Is it safe to sell on Facebook Marketplace in 2022?
This topic came up because we’re doing our Flip It For Christmas challenge.
We’re going to share one of our wildest stories where someone came to pick up an item and ended up outside our house screaming at us.
The Pilates Machine Incident
We were selling a pilates machine on Facebook. I paid $100 and had it listed for over $2,000; it was probably a $3,000 unit. It was a brand-new tower. Somebody messaged me and got it down to $1,750. Before they came, I told them I wouldn’t go a penny lower than $1,750. They knew that ahead of time, and they drove to me; at this time, we had them come to our house, which was about an hour from theirs.
Melissa was in personal training in the back room with a client.
The husband and wife came, and the husband started tearing it apart, telling me the strings were stretched out, and they’ll have to order new ones. He said you’re going to take $1,200 for this. And I said, “No, I explained that to your wife before you guys came; $ 1,750 was the lowest I was going to go.”
And he kept saying I was going to take $1,200. I said, “No, I’m not, thank you for coming. Here’s the door; you guys can go ahead and leave.” So they walked out the door, sat in their truck for about five minutes, and were very rude. They came back to the door and said they would take it. The husband banged on the window and said he’d take it. This is after I asked him to leave because of his rudeness, and I said, “It’s not for sale anymore.” And then he got livid, banged on the door, and cursed at me. He did that for about 10 seconds and then walked back to his car. That story led to the question: is it safe to meet in person?
Tips To Ensure Safety On Facebook Marketplace
Out of all the transactions we’ve done and met in person, that was the only uncomfortable one.
Overall it is safe, and we’ll give you some safety tips that you can use to help prevent some things. After the pilates incident, we stopped meeting people at the house. We have kids now; bringing people there is not worth it. We usually meet in a public place. Meet at a strip mall with a bunch of stores, restaurants, or another public site. Police stations and fire stations are also good places to meet.
Sometimes, you may not be able to meet elsewhere, and having someone come to your house is not the end of the world.
Take Steps To Make It Safer
Make sure you agree on a price ahead of time. If there is something that they didn’t know about, I will urge you to maybe take less. You could take less if they get there and the condition isn’t listed accurately in the description or pictures.
People will want to see some items like treadmills or electrical items plugged in. We recommend moving things out of the house, into the garage for pickup, or on your front porch. Then you can walk outside to meet someone.
If you’re by yourself, have a friend pop over when you meet the buyer just to be safe.
Another cool thing about Marketplace is that you usually have someone’s profile to check them out. We recommend you do that. See if you have mutual friends.
Don’t mess up your day by going too far from your house if the deal doesn’t work out. You can have them come to you. We recommend they meet somewhere near you, so you don’t waste your time if they decide not to buy the item or don’t show up.
Meet in the daytime.
Communication Is Important
Keep communication through the app. Set a meeting time and message them the day of to make sure they can still meet at the designated time. Don’t provide too much information on Facebook Marketplace because scammers are on there.
A porch pickup is another option if you don’t want to meet in person. If you have a ring doorbell or a camera in front of your house, it’s not difficult to see someone come to your home and leave money under the mat. We don’t recommend this with high-dollar items, but it can be another option for a small item.
When I’m buying an item from a porch pickup, I tell them when I get there, and I got the item, and the money is under the rug. They want to know you’re doing what you say you’re doing. As a seller, I like that communication for the buyer. I do the same thing when I’m the buyer to the seller; I want to be treated the same way.
With these tips, meeting up for a Facebook Marketplace purchase should be safe.
Show Notes
Flip It For Christmas Challenge
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FURTHER RESOURCES
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