You can't sell illegal items, weapons, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, hazardous materials, live animals, adult products, counterfeit goods, or digital/virtual items on Facebook Marketplace; also prohibited are services, healthcare products with medical claims, and anything promoting hate speech or human exploitation, with a focus on physical goods and compliance with Meta's strict Commerce Policies.
Unauthorized or pirated copies of copyrighted works: This includes videos, movies, TV shows and broadcasts, video games, CDs or other musical works, books, etc. Services: Offering services (example: house cleaning) is only allowed on Jobs on Marketplace.
7. Spotting Deals That Are Too Good to Be True
Why are your facebook marketplace items not approved? Most often it is because the items do not comply facebook's Commerce Policies. Additionally, products sold on Facebook marketplace must comply with Facebook's Community Standards as well as products sold on Instagram must comply with Instagram's Communit.
To spot fake buyers on Facebook Marketplace, watch for new profiles with no activity, requests to move off-platform (phone/email), demands for immediate payment (especially overpaying or strange methods like gift cards), and refusal for in-person cash/public meetups, as these signal scams, while legitimate buyers have established profiles, ask relevant questions, and prefer safe, standard transactions.
Common scammer phrases create urgency, promise rewards, threaten consequences, or build fake intimacy, using language like "Act Now," "You've Won," "Problem with your account," "Soulmate," "If you love me," "Would you kindly," or "Don't tell anyone" to manipulate victims into revealing personal info or sending money. They often use awkward grammar, unusual spelling (like "British English"), and demand secrecy to bypass critical thinking and isolate you.
Yes, there are better places than Facebook Marketplace (FBMP) depending on what you're selling, with top alternatives including eBay for wider reach/collectibles, Poshmark/Depop for fashion, Etsy for handmade/vintage, and OfferUp/Craigslist for local/bulky items, offering specific audiences, better seller protections, or focused features FBMP lacks.
We may limit or suspend your Marketplace access if you break our Commerce Policies. When you come close to having your access suspended, we'll warn you that your access is at risk. If your listing is rejected, you may have the option to: Request a review.
If you are unable to list on Facebook Marketplace, you may have reached your FBMP listing maximum and you are temporarily blocked from this action. Many marketplaces do this to prevent bots and fraudulent or suspicious activity.
Here are a few of the things that aren't allowed on Facebook: Nudity or other sexually suggestive content. Hateful conduct, credible threats or direct attacks on an individual or group. Content that contains self-harm or excessive violence.
Dangers of selling on Facebook Marketplace include various scams (phishing, fake payments, overpayment/refund, gift cards), personal safety risks from meeting strangers in unsecure locations, dealing with counterfeit goods, and privacy breaches by sharing too much personal info; key safeguards involve communicating on the app, meeting in public, accepting cash or verified payments only, and never trusting screenshots of payments.
8 popular product categories to sell on Facebook Marketplace
Content that may depict violence, such as people fighting. (We remove graphically violent content.) Content that may be sexually explicit or suggestive, such as pictures of people in see-through clothing. (We remove content that contains adult nudity or sexual activity.)
The safest way to protect yourself is to either take payment in cash (and use a counterfeit note detector pen to check the money is real) or to use a trusted digital payment service where you can clearly see the money has fully cleared.
You can't see each other's listings on Marketplace. You can't send each other any new messages.
If you suspect that you've been shadowbanned on Facebook, follow these steps to regain your reach and visibility:
Facebook Marketplace policies and coin selling restrictions
Meta's Commerce Policies explicitly prohibit the sale of "Real money (cash or cash equivalent instruments and coins)" across all their platforms, including Facebook Marketplace, Instagram, and WhatsApp Business.
In 2025, Facebook (now Meta) has tightened its policies and algorithms to reduce scams and ensure quality listings. Common reasons you may have lost access include: Violation of commerce policies (e.g., banned items, misleading titles)
Always use trusted platforms like eBay, Vinted, Depop, Facebook Marketplace or Amazon UK Marketplace.
Facebook Marketplace has no listing fees, but charges a 10% selling fee (with a $0.80 minimum) for items sold with shipping and using Facebook's checkout system, covering payment processing and buyer protection; local, in-person sales with cash or off-platform payments (like PayPal) have no fees. If you use Facebook Shops or integrate with platforms like Shopify, different payment processing fees apply.
Consider these seven ways to help you outsmart scammers:
Words like "Free", "Act Now", and "Limited Time" often trigger spam filters. Phrases such as "Click Here", "Earn Money", and "Risk-Free" can damage your deliverability. Avoid manipulative or overly promotional language - spam filters are trained to catch it.
You can't get hacked instantly just by responding to a scam text. But replying might expose vulnerabilities that could get you hacked in the future, so it's best not to respond at all.