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FB Marketplace

Bleecker

Bleecker

Supporting Member
Dec 21, 2006
2,432
4,578
57
Etown NY. USA
#1
Good morning.

After a five year hiatus, I have recently re-joined Facebook. I joined only for the marketplace which wasn't a thing 5 years ago. It took a while for them to let me in, I had to be a member for a period of time and get friends and all that...

I found a bass I am interested in but I find myself a bit apprehensive.

What kind of luck have y'all had buying and selling on the marketplace? Good bad or indifferent, let hear it...

Thanks.
 
#4
It's just a platform to get people in touch.
As far as I know there are no protection for the buyer or seller so it all depends on the person you will be dealing with.
I had no problems I'm from a small place and everybody is a friend of a friend.

The only thing I do is check the seller's profile to see if it's proper one and active.
 
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#4
One of my housemates and a couple of friends use it somewhat regularly with no issues. I think they're mostly all local transactions. Come to think of it... I met a local singer from a band i liked to buy a 2nd hand pedal at a good price when it first opened up too.
 
#5
I’ve sold a few things. Pretty much everything I’ve listed sold eventually. Bought stuff too, some great prices, some simply fair. I think more people use it than Craigslist now (or any other selling app) so it’s just the most trafficked classifieds now.

I notice they did change the platform recently. They now flood you with “ships to you” ads, so you have to go in and select “local only” with your search. Also the radius of “results outside your search” is ridiculously large. In Central NY I see ads from Boston to DC to Cleveland. Just wish I could tighten that up to a 2 hr drive. (The “local” search goes up to 62 miles, which isn’t too bad.) Finally, I find the search stinks. “Bass amp” will miss a lot of gear; be specific like “Ampeg PF” or whatever

good luck!

edit, ps: hi from Ithaca, Etown! :D
 
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#6
Good luck so far, but prices are all over the place, and I refused to sell something lately (a firewire interface to someone who does not know what firewire is) just to avoid the trouble of explaining everything.

See this as a big fea market
 
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#8
If you're selling something for cheap enough, it will sell in a HOT MINUTE.

People are always looking for deals. Cleaned out my garage and basement last summer, sold everything through FB. Also sold one bass without any issues.

I'm generally not a FB fan, but this service is very helpful.
 
#9
Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are great. Lately they are starting to have "ships to you" ads. I wouldn't touch one of them with a ten foot pole, but face to face has worked out well for me. Couple of bass amps, cabinets, soft case, full drum kit, and my two uprights all came from these sites
 
#11
The nearest towns to me are an hour's drive, and I've had a couple instances of out of town flakes saying they would come and look, and then ghosting. Always the ones who say 'they really want to buy it'... For me, FB marketplace offers the convenience of not having to pack and ship, and I discount accordingly. Unfortunately there is not a big market for pro gear in the town I'm in now. Probably it's more useful in larger centers!
 
#12
Bleecker said:
Good morning.

After a five year hiatus, I have recently re-joined Facebook. I joined only for the marketplace which wasn't a thing 5 years ago. It took a while for them to let me in, I had to be a member for a period of time and get friends and all that...

I found a bass I am interested in but I find myself a bit apprehensive.

What kind of luck have y'all had buying and selling on the marketplace? Good bad or indifferent, let hear it...

Thanks.
Click to expand...
I have had good luck on FB Marketplace when dealing with musicians in state. I traded a bass for an amp and have purchased other odd gear.

John
 
#13
I have no horror stories and have done quite a few deals there. The layout of marketplace and their search function are pretty annoying and unintuitive, but there's no charge to sell/buy/trade and there are definitely good deals to be had. I also agree that it's nice to be able to click and see at least a limited view of the seller's profile before meeting up with them.
 
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#15
Warpeg said:
I've done a few deals through FB Marketplace with no issues. As compared to Craigslist, it's kind of nice that some basic info on the person you're dealing with is available on their Facebook profile.
Click to expand...
This. People are much more likely to be legit and reasonable on a site where they can be identified. I've had no issues with multiple buy/sell deals on FB
 
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#18
It's the same as Craig's List (or newspaper classifieds back in the day): buyer (and seller) beware. I've bought a couple basses via FB, cash or Venmo, all sales final, yada yada yada. I still prefer CL, but there are some sellers who don't list on both, so
 
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#19
Shindig73 said:
If you're selling something for cheap enough, it will sell in a HOT MINUTE.

People are always looking for deals. Cleaned out my garage and basement last summer, sold everything through FB. Also sold one bass without any issues.

I'm generally not a FB fan, but this service is very helpful.
Click to expand...
Exactly this. Bargain hunters dwell there. I’ve sold a few things. Most buyers offer less than posted price, and that’s okay, but they want crazy deals. I just had one guy who claimed to be a collector buy some antique depression glass from me. But he haggled me hard. As soon as I offered shipping, my sales went crazy.
 
#20
Ive had good luck after about two dozen transactions but Im careful to only interact with users that have public accounts.
I ignore anybody with a random photo as their pic, hidden wall, hidden friends list etc.

its basically craigslist but with the ability know more about the person.
 
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