When Gold Coast, Australia-native John Gibson wanted to sell his old blue 2010 Landcruiser 79 series GXL, he decided to post an ad on the Australian version of Gumtree. But rather than post a picture with a few details about the truck, Gibson decided to be upfront and frank about what he was selling.
His hilariously refreshing post on Gumtree has since gone viral. It garnered over 100,000 views in just a few days.
A Hidden Gem
Gummies, which is what the users on Gumtree like to call themselves, are always on the lookout for hidden gems in the millions of ads posted to the website.
John Gibson’s ad for his blue truck first caught attention when he put up a picture of his 2010 Landcruiser 79 series GXL, and described it as a “man truck” that had a bull bar “forged from samurai swords.” Gibson goes on to draft a remarkably funny post about why his truck is the absolute best and why people should spread the word about his truck that runs on “pure testosterone.”
Based on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Gibson is also a volunteer lifesaver at North Burleigh SLSC.. He eventually sold the truck to the first person who approached him through the site.
At the time, the 2010 Landcruiser 79 series GXL had clocked up 200,000 miles and Gibson was willing to sell for $40,000. He said he was selling the “engineering marvel” for less than it was worth because he was “a top bloke.”
Gumtree may have been the perfect choice for a post like this. Gumtree is owned and operated by Ebay and hundreds of cars and motorbikes are sold every month in Australia through the site.
Data from Commsec shows car affordability is at a 37-year high and prices are at multi decade lows. Australia is a really competitive market for new car sales, where 65 brands compete for 1.1 million sales a year.
Used cars sales have been rising just as fast. The market for buying used cars in Australia is diverse, but Gumtree is one of the most popular online car markets.
According to SimilarWeb, over 40 million people visited the site in June this year.. Listings range from commonplace brands like BMW and Toyota to ultra-luxury, high end brands like the Maserati Gran Turismo.
The ads online are usually simple and straightforward, with a format similar to other peer-to-peer marketplaces online. But, Gibson’s ad caught attention precisely because of its quirky and offbeat message.
This isn’t the first time an ad on the site has gone viral. In fact, there’s an entire blog devoted to hilarious items people have tried selling on the site.