In summary, if your item is low priced, and it's popular, and you need to sell it fast – use Facebook Marketplace. If you're not in a rush to sell and can wait up to 6 weeks, sell it on Gumtree if you have a valuable item and need to feel safe use eBay.
Compared to Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace is a safer and more user-friendly platform to use when selling locally.
Gumtree has become one of the most popular ways of sending and receiving parcels all over the UK and Europe for local selling websites. Buyers can find more than 2 million ads for items, property, jobs, services and even pets. This makes the Gumtree community the best place to find what you're looking for.
In conclusion, Gumtree and eBay are excellent choices for an online marketplace. If you're selling within your local area and want to avoid postage costs, you might want to consider selling via Gumtree.
Other important factors to consider when researching alternatives to Gumtree include reliability and ease of use. We have compiled a list of solutions that reviewers voted as the best overall alternatives and competitors to Gumtree, including WebMechanix, Blip Billboards, Good-Loop, and Virbion.
While most Marketplace users are trusted buyers and sellers, bad actors can also take advantage of the site to trick people into falling for scams.
Facebook Marketplace scam red flags
Low prices for what should be high-ticket items. Refusing to meet up in person for exchanges. Moving conversations outside of Facebook Messenger. Asking for payment in the form of a gift card.
Don't give out your home address
And lastly, don't enter your home address for your Location in your Gumtree profile. This is such a big no no! Your suburb is fine, just so buyers know your rough location, and whether you're local to them.
If a buyer responds to your listing asking you to email them, it's most likely a scammer. They like to communicate over email so they can copy and paste pre-prepared scripts. It's best to ignore messages from people who immediately provide an email address.
"Giving your BSB and account number to a third-party to receive or send funds is generally safe, but you should only give out banking details to organisations or people who you know have a genuine need to know this information," says Peter Marshall, Mozo's product data manager.
FAQs About Facebook Marketplace
Facebook will not charge you a listing fee for selling items on Facebook Marketplace. However, there are selling fees involved. The selling fee is 5% per shipment or a flat fee of $. 40 for shipments of $8 or less.
Local Pickup on Marketplace
Don't transfer money directly into a seller's bank account. Instead, offer to use a secure person-to-person payment site, such as PayPal or sending and receiving money in Messenger.
Don't share personal information like your home address. Create a meeting plan and share it with a trusted friend or family member. You can tap Send plan in Messenger to send your meeting plan to someone in your Facebook Friends list so they know the location, time and date of when you're planning to meet.
The Facebook Marketplace is just one of the many places where scammers can target you. It's important to always beware of who you're interacting with on online marketplaces and how scammers target you for identity theft and fraud.
Do not share ANY personal information with the person you're chatting with. Remember, these are total strangers. If you wouldn't walk up to someone on the street and give them your phone number, don't do it on Facebook Marketplace.
A legitimate buyer will more than likely ask for additional information about the item for sale, such as the condition of the item. Potential buyers who ask for personal information like your email address or phone number or request the funds quickly are most likely scammers.
As for payment, carrying cash, especially a lot of cash, is risky. Facebook Marketplace recommends a secure person-to-person payment method such as PayPal.
Identifying Facebook Marketplace Scams
How can you tell if someone is scamming you on Facebook Marketplace? You may be dealing with a scammer if you spot any of the following red flags: A buyer or seller with a brand new profile or without a Facebook profile photo. A too-good-to-be-true price for a high-ticket item.
Office furniture, dining tables, cars and home decor are the four most popular items to buy on Gumtree. When it comes to selling preloved items, clothing and shoes were the most common sale listings in 2020, accounting for 44 per cent. That was followed by second-hand furniture, responsible for 28 per cent of sales.
From when you post it, your ad will be live for 30 days in every category except Services, Property and Jobs where it will be live for 60 days. Look in My Gumtree > Manage My Ads. You'll see your inactive ads here. Applying a Bump Up feature will reset your ad's timer to be live for another 30 days.