A Napier woman's market outing last weekend ended with her losing $25 she paid for a tricycle intended for her grand-daughter - as well as the trike.
The transaction had started out in good faith but ended in confrontation, said Rae, who asked her surname not be used.
She has put the experience behind her - but hoped going public might prevent it happening to someone else.
Upon initial inspection the tricycle she spotted at the Marine Parade market last Sunday looked fine. She bargained the price down from $30, and wheeled it away.
Her grand-daughter rode it around the area and it still seemed fine, but, Rae said, as they got closer to her van it looked "floppy".
She checked it closer and saw the chassis bar under the seat "was just hanging there".
She took it back and pointed out the problem but said the woman who sold it told her it had been fine when she left with it, adding it was an "as is" sale. The woman refused to give her money back.
Rae left to take it up with the park site manager but he said there was little he could do.
When she returned to try again to get her money back she saw the woman leaving the site - taking the trike with her.
"So I might as well have just gone up to her and given her $25 for nothing and said 'here, have a Merry Christmas'."
Marketplace stalls, garage sales, classified and on-line sales are not covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act of the Fair Trading Act when the seller is not a professional trader.