I love Facebook Marketplace

[EchoStache]

I have only been using FB marketplace for about two years.  It started during the pandemic when I decided to start decluttering our house.  There were so many things that we were going to haul away to the trash or goodwill.  I started listing them on FB and ended up making over $2,000 while massively decluttering our home.

Since then, I try to remember to use it for almost anything I need as far as "stuff".

Today, I went to Lowe's to get some weed killer/fertilizer for the new construction home we just moved into.  I don't have a spreader, and they are $75 at Lowe's.  Popped onto FB and found one 3 miles away for $10.

I listed a few more items this past weekend and made another $250.  After making the new house livable, there is still a very substantial amount of "stuff" in the basement of our new house that is not unpacked.  I can't think of anything down there that I am missing, or need.  So there's going to be a heckuva lot more FB selling and Goodwill donating for things not worth listing.  What's scary is the massive amount of purging we did for months before moving. 

Another FB success story:  our new home has a 2nd small eating area...a breakfast nook if you will between the kitchen and living room.  We were shopping for "cheap" furniture at Bob's and Ashleys and crap table sets were $1,000 +/-.  So we went to the high quality solid wood furniture stores...they were more like $2-$3,000+ and more if were were to try to get a matching coffee bar.  The expenses of moving and furnishing a brand new home are crazy, so we are trying to be conservative where we can.   So I searched FB and found a solid wood round table with leaf and chairs for $195.  Really good quality furniture; a helluva lot better than the crap at Ashley's or Bob's Discount Furniture. Not gonna lie, I'm still lusting on a handcrafted solid hardwood table and chair set in Hickory with a natural finish.  But I've got good quality, usable furniture in place for now.

Sadly, I orded a new dining room set a couple months ago that is due to arrive this week.  It's not high quality solid hardwood furniture, and was not cheap(over $2k for table, chairs and sideboard).  The sideboard has come in and I already regret the purchase.  I see high quality solid hardwood $3,4,$5,000 dining room sets on FB for $400-$800.  Might take a while to find my perfect style but I see the new dining room set going bye bye in the near future.  Hasn't shipped, maybe I'll cancel the table and bench if I can before they ship......

[Healthie]

It's the best. I bought a drum set because I wanted one of the stands and the snare drum. Bought for $600, sold the cymbals for $100, drums $500, hardware $160= $160 profit and $600 of gear free.

[iluvzbeach]

We use FB Marketplace to buy & sell all the time. As a seller it seems you make way more than you would if you were having a garage sale - at least that has been my experience. We’ve been able to sell everything we ever listed very quickly.

DH has had great success buying motorcycles and a new (to him) SUV. That said, we’ve still found Craigslist to be the best way to sell a car we want to get rid of. FB Marketplace seems to have a ton of “tire kickers” when it comes to listing cars.

Just today we were wanting to buy a few 20lb propane tanks in good condition and found someone selling three in excellent condition for a total of $25. Can’t beat that and way cheaper than buying one through Blue Rhino.

Regarding the sideboard & dining table/chairs, is it too late to return what’s already arrived? And, of course, cancel what hasn’t shipped yet. So many great options out there to find a good, used, solid wood set if you just look around.

[EchoStache]

We use FB Marketplace to buy & sell all the time. As a seller it seems you make way more than you would if you were having a garage sale - at least that has been my experience. We’ve been able to sell everything we ever listed very quickly.

DH has had great success buying motorcycles and a new (to him) SUV. That said, we’ve still found Craigslist to be the best way to sell a car we want to get rid of. FB Marketplace seems to have a ton of “tire kickers” when it comes to listing cars.

Just today we were wanting to buy a few 20lb propane tanks in good condition and found someone selling three in excellent condition for a total of $25. Can’t beat that and way cheaper than buying one through Blue Rhino.

Regarding the sideboard & dining table/chairs, is it too late to return what’s already arrived? And, of course, cancel what hasn’t shipped yet. So many great options out there to find a good, used, solid wood set if you just look around.

Well, I've thrown away the boxing and packing material for the sideboard.  So I'm SOL on that piece and would have to pay return shipping and a restocking fee even if I hadn't.  Wife is having trouble being in a not fully furnished house so, I may just let the new table and bench arrive this week and hopefully be happy with it for a while.  Maybe the new set will serve as a placeholder until I find the perfect set of good hardwood furniture on FB. 

Also, definitely agree its way better than having a yard sale.  I'll just take stuff to Goodwill before I waste my time on a yard sale.

[ATtiny85]

We used Marketplace during our last move and it worked great to sell some things that would not fit in new house, space or style. I don’t use FB, but was easy to fire it up for that purpose.

Doubt I’ll ever be a buyer from there.

[J.R. Ewing]

It's fantastic for youth sporting goods.  Kids grow out of soccer cleats every 6 months.  Picking up someone's cleats for 5-10 bucks is a heck of a lot better than dropping $50-80 for a new pair.  Just bought a driveway hoop for $75.  Same model listed new for $375.

I loathe FB but keep it just for Marketplace. 

[SpaceCow]

I've gotten some good stuff from Marketplace, but I'm currently trying to sell a go kart and it's proving to be quite a headache.

I had someone literally ask me to buy a trailer in order to deliver my "pick-up only" item to them.

[ChpBstrd]

I too have been making a couple thousand per year unloading stuff on Marketplace. Some observations:

1) A lot of your inquiries seem to be bots. The generic "Is this item available" and "where can I pick up" responses suggest hacked accounts used to match FB users with physical addresses, or at least create the illusion that the user still has control over their account to confuse whatever process Meta applies to identify hacked accounts. Additionally, only 1/5 people who say they'll come pick up the item ever do.

2) Best practice is to price things as bargains. If it doesn't sell the first day, you priced it too high. The market is that liquid. I use a reverse auction format where I lower the price of things by $5 at a time. At some point in the lowering process, the item sells instantly.

3) Never offer to hold something for anybody. First person to show up with cash gets the deal. If the ad is up, it's still available.

4) Everyone wants to use Venmo. I prefer cash.

5) When marking an item as sold, always select "I'd rather not say" unless you'd like to have your "earnings" reported to the IRS.

6) FB users are generally NOT interested in antiques or art. They like electronics and toys like motorcycles, etc.

[Morning Glory]

I've gotten some good stuff from Marketplace, but I'm currently trying to sell a go kart and it's proving to be quite a headache.

I had someone literally ask me to buy a trailer in order to deliver my "pick-up only" item to them.

I had the hardest time with speakers, as far as no shows and offers to trade. Easiest was farm stuff,  because the people looking for it tend to actually have money. Furniture,  vehicles,  etc were somewhere in between.

[LiveLean]

What am I missing with FB Marketplace? I can't stand it. I long for the glory days of Craigslist 2011-2015 or so when you could buy and sell quickly. Heck, I furnished a rental property with Craigslist scores in two weeks in 2014.

With FB Marketplace, I can't sell anything. When my dad passed last year and I had to empty his condo prior to sale, I couldn't sell anything. I wasn't looking for much. Just $50 or $100 for furniture -- kitchen table and chairs, sofa and mattress, rollaway bed, etc. to get it out of there and it was quality, barely used stuff, not the typical elderly person's ancient possessions. Crickets. But when I put something up for free, I'd get 50 IMs -- literally 50 IMs -- within 10 minutes. WTF? If you liked something enough for free, wouldn't it be worth $50 or $100 to know that you'd get it rather than slug it out with all of the hundreds of bottom feeders and hope you get picked?

Even with Dad's car in this seller's marketplace for used cars, I got no interest out of FB Marketplace, even with a boost. Sold it on Craigslist.

Reason No.712 why I hate Facebook.

[Morning Glory]

What am I missing with FB Marketplace? I can't stand it. I long for the glory days of Craigslist 2011-2015 or so when you could buy and sell quickly. Heck, I furnished a rental property with Craigslist scores in two weeks in 2014.

With FB Marketplace, I can't sell anything. When my dad passed last year and I had to empty his condo prior to sale, I couldn't sell anything. I wasn't looking for much. Just $50 or $100 for furniture -- kitchen table and chairs, sofa and mattress, rollaway bed, etc. to get it out of there and it was quality, barely used stuff, not the typical elderly person's ancient possessions. Crickets. But when I put something up for free, I'd get 50 IMs -- literally 50 IMs -- within 10 minutes. WTF? If you liked something enough for free, wouldn't it be worth $50 or $100 to know that you'd get it rather than slug it out with all of the hundreds of bottom feeders and hope you get picked?

Even with Dad's car in this seller's marketplace for used cars, I got no interest out of FB Marketplace, even with a boost. Sold it on Craigslist.

Reason No.712 why I hate Facebook.

Must be regional.  I did a huge downsize and move last year,  and everyone seemed to be on fb. I did sell a few things on nextdoor also.

[EchoStache]

What am I missing with FB Marketplace? I can't stand it. I long for the glory days of Craigslist 2011-2015 or so when you could buy and sell quickly. Heck, I furnished a rental property with Craigslist scores in two weeks in 2014.

With FB Marketplace, I can't sell anything. When my dad passed last year and I had to empty his condo prior to sale, I couldn't sell anything. I wasn't looking for much. Just $50 or $100 for furniture -- kitchen table and chairs, sofa and mattress, rollaway bed, etc. to get it out of there and it was quality, barely used stuff, not the typical elderly person's ancient possessions. Crickets. But when I put something up for free, I'd get 50 IMs -- literally 50 IMs -- within 10 minutes. WTF? If you liked something enough for free, wouldn't it be worth $50 or $100 to know that you'd get it rather than slug it out with all of the hundreds of bottom feeders and hope you get picked?

Even with Dad's car in this seller's marketplace for used cars, I got no interest out of FB Marketplace, even with a boost. Sold it on Craigslist.

Reason No.712 why I hate Facebook.

The other day, in less than a day, I sold a pair of lawn chairs with cushions for $100, a little patio storage box maybe 20" square for $40(wife said she paid $20 or $30 at Aldi's years back), $50 for a larger plastic storage box, and some plastic Adirondack chairs for $50.  They all went so fast that I feel I underpriced them.

[mrs sideways]

What am I missing with FB Marketplace? I can't stand it. I long for the glory days of Craigslist 2011-2015 or so when you could buy and sell quickly. Heck, I furnished a rental property with Craigslist scores in two weeks in 2014.

With FB Marketplace, I can't sell anything. When my dad passed last year and I had to empty his condo prior to sale, I couldn't sell anything. I wasn't looking for much. Just $50 or $100 for furniture -- kitchen table and chairs, sofa and mattress, rollaway bed, etc. to get it out of there and it was quality, barely used stuff, not the typical elderly person's ancient possessions. Crickets. But when I put something up for free, I'd get 50 IMs -- literally 50 IMs -- within 10 minutes. WTF? If you liked something enough for free, wouldn't it be worth $50 or $100 to know that you'd get it rather than slug it out with all of the hundreds of bottom feeders and hope you get picked?

Even with Dad's car in this seller's marketplace for used cars, I got no interest out of FB Marketplace, even with a boost. Sold it on Craigslist.

Reason No.712 why I hate Facebook.

So I've had people JUMP at free stuff even when it wasn't very good. I put out a pile of mixed gardening stuff and car stuff, thinking people might pick and choose, and one person took ALL of it.

Maybe there's either 1) professional free stuff flippers out there who either try to sell formerly-free stuff themselves, or 2) serious tax avoiders who take your free stuff to the thrift store and take the donation credit for their own taxes. I can't think of any other explanations.

[Rosy]

I love FB Marketplace and Nextdoor for free plants, rare but reasonable-priced plants and all the backyard nurseries that I have discovered that way.

Furniture is a mixed bag - sometimes I see great deals even nice free stuff but most items seem to be priced above what I would be willing to pay.
Haven't bought anything besides plants but I may try my luck at selling the occasional item that I'm decluttering or extra plants from my garden.

It's Florida, there are plenty of people with nothing else to do but make an unreported side income from thrift stores, Craig's list, Next Door and FB.
Some depend on it to make it thru the month financially. Others furnish their rentals for next to nothing with it. My young neighbor on Next Door that I bought a couple of $5 plants from, was clearly happy to drop off the plants since we were indeed around the corner. A Mustachian if I ever saw one.
We'll do business again...