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Facebook Marketplace is one of the best places to list items to sell locally since the social network is full of buyers. To increase your chances of success and reduce the risk of problems along the way, make sure you avoid these common mistakes.
Inadequate Photos and Description
It might sound obvious, but it takes only seconds of browsing Marketplace to spot items that fall even at the lowest hurdle. To sell your items, you’ll need a detailed listing and enough photos to do the item justice. This avoids unnecessary conversations with interested parties asking for more information.
The downside is you’ll need to do a bit more work before you list the item. In your photos, make sure that the entire item is visible from numerous angles. You can add up to ten photos to a listing, and while this may be overkill for some items, it’s barely adequate for others.
How you go about this depends on what you’re selling. If possible, take the item outside to improve lighting. Some items might benefit from asmall tabletop studio. Others just need a good dusting, and for you to remove anything that might detract from the listing.
Highlight any damage and disclose it in the description. Listing item dimensions in the description, particularly for larger items like furniture, can be very helpful. The key is to imagine you were buying the item: what else would you want to know? More detail means less back and forth between you and potential buyers.
Agreeing to Mail the Item to Someone
Facebook Marketplace is great for selling and buying items locally, and a minefield when it comes to selling further afield. Agreeing to mail an item could be a costly mistake. Unlike eBay and similar services, Facebook Marketplace is not suited to distance selling.
There is no PayPal seller protection (and the same is true for buyers, too) to safeguard the transaction. There areso many Facebook Marketplace scamsthat rely on distanced selling. From signing you up for bogus payment services, to insurance scams, and even making it seem like the item has been paid for when it hasn’t.
Some items may be better suited to platforms other than Facebook Marketplace, particularly small and easily posted items, collectibles, antiques, and so on. If in doubt, list your items on eBay instead.
Accepting Dodgy Payment Methods
Another surefire way to get scammed is to not do your due diligence when it comes to accepting payments. This commonly takes the form of scammers promising that a friend or family member will be collecting the item in person, but they would like to pay in advance. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
Payments sent using these services cannot be reversed, so the “buyer” can’t pull a fast one on you once they’ve left with the item. Just make sure that the payment has been completed and the money is in your account before you part ways.
Wasting Your Own Time
Adding a line like “if the ad is still up, the item is still available” to the item description can greatly streamline your selling experience. Sure, you’re still going to get the odd person who didn’t read your listing properly, but for most, you’ll cut out the preamble and get right to the point.
You could also add details like whether or not you’re happy to deliver for a fee, whether you’re happy to meet halfway, and pick-up instructions like “you’ll need a trailer” or “this is a two-person job” for larger items.
Pricing Your Items Incorrectly
What you’re selling is only worth what someone else is willing to pay. Though the item might have an objective second-hand value, if you want it to sell, you’re going to need to understand your local market. The easiest way to do this is to search Facebook Marketplace for similar items.
If you feel like comparable items are selling too cheap, you might be selling in the wrong place. On the other hand, you might want to explore selling highly valuable items elsewhere, like an auction house, an antique center, or a specialist reseller like a record shop or vintage clothing retailer.
Knowing when to reduce your price is also important. If the item isn’t selling, lowering your price (even by a fraction) willnotify others who have saved the itemof the price drop. Not only do buyers love spending less, this notification can serve as a reminder for items they have forgotten about.
Giving Things Away for Free
This isn’t a hard and fast rule, especially if you’re thinking of dumping items in front of your house and listing them on Marketplace or in a local group. That said, listing items for free is a surefire way of attracting time wasters and filling up your inbox.
By placing a small fee on the item, you will separate the serious “buyers” from the endless torrent of browsers. When the buyer shows up and you happen to let them have it for free, so be it!
Holding Items for Too Long
Saving items for someone who can’t meet you right away is a nice idea, but it isn’t necessarily the best way to make a sale. By all means, be considerate, but set some boundaries for how long you’re going to hold an item.
Prioritize buyers who can make the journey and exchange money sooner, particularly when there is a lot of interest in that item. This might mean accepting a lower offer, but it depends on how desperate you are to let the item go.
Selling Multiple Items in a Single Listing
You’ve probably seen listings for multiple items; maybe you’re guilty of posting a few yourself. The price is set at some arbitrary number like “1” or “1” or “1234.56” to get your attention, and in the description is an itemized list of things for sale.
This is a nightmare when it comes to discussing potential sales since different sellers may want different items. It might be a good idea if you’re advertising a garage sale or selling a large collection of similar items (like records), but most of the time, it’s limiting for both you and the seller.
Set your items free and let them shine with their own listings. You’ll get more space for adding photos of each item, you can list correct prices, make use of dropped price notifications, and you’ll spend less time scratching your head deciphering who’s who in your inbox.
Not Taking Adequate Precautions
Perhaps the biggest mistake you can make is to be too trusting of other Facebook Marketplace users. This is especially true with high-value items like jewelry or electronics. Where possible, always meet in public places during the day. Take a friend with you, or at least notify others of what you’re up to.
Not all items can be taken to a public place, so verify you take precautions when selling from home. Don’t give your address out to anyone but serious sellers who are trying to arrange a time to come inspect the item (and who understand what payment methods you accept).
If possible, don’t let people into your house unnecessarily. Meet sellers outside, or move items into a shed or garage so that potential buyers can’t see inside your house.
Taking Your Chat Outside of Facebook
Lastly,never take your Facebook Marketplace chats outside of Facebook. Scammers do this to avoid being reported to Facebook so that they can keep their grift going. Not everyone who tries to do this is a scammer, but it’s best for everyone involved to keep it on Meta’s platform.
Facebook Marketplace is one of the best places to turn the things you no longer want into cash. Selling items locally means easy cash or mobile payments, no postage fees, and no auction listing fees. you’re able to even list items for trade or encourage people to make offers.
The most important thing to keep in mind is your personal safety. Don’t jump through hoops for buyers who make odd requests, attempt to use obscure payment methods, or won’t meet your terms.
