Selling Stuff on Facebook Marketplace

Some of you might remember the good-old-days with Trading Post and Gumtree. It seems Facebook Marketplace has taken over, not just in Oz, but USA too, and maybe other countries. Nowadays we sell as much as we buy, sometimes for Freebies. And we have largely used Marketplace seeing that it's the flavour for the year. Have been good for a couple of years I reckon.

However, lately it has become very frustrating: Trying to buy something and used the search function, couldn't get a good result. So searched by Category and found the item. Next is we were trying to sell some age care/disability items such as "Wheelie Walker". Some items went thru alright, just that we didn't get a single enquiry. That makes me wonder about their Search Function as mentioned above.

However, our biggest gripe is when FB deems that we have violated their rules about "healthcare" products. Our Ads about Wheelie Walker and other stuff have been declined, and we were puzzled as we saw the exact same items being advertised by others. So we appealed, got declined, appealed again, got declined again. So I contacted one of the sellers, and he was very kind to tell me that his Ad got approved, whilst his sister's was declined.

Any sharing from this resourceful community would be much appreciated.

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Comments

  • +4

    "I don't understand Mr Fawlty".

  • +5

    I had an ad declined multiple times with varying descriptions and titles for a Wheelie Walker as well. I never did find a way to post it so just put it on gumtree.

    • +1

      Been there, done that as well with crutches.
      Very weird they decline such stuff.

    • +2

      I had the same issue selling a wheely walker. Ebay stated they won't list it because it's medical equipment. Bloody silly. I sold it on Gumtree.

      • +3

        and yet they allow fake medicine to be sold.

    • +2

      Ha looks like I am not alone.
      This is so weird… The first decline I assume it's an auto-decline.
      But I appealed twice, and thought it might go to a human.
      Clearly it didint because the second and third decline came back within minutes of appealing!

      • +1

        I was trying to sell a blood pressure monitor and was also rejected.

  • +41

    I like the ads when people are selling a bedside table.

    One Night Stand - $30

    • +29

      Hi I’m here for the table

      Table?

    • +3

      Cheapest One Night Stand I've ever heard of.

      • How much do you normally pay?

      • If you are paying it would called something else.

    • +1

      Very good Muzeeb :)

    • +2

      Americans call bedside a NightStand. Hehe

    • +1

      I prefer people looking for bouncers

      • +1

        I see you watch misfit minds also

        • sosig sizzle Dan

  • +16

    However, lately it has become very frustrating

    Lately? They have been dumpster fires for a long time now. Low ball offers, people not showing up, haggling after arriving.

    Honestly its not worth the hassle, I had a few priced items, gave them away on the local community page instead of dealing with 'buyers'.

    • +14

      You will always get scummy people / time wasters, but i've always had offers from genuine people too. I just ignore the others.

      If you only get scummy people or lowballers on any ad you put up, it's probably your expectations that are the problem. For every lowballing scum bag there is an untethered seller who thinks their out of warranty crap is worth 80% of RRP.

      • +6

        My expectations for the item/listing are just fine. But my tolerance for dealing with scum is pretty low to be truthful, that sometimes I just can't be bothered to filter out the crap to get to a real seller.

        I've gone back to ebay. Far easier to list it and wait for the sale, post the item and not have to deal with the "Is this still available?" messages never to hear from them again! Yes the fees, I know, but its worth it for not dealing with scum!

        • +2

          Fair enough. Personally I prefer a quick cash sale over FB/gumtree and generally don't post stuff. If i did, i'd probably prefer ebay too. Of course, then you have the possibility of dishonest disputes/chargebacks.

          Usually when I just want to get rid of stuff i list it ~10-20% below what others are paying and get rid of it asap. My experience is haggling comes into it if you're gunning for market rate (isn't haggling fundamentally how the market rate becomes known?)

        • I've found Facebook marketplace to be full of scumbags and scammers - especially for relatively more expensive stuff. It also doesn't help that it just doesnt have a reputation system.

          I recently had to fallback on trusty ol' gumtree to dispose off a Macbook pro because was only getting dirt-eaters trying to aggressively low-ball (even when I advised them that I'd get a higher trade-in than what they were offering). What really annoyed me was them taking jabs at the product and trying to haggle it down and then ghosting me.

          Had a wonderful family local to us, come pick it up without any dramas after posting it on Gumtree. Paid a fair price too!

          After the last few experiences, I'm going to start selling old stuff on ebay instead. While there are lovely people on marketplace and gumtree, there is a substantially high proportion of the human equivalent of cockroaches in there.

          • @ThadtheChad:

            It also doesn't help that it just doesnt have a reputation system

            It has a star rating system for both sellers and buyers. But not feedback (comment) function.

    • +13

      I find we get more time-wasters when giving out Freebies. Maybe it's free so they dont care.
      So nowadays we assign a small Dollar amount and if the person is ok, we might give it free when pick-up.

      • +3

        This! Even if I want to give it away I’ll but $5 on it now.

        • +1

          Yep, I've been doing this for years, cuts out so many time wasters.

          For low value items (~$30) I'll leave the item on my porch and tell them to leave the money in the letterbox, I've only had one problem from probably 20 items and avoided the headache of many no shows, if they don't show I haven't wasted any of my day being available for them.

          One guy did steal another item is left out for someone else to pick up so that wasn't great

      • +2

        I find we get more time-wasters when giving out Freebies

        Wouldn't be surprised if most of those people expect you to deliver to them for free and thank them for accepting your unwanted stuff.

        • I say f that. I'm dumping it to council clean up. You want it? Come pick up else council will take it

    • +2

      I thank the lowballers contacting me,
      because their actual attempt, re-calibrates FB's algorithm,
      and then the listing starts appearing on more people's feeds,
      until the right person sees it.

      Sometimes, the listings will languish for months,
      until FB thinks something is "popular".

      • Sometimes, the listings will languish for months

        Yes love those ads….. Its like posted 20 weeks ago. WTF!?

        • I have found things, from old listings,
          and I've also sold things, which were listed 6 months ago.

          It's just FB tends to 'hide' things,
          unless it can gauge popularity for something.

          • @whyisave: Yes agreed FB algorithm is very strange. But I generally feel bad asking about old listings from 6 months ago :)

    • +1

      It absolutely is worth the hassle, money in your pocket vs giving away for free, what?

      What does it matter if people low ball you, just ignore them, literally don't reply. It isn't as if they are magically going to meet your price when you say no so why waste your time?

      How much effort are you putting into a reply when people ask "is this still available?", it's no problem for me to reply with "yes" (I wish this was one of the auto replies)

      They don't show up? Always set a time when you will be home, never agree to meet to their schedule. I have had someone message me and say "leaving home now, be there in 15 mins" never showed up, it makes for funny stories. I was at home watching TV, whether they showed or not didn't bother me.

      You seem to take things way to personally. Just chill.

      • It absolutely is worth the hassle, money in your pocket vs giving away for free, what?

        For a $10 or $20 item, it isn't worth my hassle to me. Your time/values may be different.

        What does it matter if people low ball you, just ignore them

        Still takes up my time to read the message

        Always set a time when you will be home, never agree to meet to their schedule

        Still doesn't mean they'll show up

        You seem to take things way to personally. Just chill.

        You're the one freaking out because I seem chilled about giving away the item for free, vs being bothered to deal with time wasters over a $10-20 item.

  • +24

    Is this still available?

    • +7

      where are you located?

      • +4

        To be fair (and I hate marketplace/marketplacers) the map in the ads is always miles off their actual location.

        • Esp. when if it wasn't you can go when they are most likely to be away.

    • +6

      Yes it’s available

      • +1

        My selling usually ends there

    • +8

      Hello?

    • +8

      What's the lowest you will go?

      • +27

        Tasmania

        • That's an answer to a "where" question,
          but good try ;-)

    • +8

      I just need your email address for the bank transfer as I have a business account.

    • +3

      What is the best price ?

      • whats the bro brother last best today cash kebab manoush price etc, you name it

    • +2

      Can you hold it until next month?

    • +5

      what's you best price for cash?

    • +4

      Ha, this is my biggest pet-hate!
      I wrote to Gumtree (Would have written to FB if I have their email address).
      I said to Gumtree they should not have have in their quick-response "is this still available".
      Gumtree just flatly refused!

      • +1

        is this still available?

      • Ah I started reporting every stock query like that in gumtree. It cleans up the message space, highly recommended.

    • +1

      Yeah I'm buying it for my sister. But she will come and pick up instead of myself. I will pay first. I will pay you with PayID

    • Last price brother 💁🏾‍♂️

  • +34

    Them: Is this still available?
    You: Yes, it's still available
    ****Read - Will Never Respond Again!****

    Repeat that 1000x and that's pretty much Facebook Marketplace in a nutshell!

    • +10

      If FB didn’t have an auto ‘is this available’ button that you can hit accidentally when scrolling, it would help…

      • +5

        About half of the time-wasting messages I’ve received aren’t auto-replies though. I think some people just enjoy window shopping.
        Enquiries on a brand new sealed item:
        “Hi mate, is it available?”
        Yes it is.
        “Is it all working?”
        It’s brand new sealed.
        Seen then cricket chirpings.

      • +1

        Or a recaptcha style puzzle seller can put up before the automatic message be sent.

    • +1

      Honestly, good to know. I get that on gumtree and was thinking of setting up FB, but now i know not to bother.

    • You can totally agree it is a fken waste of time

    • +1

      I always have to ask "where is the pick-up location?"
      because this key information is left out
      and you cannot trust the map anyway.

      So, you can change the pre-filled text,
      from "Is this available?" to whatever you like,
      eg. "where is the pick-up location?", etc.

  • +12

    Posts free item

    Buyer - Can you deliver? (60km away)

    • +2

      My usual response: the item is still free, but I can arrange delivery for $60/h, including the return journey.

      So far, I've had one taker. Woman must've been desperate.

      • That's cheap! Sold. What are you selling again?

        • +1

          It was a used office chair.

      • +1

        She lives 2 minutes down the road.. $4 not bad.

  • +3

    I recently sold a mobility scooter on Gumtree because FB wouldn't allow it. Guy drove from Albury to Geelong to pick up and pay cash. He clearly got a bargain but I was happy to get rid.

    • Albury -> Geelong?
      That's awesome, in pursuit of a deal.

  • +1

    Use my partners Marketplace as I shut my FB account down.

    I find it useful to sell things, sold some shoes and my old iPhone.

    Heaps of useless scammers on Gumtree

    • Always keep a 'spare' account around. Never know when you need it.

  • -2

    Nowadays we sell as much as we buy

    Not true.

  • +2

    It's part of the clampdown on health products pushed by governments & corporations. It is being done under the guise of protecting the public.

    It was first noticeable to me on ebay. Any products that fall outside of the conventional medical system are being targeted. This includes any electronic devices as well as supplement products.

    In your case, whatever system Facebook uses to target these ads may have managed to include in their scope some wheelie/walker ads, but not others. The systems used are not perfect (yet), so there is a fair margin of error.

    • +2

      Not sure why you're so heavily downvoted, it's one of many areas that we continue to see increased regulations in.

      • Given there are people who are looking to make money of selling snake oil, some of which can cause harm, yes there needs to be regulation. Ops situation is a bit overkill I admit, might be a bot moderation thing.

        • +2

          Plenty of harmful stuff is sold to make money, but harmless "snake oils" need regulation? I'm not a fan of homeopathy, but if somebody wants to buy expensive sugar or water, why the hell does that need to be banned?

          • -1

            @ssfps: How do you know its only sugar and water? How does an average Joe know if some chemical is harmful or not? You wanna google every time you buy something? Why do sellers/manufacturers have to disclose ingredients and not be misleading ? Regulations!

            I don't think coca cola and Pepsi are saying their drinks will treat cancer or help fight covid. No body is suggesting Coca cola or Pepsi to be banned btw… Lol.

            • -1

              @Ughhh: Given the amount of people who don't agree with regulation on snake oils and non-tested 'medicines'. Perhaps it's time to make some $$$.

              I've got a miracle potion (special mixture of cyanide, various acids and chemicals) that may help cure any illness you have!!! Glad to have your support in my new product the MSM and gov doesn't want to you know about, as a guise to protect you! pfft

          • -2

            @ssfps:

            but harmless "snake oils" need regulation?

            Snake oil was originally something that worked, it was an old remedy that was brought to the US by chinese workers. It was then bastardized by greedy & manipulative men who sold various elixirs to the public. In essence these people were the forefathers of the modern medical system. Believe it or not. It's a massive inversion of truth.

            Homeopathy is a superb system of health care, & it is a scientific one, it's just that very few realise it because of the rise of pharmaceutical corporations.

            • @mrdean:

              Homeopathy is a superb system of health care, & it is a scientific one

              Sorry what? It absolutely isn't either.

              https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/homeopathy/#:~:text=Homeopathy%20is%20a%20%22treatment%22%20based,than%20placebos%20(dummy%20treatments).

              • -2

                @ThadtheChad:

                Sorry what?

                Yes, people should read those "reports" a bit more carefully & critically, because then they just might start to see the "bias" involved & the careful wording.

                Such examples include:

                "There's no good-quality evidence that homeopathy is effective as a treatment for any health condition."

                If one had critical thinking abilities, one might ask: Ok, there is "no good quality evidence", but does that mean there is "evidence"? And that this "evidence" wasn't "good quality" according to those whose job it was to review it? And who are those "people" or "committees" that came to this conclusion? What were their own "views" or "biases" in relation to homeopathy?

                Same goes with statements like this:

                ""no clear or robust evidence to support the use of homeopathy".

                So, there was some "evidence" to support it, it just wasn't "clear" or "robust". What were the terms of reference of the study that looked at this issue? Were studies excluded?

                All those government reports are not "scientific", they have the agenda of removing modalities that go against the conventional, highly profitable pharmaceutical & diagnostic model modern medicine has become. And because the general public is very easily swayed by "expert" opinion & biased "science", they easily become advocates of the very model that blocks competition & ends up harming people, under the guise of protecting people from "placebo" treatments.

            • -1

              @mrdean:

              Homeopathy is a superb system of health care, & it is a scientific one, it's just that very few realise it because of the rise of pharmaceutical corporations.

              I don't know why you got negged.

              It wasn't me, so take a +1 from me.

              • @whyisave: How brainwashed one must be to think the homeopathy industry isn't 'big pharma' itself. Market is worth billions $$$, so much money to be made selling fancy diluted crap. I should start a new side business.

                • @Ughhh: So right. Martin & Pleasance are clearly "big pharma". They've even got an office in the UK, Canada & New Zealand. They are all raking in the billions, along with Weleda, Nelsons & others. The House That Hahnemann built. Lol.

                  Here's something for those who still have the ability to think. What's the difference between the so called law of similars & attempting to "immunize" someone by injection?

    • If you read my post, we are selling wheelie walker and walking frame, hardly a health hazard.
      More importantly, there are FB Ads selling exactly the same thing with exactly those words.

      • It isn't entirely about logic, fb is a walled garden filled with false positives and negatives, but once it has absorbed the full essence of your soul will these things become absolute truths (to both the bots, and the subjects consumed).

  • +1

    I only buy investment schemes guaranteed by Dick Smith!

  • Maybe the seller doesn't see it as a "Wheelie Walker" but something else. And this is where the seller and buyer needs to find common words that may fit the description.

    Searching for items is mostly based on keywords the seller puts up. If the seller just puts in "13 inch laptop" in their title but it's a Microsoft surface pro then most likely the similar keywords and product wont pop up and the seller will have minimal engagement.

    That is why keywords are so important in selling, especially for businesses websites.

    A better title would be "Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 13" inch screen 12th gen Intel processor"

    Go to Temu and they have a long title that has everything in it, eBay does this as well.

    But in saying that, Gumtree and Marketplace has always been a sh*tshow for both buyers and sellers…. just alot of time wasters. I used to sell alot online, I have noticed marketplace has less time waster than gumtree…. I stopped using gumtree

    • You can also add product tags to the item, don't know how much it influences the search result though.

  • I haven't used facebook marketplace so can't comment but bought heaps 100 + items and sold about 30 + items on gumtree and can't say that I ever had a issue with me buying or me selling. I find the website very easy to use and find things that I am after. I always deal with cash none of this payid or bank transfer. There are many payid scams that are going around on facebook marketplace so stay away..

  • +2

    The search is absolutely terrible, it's that bad that I'm sure it's actually by design.

    Something I learnt today when I went to post something from a Facebook sale, if you delete the item rather than just mark it is "sold", your conversation with anyone regarding that item disappears, making it very hard to find their postage address.

    • +1

      It just goes to archived

      • I don't know what that is.

        Edit - found it, how annoying.

    • +1

      I'm pretty sure the search is bad by design to increase 'engagement' - I've had experiences where I've searched for an item and found nothing of interest, only to see a listing of exactly the thing I was looking for pop up in the algorithmically generated 'suggested for you' or whatever listings later, with a listing date of several days before. So the search didn't return something that was a clear match for the keywords which was listed at the time. I think they limit the number of matches shown so that you always have to keep looking and stay engaged with the site.

  • +1

    Wow, so many responses, thank you All! This tells me I'm not alone, not that I have a solution yet.

    Some of you prefer to offer for free, which we tried many times. In the end we decided that people just had no respect for Free Stuff and did No-shows time and again. So we then sell for $5-$10.
    It's quite disheartening really.

    What I don't understand is that others have posted the exact same item including photo. We thought our second Appeal would go to a human in FB…… Still baffles me those auto-decline which comes in within minutes……

    • My theory is that a listing initially gets fair (or close to it) treatment from the search/display algorithm. Then it sinks like a stone - so that they incentivise you to purchase a 'boost'. One good bypass of this is to have your partner list the same item after a while to get it back up there for a short period, or have a backup account to do so.

  • +2

    •set search radius
    •every single thing is from outside radius

    • +2

      This drives me nuts. My radius is set to 20km and all I get shown is stuff over 100km away.

      Another pet peeve is that I'll look for ages using a specific search term and after about a week of regular searches it will show me week-old posts of items in my area matching the exact search terms.

      I've actually stopped bothering shopping in marketplace unless I'm desperate for something, as it's just too annoying now.

      • +1

        My way around is just to browse by category. Forget the Seach function.

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