5 Tips for Selling Items on Facebook Marketplace

By: Kelly Vandever

Getting ready to move, especially when downsizing, can be hard.

But maybe getting a little cash for your things you don't want to keep might make the process a little easier.

Here are 5 Tips for Selling Items on Facebook Marketplace!

1 – Post all your items at the same time and when you know you’ll have time to respond

One of the things that surprised me the first time I posted items was how quickly people will hop on a new item for sale.  I was just casually posting one Sunday night and my Facebook Messenger exploded with notifications!  I really wasn’t ready to start responding until the next day. 

And it appears that the FaceBook algorithm prioritizes recent items and multiple items from the same seller. 

People trying to buy things on Marketplace tell stories about missing out on their sought-after item because they were slow to respond.  That also means they’re looking at other items just like yours.

To make sure you sell quickly for the price you’re asking, plan ahead to get all the items uploaded at once and be available when the replies start rolling in.

2 – Have criteria for who you’ll sell to

For me, I tried to sell to the first person who responded... but only after taking a minute to check out their Facebook account.  Maybe I’ve seen too many episodes of the TV show Catfish, but I want to make sure that I’m dealing with a real person and not a scammer.  I figure if they’ve been on Facebook a few years, and they have a reasonable number of friends and photos posted, they’re probably real live human beings. 

The other criteria I had was that they had to be willing to work on my timeline and conditions.

I was selling items for an 82 year-old friend who had hired me to sell her house.  She had already moved into her new place and was selling off furniture she no longer needed.  I had keys to the house, but I didn’t want to be driving over to her house multiple times over multiple days to help sell her furniture.  Instead, we set a time frame – Saturday between 12 – 2 – and the people buying the items had to bring cash. 

3 – Wait to give your address, make them text you

When I got the replies, I asked them to confirm that they would bring cash and could pick the item up during the specified day and time frame... and that they could move it themselves.  If they couldn’t, I went to the next person who responded and passed the criteria above.

Once I had someone who confirmed that they could get it, pay cash and have someone else to haul it away, then I asked them to text me at my number and I’d text them back the address.

That meant they had some skin in the game and that I could call them if there was an issue or they could call me too.

4 – Use FB marketplace to research a good price

How much is the item worth?  Check to see what people are asking for similar items.   Maybe you love your hutch that you paid $2500 for but if similar hutches are selling for $100, then that’s probably what you’ll get too.

5 – Be safe 

Don’t give address in the ad.  Don’t be home alone when someone comes to pick up an item. 

Look out for scammers.  If you’re selling a big item like a motorcycle or a vehicle, meet at a police station to do the exchange.

Trust your gut.  If something seem hinky, trust your spidy senses.

Downsizing and getting rid of stuff can be hard.  But it might be a little easier if you get some cash for those items!  So why not try selling on Facebook Marketplace?!

For a “How to Video” on how to load your items on Facebook market place, take a look at this video!