movements across the Shire, with some claiming they’ve seen it listed under five different profiles in the past month alone. One particularly alert resident even tried to reverse-image search the photos, only to discover photos of the same lounge for sale… in Brisbane. 

Authorities warn locals to be wary of high-ticket bargains that sound too good to be true—especially when they involve PayID, vanishing sellers, and a lounge that seems to be clocking up more travel miles than a Qantas pilot.

Outdoor lounge facebook marketplace scam