Want to create Facebook account solely to use their Marketplace

[slackmax]

Want to create Facebook account solely to use their Marketplace. I don't want people to start contacting me for just any reason when they see I have an account on Facebook.

Facebook wants users to use their real names, though.

I have been using Craigslist up til now, which is good for privacy, but I keep hearing everyone is looking at Facebook Marketplace these days instead of Craigslist, if they want to buy something local.

Is there some way I can create a Facebook account and use Facebook Marketplace to sell stuff locally, and still have some level of privacy?

Thanks

[HPstache]

Facebook Marketplace is definitely incredible for selling stuff!  I just started using it with shipping activated and have been selling random stuff all over the country.

I know that some of my friends who work in law enforcement have Facebook accounts with false last names or use something that sounds like their last name or use middle name, etc., so I know for sure you can have a FB account with a made up name.  I dont see why they could not sell on marketplace this way locally.

I did have to enter my social security number once I reached a certain level of sales with shipping activated.  Probably for tax reporting reasons.

[slackmax]

Well, I tried to sign up with a 'screen name'  on FB and it wouldn't let me. Kept giving me a generic error message and didn't mention any specific entry that was wrong. Arghhh.

The I tried to sign up with a website called Varagesale. Turns out they want my phone number and email address, and they say to be sure to enter your real name.

What is with these guys?

Guess I'll have to stick with Craigslist, where I have privacy. But it seems like no one is even looking at Craigslist any more , except for cars.  Ugh.

Or maybe I'm too concerned about privacy. Hmmm. 

[Papa bear]

Well, I tried to sign up with a 'screen name'  on FB and it wouldn't let me. Kept giving me a generic error message and didn't mention any specific entry that was wrong. Arghhh.

The I tried to sign up with a website called Varagesale. Turns out they want my phone number and email address, and they say to be sure to enter your real name.

What is with these guys?

Guess I'll have to stick with Craigslist, where I have privacy. But it seems like no one is even looking at Craigslist any more , except for cars.  Ugh.

Or maybe I'm too concerned about privacy. Hmmm.

Part of the allure for FB marketplace is the ability to see your buyer or seller as an actual person with a real name, photos, etc.   I guess it makes people feel more comfortable than the anonymity of Craigslist. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[chemistk]

Well, I tried to sign up with a 'screen name'  on FB and it wouldn't let me. Kept giving me a generic error message and didn't mention any specific entry that was wrong. Arghhh.

The I tried to sign up with a website called Varagesale. Turns out they want my phone number and email address, and they say to be sure to enter your real name.

What is with these guys?

Guess I'll have to stick with Craigslist, where I have privacy. But it seems like no one is even looking at Craigslist any more , except for cars.  Ugh.

Or maybe I'm too concerned about privacy. Hmmm.

Part of the allure for FB marketplace is the ability to see your buyer or seller as an actual person with a real name, photos, etc.   I guess it makes people feel more comfortable than the anonymity of Craigslist. 


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I will fully admit that I enjoy sites like marketplace over Craigslist for that exact reason - I always ask myself questions like "what type of person is selling this" - I feel like I have a better understanding of the condition of the item and, at least when I was still living in metro Detroit, whether I felt safe buying something.

I know this might ruffle your feathers, OP, but I'll share in full disclosure - I have never once even thought about buying anything from someone online if their ad is structured in a way that I don't have a chance to meet the person.

[HPstache]

Well, I tried to sign up with a 'screen name'  on FB and it wouldn't let me. Kept giving me a generic error message and didn't mention any specific entry that was wrong. Arghhh.

The I tried to sign up with a website called Varagesale. Turns out they want my phone number and email address, and they say to be sure to enter your real name.

What is with these guys?

Guess I'll have to stick with Craigslist, where I have privacy. But it seems like no one is even looking at Craigslist any more , except for cars.  Ugh.

Or maybe I'm too concerned about privacy. Hmmm.

I did not say sign up with a screen name like "slackmax", that's not going to be acceptable.  What I mean was if your name is Jane Anne Doe, just put your name as Jane Anne, Or maybe Jane Deer or something.  But if you're really that worried about it, maybe social media/marketplace isn't for you.

[slackmax]

Well, I tried to sign up with a 'screen name'  on FB and it wouldn't let me. Kept giving me a generic error message and didn't mention any specific entry that was wrong. Arghhh.

The I tried to sign up with a website called Varagesale. Turns out they want my phone number and email address, and they say to be sure to enter your real name.

What is with these guys?

Guess I'll have to stick with Craigslist, where I have privacy. But it seems like no one is even looking at Craigslist any more , except for cars.  Ugh.

Or maybe I'm too concerned about privacy. Hmmm.

I did not say sign up with a screen name like "slackmax", that's not going to be acceptable.  What I mean was if your name is Jane Anne Doe, just put your name as Jane Anne, Or maybe Jane Deer or something.  But if you're really that worried about it, maybe social media/marketplace isn't for you.

I knew what you meant, V8RX. My 'screen name' I entered  was a  regular  name, like Brandon Wells.  Not gonna stress out about it. Thanks for the help. 

[slackmax]

Well, I tried to sign up with a 'screen name'  on FB and it wouldn't let me. Kept giving me a generic error message and didn't mention any specific entry that was wrong. Arghhh.

The I tried to sign up with a website called Varagesale. Turns out they want my phone number and email address, and they say to be sure to enter your real name.

What is with these guys?

Guess I'll have to stick with Craigslist, where I have privacy. But it seems like no one is even looking at Craigslist any more , except for cars.  Ugh.

Or maybe I'm too concerned about privacy. Hmmm.

Part of the allure for FB marketplace is the ability to see your buyer or seller as an actual person with a real name, photos, etc.   I guess it makes people feel more comfortable than the anonymity of Craigslist. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I will fully admit that I enjoy sites like marketplace over Craigslist for that exact reason - I always ask myself questions like "what type of person is selling this" - I feel like I have a better understanding of the condition of the item and, at least when I was still living in metro Detroit, whether I felt safe buying something.

I know this might ruffle your feathers, OP, but I'll share in full disclosure - I have never once even thought about buying anything from someone online if their ad is structured in a way that I don't have a chance to meet the person.

I remain unruffled, chemistk. No worries.

I was intending to use FB  Marketplace to transact locally.   Meet at a church parking lot, and so forth. 

[Morning Glory]

I have sold a bunch of stuff on there lately and lots of people have names that are clearly made up. One of them had "biden sucks" for a last name and a trump avatar. I was conflicted on that one but I really want to sell my disc plow so I messaged him back. I just use my real name because my secrets are not that interesting.

My husband refuses to get an account and had me convinced that social media was the devil for a long time, so I missed out on a lot of social activities as a young adult.

[Morning Glory]

Well, I tried to sign up with a 'screen name'  on FB and it wouldn't let me. Kept giving me a generic error message and didn't mention any specific entry that was wrong. Arghhh.

The I tried to sign up with a website called Varagesale. Turns out they want my phone number and email address, and they say to be sure to enter your real name.

What is with these guys?

Guess I'll have to stick with Craigslist, where I have privacy. But it seems like no one is even looking at Craigslist any more , except for cars.  Ugh.

Or maybe I'm too concerned about privacy. Hmmm.

Part of the allure for FB marketplace is the ability to see your buyer or seller as an actual person with a real name, photos, etc.   I guess it makes people feel more comfortable than the anonymity of Craigslist. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I will fully admit that I enjoy sites like marketplace over Craigslist for that exact reason - I always ask myself questions like "what type of person is selling this" - I feel like I have a better understanding of the condition of the item and, at least when I was still living in metro Detroit, whether I felt safe buying something.

I know this might ruffle your feathers, OP, but I'll share in full disclosure - I have never once even thought about buying anything from someone online if their ad is structured in a way that I don't have a chance to meet the person.

I remain unruffled, chemistk. No worries.

I was intending to use FB  Marketplace to transact locally.   Meet at a church parking lot, and so forth.

Eh, I just have them come get the stuff from the house. No issues so far, and I work from home so it's easier.  We live in the country though, and a lot of our stuff requires a truck or trailer to move.

[Zikoris]

You can set it so that people can't send you friend requests, and then there's another setting you can do that only allows friends to send you messages. Those two together would make you virtually unreachable.

But as a warning, a lot of people feel leery about dealing with people with new accounts, no posts/groups, zero friends, etc, since those types of accounts are frequently scammers or criminals.

[Paul der Krake]

Just put a realistic name, a random picture of someone who kinda looks like you, and call it a day. Nobody cares. Marketplace buyers aren't much better than craigslist, it's the lowest common denominator. You will encounter your share of morons and flakes.

[Solomon960]

I, too, previously attempted to create a FB account; unfortunately, I could not get past supplying the "mandatory" non-VOIP phone number and was rejected. I have no interest beyond access to the marketplace and roommates communities. As is, I'm resigned to using other resources (e.g., offerup, spareroom, etc.).

[slackmax]

I, too, previously attempted to create a FB account; unfortunately, I could not get past supplying the "mandatory" non-VOIP phone number and was rejected. I have no interest beyond access to the marketplace and roommates communities. As is, I'm resigned to using other resources (e.g., offerup, spareroom, etc.).

Update:  I tried a bunch of different groups. Offerup in unusable from a desktop, apparently.

Guy at my flea market said to use Garagesale.com. No hassle, no phone number needed, etc.
Tried to access the site, and it redirected to Varagesale.com, which tells me I needa Facebook
account.  The good news is I finally was able to set up a pseudonym on facebook, so maybe I can get
Varagesale to work for me. 

Otherwise, I'm stymied. Everyone wants a phone number to post anything.

So I'm stuck with good old Craigs List, lol.  I love CL, I just wish someone would look at it once
in a while, lol.   

[Morning Glory]

Have you tried nextdoor? I was able to move a few things on there but it doesn't get as much traffic as fb. My old employer had their own classified board that was pretty active, so I never tried the other options until this year.

[slackmax]

Have you tried nextdoor? I was able to move a few things on there but it doesn't get as much traffic as fb. My old employer had their own classified board that was pretty active, so I never tried the other options until this year.

Yes, I tried Nextdoor, but it didn't work out for me. Can't remember what it was.

[slackmax]

I was able to create a Facebook Marketplace account with a psudonym, and an email address.

All was well until I tried to post an ad, and then they asked for a mobile phone number.

I'm about to break and give them my mobile number, just so I can post an ad.

But will FB start spamming my mobile with useless, annoying crap?

I have to pay for every text or voicemail that comes in to my mobile phone.

[iluvzbeach]

Hmmm, DH & I posted an ad for a motorcycle on Marketplace (using my FB profile) just yesterday and I didn’t fill in the phone number field. Additionally, FB does not have my phone number on file as I always just refuse to provide it. I don’t want spam text and calls and such. We were able to proceed and, in fact, sold the bike within a few hours. We eventually provided a phone number via Messenger to the person who ultimately bought the bike.

I wonder why others are forced to give a phone number and we weren’t. Are you sure it’s not an optional field?

[Zikoris]

My guess would be they asked for a phone number because OP would fit a similar profile as a typical scammer - new account posting on buy/sell, probably no friends, minimal posts/pictures, etc. It would be an extra security step that would be fairly effective I imagine. I also have never been asked for this, as someone with a long-established account.

[slackmax]

Hmmm, DH & I posted an ad for a motorcycle on Marketplace (using my FB profile) just yesterday and I didn’t fill in the phone number field. Additionally, FB does not have my phone number on file as I always just refuse to provide it. I don’t want spam text and calls and such. We were able to proceed and, in fact, sold the bike within a few hours. We eventually provided a phone number via Messenger to the person who ultimately bought the bike.

I wonder why others are forced to give a phone number and we weren’t. Are you sure it’s not an optional field?

Not optional. FB says since I have low level of activity and am new, they need to "verify my identity" by getting my mobile number, and they will then text a code to my mobile which I will enter online, which will allow me to post ads.

Don't know how they will know my identity by my mobile, since it is an unregistered pay as you go phone. But I guess they will now be able to spam my mobile, which is a win in their minds, perhaps.

I don't know, maybe it is worth it to get spammed, to post on FB Marketplace.

[Paul der Krake]

They require a phone number to make the mass creation of spam accounts more difficult for spammers. You can turn off all text and email notifications.

[Morning Glory]

Yes. The only time they ever text me is if I sign in from a new device. Turn off the push notifications too or it will drive you nuts!

[slackmax]

Well, I gave them my mobile number, and it hasn't changed anything, apparently, except it isn't nagging me for a mobile number any more.

I was hoping by providing the number I would be able to see my email address in my ads, but no. No mention of email in the ad at all, even though I gave FB my email.  I assume not even the customers can see my email address.

I want the customers to email me if they have an interest in the ad.

I tried to access FB M as a customer, but it makes you log in to even do that, and I still do not see my email anywhere in the ad, even if I click on my profile in the ad. It says something about "messaging" but nothing about email.


I don't want to have to log in to FB to see if I have any customers responding. I just want to check my email. ( Like Craigslist, but wait that would be too easy, right?)

Why isn't my email address showing up in my ad? 


Thanks !

 

[iluvzbeach]

Communication about sale items on FB Marketplace don't take place via email.  You download the Messenger app and communication takes place that way.  No texts, phone call or email involved, unless you provide your email address or phone number to a potential buyer.

[slackmax]

Communication about sale items on FB Marketplace don't take place via email.  You download the Messenger app and communication takes place that way.  No texts, phone call or email involved, unless you provide your email address or phone number to a potential buyer.

Thanks!  I don't have a smartphone to download the app to, but I suppose I could just mention my email address in the text of my ad. 

[Morning Glory]

Communication about sale items on FB Marketplace don't take place via email.  You download the Messenger app and communication takes place that way.  No texts, phone call or email involved, unless you provide your email address or phone number to a potential buyer.

Thanks!  I don't have a smartphone to download the app to, but I suppose I could just mention my email address in the text of my ad.

The messenger app is more secure.  Don't give anyone your email address or phone number. If you don't have a smartphone you could just leave messenger open in a tab on your computer.

[slackmax]

Update. 

A few days after I gave FBM my mobile number, the dam broke. I noticed one day I had messages, and clicked on it. I had about 8 inquiries into something I had listed!

I don't know how long the messages were lurking there.

The first person I corresponded with flaked on me, but the next two worked out!

Two sales so far. Both local, which is what I wanted.

And no spamming to my mobile number. 

Thanks for your help, everyone.

[sonofsven]

Update. 

A few days after I gave FBM my mobile number, the dam broke. I noticed one day I had messages, and clicked on it. I had about 8 inquiries into something I had listed!

I don't know how long the messages were lurking there.

The first person I corresponded with flaked on me, but the next two worked out!

Two sales so far. Both local, which is what I wanted.

And no spamming to my mobile number. 

Thanks for your help, everyone.

Hi, @slackmax, I too am ready to go to the dark side of FB marketplace in lieu of CL but am very wary of the FB world.
Any updates, or tips?
Anyone else have any suggestions on how to open and maintain a minimal footprint FB account mainly for marketplace access?
I have two gmail accounts, one that is my longtime personal account and one that has my name and "construction" added to it that is a secondary account I created mainly for churning business bank accounts.
Should I create a new email address or use one of my existing?
Thanks for the hand holding!

[stacheasaurus]

Update. 

A few days after I gave FBM my mobile number, the dam broke. I noticed one day I had messages, and clicked on it. I had about 8 inquiries into something I had listed!

I don't know how long the messages were lurking there.

The first person I corresponded with flaked on me, but the next two worked out!

Two sales so far. Both local, which is what I wanted.

And no spamming to my mobile number. 

Thanks for your help, everyone.

Hi, @slackmax, I too am ready to go to the dark side of FB marketplace in lieu of CL but am very wary of the FB world.
Any updates, or tips?
Anyone else have any suggestions on how to open and maintain a minimal footprint FB account mainly for marketplace access?
I have two gmail accounts, one that is my longtime personal account and one that has my name and "construction" added to it that is a secondary account I created mainly for churning business bank accounts.
Should I create a new email address or use one of my existing?
Thanks for the hand holding!

As someone who frequently uses online garage sales (CL, FB, KSL - local utah CL), I am wary of people on FB who have no profile picture and "created their account less than 5 years ago", essentially looking like a scam account.  Tip would be to make your account look like a real person.  For some reason I'm more wary of FB marketplace profile with no pic/created in 2021 vs a completely anonymous craigslist listing.

[sonofsven]

Update. 

A few days after I gave FBM my mobile number, the dam broke. I noticed one day I had messages, and clicked on it. I had about 8 inquiries into something I had listed!

I don't know how long the messages were lurking there.

The first person I corresponded with flaked on me, but the next two worked out!

Two sales so far. Both local, which is what I wanted.

And no spamming to my mobile number. 

Thanks for your help, everyone.

Hi, @slackmax, I too am ready to go to the dark side of FB marketplace in lieu of CL but am very wary of the FB world.
Any updates, or tips?
Anyone else have any suggestions on how to open and maintain a minimal footprint FB account mainly for marketplace access?
I have two gmail accounts, one that is my longtime personal account and one that has my name and "construction" added to it that is a secondary account I created mainly for churning business bank accounts.
Should I create a new email address or use one of my existing?
Thanks for the hand holding!

As someone who frequently uses online garage sales (CL, FB, KSL - local utah CL), I am wary of people on FB who have no profile picture and "created their account less than 5 years ago", essentially looking like a scam account.  Tip would be to make your account look like a real person.  For some reason I'm more wary of FB marketplace profile with no pic/created in 2021 vs a completely anonymous craigslist listing.

Thx for the insight, I haven't opened a FB account yet, still just looking.

[JAYSLOL]

If you try to put an email or phone number in the description of your ad, Facebook will actually blank that out so people can’t see it.  If you use Facebook on a computer using a browser, you can use messenger within the webpage no problem.