Dunedin father Nathan Richardson was left frustrated when he fell victim to a freight forwarding scam three times while trying to sell a queen bed on Trade Me to buy Christmas presents for his children.
Offers of help flooded in to the Otago Daily Times from readers who wanted to help Mr Richardson.
However Mr Richardson’s bed had since sold on the online auction platform and he was pleased he was now in a position to be able to help himself — he was just waiting for the payment to come through.
Trade Me had waived the fees, which was a good outcome, Mr Richardson said.
It was fantastic that people had reached out and he was grateful to them for doing so.
He had contacted a few, encouraging them to help others who were less fortunate this festive season.
It was a "bloody good feeling" to be able to pay it forward, Mr Richardson said.
He would not be drawn on what his two school-aged children would be getting for Christmas, but he would be getting them as much as he could, Mr Richardson said.
Auckland resident Daniel Rudd got in touch wanting to help after reading about Mr Richardson’s plight online.
As a solo father himself, Mr Rudd said Mr Richardson’s story had brought tears to his eyes.
"That’s what I call a true dad — someone who’s willing to sell their bed to buy presents for their kids," Mr Rudd said.
Foster Hope Otago/Southland co-ordinator Juanita Willems was another who got in touch, offering to help Mr Richardson get Christmas presents for his children.
Foster Hope usually gave away about 1500 donations in the Otago-Southland region and would be open for donations until December 5 this year.
"We could do with every bit of help we can get," Ms Willems said.
This year they were looking for "B" themed toys such as beach balls, Barbies and board games.
People could go online to find out how they could give, Ms Willems said.
