The Pros and Cons of Facebook Marketplace 

Regular readers will know that I am a fan of eBay for buying and selling. It is great for making money from your old clutter, reselling and finding bargains. But what about Facebook ? Is it a serious rival for eBay? What are the pros and cons of Facebook Marketplace?

What are the benefits?

At first glance Facebook seems to have some advantages over eBay. There are no selling fees for a start. These can make quite a dent in your profits!

So many people use Facebook now, the potential audience is huge. As awareness of Marketplace increases so do the number of potential buyers and sellers.

You can search very locally, making it a good place to sell items you would like collected. However, you can expand your search to find items from further afield.

At a glance, setting my distance as 30 miles away from my house, I can see a bed for sale, a collection of toy cars, a mirror, wardrobes, jewellery, handbags and clothes. It reminds me a little of Gumtree.

Better than Freecycle?

Facebook seems a good place to find and get rid of stuff for free. I found my local Freecycle group such a faff and a bit over-controlled. The admins were too keen to refuse your adverts and it all took quite a long time. Your inbox then got deluged with emails! In my experience, Facebook works well for saving things from landfill.

However, do watch out for scammy listings stating something as free when it isn’t. These seem to be mostly posted by traders who want to grab your attention.

Sensible categories

I love the way Facebook is categorised. You can rent a room or mobile home out, do a house swap or sell your flat! You can advertise for a cleaner or offer your services as one.

What are the disadvantages of Facebook Marketplace?

eBay offers its users a huge global marketplace, with potential buyers and retailers from every part of the earth. This can’t be said for Facebook, which is mostly local. 

Facebook isn’t policed in the same way as eBay. If you have a difficult transaction on eBay they will always jump in to protect you financially and get your money back. You also have the opportunity to rate poor buyers and sellers to warn against them or provide reassurance.

If you purchase something second-hand on Facebook and it stops working a week later it’s not clear what your rights would be or how you would go about claiming your money.

Payment is mostly cash on delivery and sellers seem less inclined to mail items. Because eBay is such a huge global organisation it is the other way round. However, this does mean the price you offer is the price you pay with no over-inflated postage charges.

Watch out for scammers

As Facebook Marketplace has become more popular, it has attracted scammers. When you sell something on the platform, be careful of the following potential pitfalls:

Fake currency

If the buyer pays cash, don’t be embarrassed to check the money is genuine, especially on high-priced items.

Fake email payment confirmations 

If you accept digital payment via Paypal or similar, before you hand over the item you are selling check that the money has reached your account. Some scammers will show you a fake receipt on their phone.

Fake courier scam

Some sellers have been taken in by a scam where an apparent buyer says they will send a courier to collect the item with an envelope of cash. They then ask you to click a link to pay insurance on the cash envelope, which they say will be reimbursed on delivery. This is, in fact, a clever way to gather your bank details. Reputable courier companies don’t agree to hand over cash when they collect items. 

So, is Facebook Marketplace the new eBay? Not yet, but it is certainly worth a try, especially to get rid of bulky items like furniture. Just take care and watch out for the scammers!

If you have tried it, what do you think are the pros and cons of Facebook Marketplace?