Monday, May 15, 2023

Got something to sell? Try Facebook Market Place

 Remember the good old days when if you had something to sell you simply ran an ad in the classified section of your local paper?  Well, no one reads newspapers anymore so now what do you do?  Simple. Try Facebook Market Place.  I hear also that Craig's List is a good alternative but I've heard some negative things about it plus I don't have any actual experience with it so I'm confining my observations to Facebook Market.

I've either sold or given away 5 different things:

Wood burning stove: $750
Two single beds with frame and mattress: free
Antique Victorian Settee: $200
20 yr old log splitter: $600
Two gallons of hydraulic fluid: free

The process for listing these things is very easy and it doesn't cost anything.  But like anything else you're selling at first you're likely to get a big response but much fewer actual visits to view the item.  

I sold my stove in no time at all which leads me to believe I could have gotten more but that's the way it goes.  On the other hand I valued my splitter at $800 but after two guys looked and passed on it and others weighed in with lower offers I finally had to come down a couple of hundred dollars but hey, that's gone too. 

The messaging system on Facebook is convenient and you can always switch to private texting if you don't mind giving out your phone number.  

One thing to watch for: people trying to get you to use various auto deposit apps like Venmo.  I insisted on cash for everything.  That way it's right there in your hands.  

Good luck.


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