Woman Buys Antique Cabinet on Facebook Marketplace. She Couldn't Believe What She Found When She Opened It (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Amanda DeWitt next to the cabinet; the china hidden inside.Photo:Amanda DeWitt

Amanda DeWitt

WhenAmanda DeWitt’s best friend sent her a link to an 8-foot-long antique Louis XVI marble-top buffet on Facebook Marketplace, DeWitt immediately messaged the seller.

The Dallas local had been searching for this exact type of buffet for more than a year, ever since she and her fiancé bought their first home nearly 12 months ago. After hearing back from the seller — who also lived in the area — on Thursday, Jan. 2, they agreed on a price of $3,200.

Two days later, the furniture, which was so heavy that she had to hire movers to transport it, was delivered to DeWitt’s home.

Amanda DeWitt next to the cabinet.Amanda DeWitt

After the cabinet, which features five locked compartments, arrived, DeWitt went to open each one with the key. She wanted to ensure all the drawers and cabinets were functioning properly, as she had never actually seen the buffet in person before it was delivered to her home.

“I know it’s a huge risk to buy something like this sight unseen,” she admits. “But given how long I had been looking for a piece like this in my price range, I was willing to take the leap of faith.”

But when she went to unlock the second cabinet from the left, she says her “jaw hit the floor.”

“I immediately recognized the iconically orange Hermès boxes,” she recalls. “In total, there were 13 Hermès boxes and one Tiffany box all locked inside the same cabinet.”

At first, DeWitt assumed the boxes would be empty. But after opening the first box, she quickly realized that this was not the case. Instead, she discovered that the boxes contained an entire collection of Hermès china.

She adds, “It seemed like such a significant assortment of items to just ‘forget about.’ I had no idea what to make of the whole thing, especially because all of the other drawers and cabinets were completely empty.”

But for DeWitt, however, contacting the seller was a no-brainer.

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Closeup of the Hermés plates.Amanda DeWitt

“It was definitely eye-opening,” she says. “I was so surprised that a lot of people said they would have never told the seller about finding the china and would have kept it for themselves. I was also surprised that some people thought the seller should have offered some sort of reward to me for returning it.”

“Obviously, I would have been excited if the seller had left the Hermès plates to me intentionally, since they truly are so beautiful and collectible,” she adds. “But as a 2025 bride who just registered for my own wedding china, I thought there was a good chance these plates were the seller’s wedding china. And not only did they have high retail value, but they also likely held significant sentimental value. I would hate for anyone to lose something as special as their wedding china, so naturally, I messaged her.”

A closeup of the boxes in the cabinet.Amanda DeWitt

Instantly, the seller responded promptly, apologizing and confirming that the plates had indeed been left accidentally. She then offered to come pick them up from DeWitt’s house that same day, arriving not much later with her husband.

“They were both incredibly friendly and expressed their gratitude for my honesty in reaching out,” DeWitt says. “They explained that the plates were their wedding china and that they were in the middle of moving, which is how the plates ended up packed away inside the cabinet. They seemed genuinely relieved and happy to have the china back in their possession.”

“I want people to remember to treat others as you want to be treated,” DeWitt adds. “Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. If I ever misplaced something valuable, I would hope a stranger would make the effort to return it to me.”

source: people.com