"Uninspiring Adverts" and its sister group "Uninspiring Adverts Regenerated" have just a little over 40k members. The group is not for malicious mocking, though. Their members just want to marvel at the irony of people "who want to get rid of their stuff – but just can't be bothered."
The first time we covered the "Uninspiring Adverts" group, its creator Owen Dawson told Bored Panda that the idea to showcase these weird sellers came to him while he would peruse Facebook Marketplace as a new dad. "I used Marketplace quite a lot for secondhand baby stuff but quickly found myself distracted by the weird and bad quality ads that kept popping up on my feed."
A truly "uninspiring ad" most often advertises a poor-quality item in a blurry or an irrelevant photo. "The description should have several spelling and grammatical errors, and an unrealistically high price tag," Owen told us back in 2023. "Bonus points if the seller confidently announces 'I know what I've got.'"
"Ads for used clothing should state 'Never worn’ whilst accompanied by a photo of the garment clearly being worn. Elite level ads will offer buyers the chance to remove some awkward or large item from the seller's property (such as a derelict shed) that would otherwise be disposed of at a municipal tip, and pay them for the privilege."
One kind of post always hits the jackpot in the "Uninspiring Adverts" group. "[It's] a single ad featuring a 'Chester Draws,' 'Nester Tables,' 'Otter Man' and 'Walldrope'," Owen told Bored Panda in a previous interview. "We have a standing prize offer for anyone who posts that ad."
One more recent trend that Owen noticed this summer was that people post more and more items with their cat's likeness. "Cat paintings, cat clay models, cushions with their cat's face on them… So many cats," he told Bored Panda. Whether many people are willing to buy an item with a stranger's cat's face on it remains unknown.
The group admins try to engage with the community by organizing 'Post of the Week' competitions. The administrators nominate their favorite posts of the week, and the members then celebrate the top three in a pinned post. The group's community is pretty active in general: "About 25% of the membership actively posts ads and comments/reacts," Owen told Bored Panda when we first covered the group.
"Uninspiring Adverts" is full of good examples of what good online marketplace ads shouldn't be. "Sellers could use 'Uninspiring Adverts' as a guide to how NOT to advertise their wares!" Owen said before. "I suppose I'm more used to looking at awful ads, but if someone is serious about striking a good deal, a clear, sharp set of photos from all angles is key."
