In the summer of 2020, amidst the peak of the pandemic home-renovation craze, I found myself staring at a stack of leftover, muddy patio pavers in my driveway. They were heavy, mismatched, and frankly, ugly. I was about to pay a junk removal service $150 to haul them away when my neighbor suggested I list them online. I took one grainy photo, listed them for $50, and went to make a sandwich. By the time I took my first bite, I had twelve messages. An hour later, a guy in a beat-up Ford Ranger handed me cash and loaded them up himself. That specific transaction—turning a $150 liability into a $50 profit in under sixty minutes—completely rewired my brain regarding the value of "junk." Since that day, I have treated the platform not just as a garage sale, but as a serious liquidity engine for everything from furniture to vehicles.
The Golden Rule: Geography is Destiny
Most people think the item itself dictates the sale. It doesn't. Your location does. Facebook Marketplace is hyper-local. Unlike eBay, where you are competing with the world, here you are only competing with people within a 20-mile radius.
This means your pricing strategy has to adapt to your zip code.
I once listed a high-end West Elm mid-century desk while living in a college town. I priced it at $400. It sat for weeks. The demographic there was students looking for $20 IKEA tables, not young professionals furnishing a home office. When I moved to a major metro suburb a year later, I listed a similar desk and it sold in four hours.
If you are in a rural area, what sells best on Facebook marketplace tends to be tools, ATVs, and farm equipment. In the city, it’s furniture and electronics. You have to read the room before you set the price.
Best Things to Sell on Facebook Marketplace (The "Big & Heavy" Advantage)
If you are trying to figure out the best things to sell on Facebook marketplace, stop looking at small items. Small items are for eBay or Poshmark where shipping is cheap. Facebook shines where shipping is impossible.
The algorithm favors items that are a pain to move.
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Furniture: Couches, dressers, dining tables.
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Fitness Equipment: Dumbbells, squat racks, treadmills.
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Large Electronics: 65-inch TVs (too risky to ship), monitors.
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Building Materials: Leftover tile, lumber, fencing.
Here's where it gets interesting... buyers on Facebook are lazy. They want convenience. If you offer delivery for an extra fee (and you have a truck), you can command a premium.
I once sold a Peloton bike. I listed it for $1,000 "pickup only." Crickets. I changed the listing to "$1,100 - Free Delivery within 10 miles." It sold that afternoon. The buyer didn't have a way to transport it, and solving that logistics problem for them was worth more than the discount I was offering.
What Sells Best on Facebook Marketplace? (Niche vs. General)
While furniture moves volume, niche hobbies move money. I have found that specific communities watch Marketplace like hawks.
The "Top Tier" Sellers in my experience:
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Nintendo Switch Games: These hold value incredibly well.
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LEGO Sets: Even used, if they are complete.
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Tools: specifically brands like Milwaukee or DeWalt.
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Camping Gear: Yeti coolers and REI tents.
Honest Failure: I tried to sell a box of generic, unbranded kitchenware (plates, cups). It was a disaster. I listed it for $20. I got messages asking "How many ounces is the cup?" and "Will you take $5?" I eventually donated it to Goodwill. The time cost of answering questions for low-value generic items is never worth it. Stick to brand names that people actively search for.
Navigating the Algorithm: How to Sale on Facebook Effectively
(Yes, I see the typo how to sale on Facebook in search bars constantly, so let's address the mechanics of the "sale.")
The algorithm is visual, but the search engine is text-based. You need to nail both.
The Photo Strategy: You need "lifestyle" lighting. Do not take a photo of a dress on a dirty floor. Do not take a photo of a table covered in mail. I use a simple rule: Clean the item, put it against a blank wall, and open the curtains. Natural light is the difference between "used junk" and "vintage find."
The Keyword Stuffing: Your title should not be "Chair." It should be: "Mid-Century Modern Accent Chair - Teal Velvet - Similar to Joybird/West Elm." You are hacking the search. People searching for "West Elm" will now see your cheaper alternative.
I use Closo to automate checking my listing visibility and cross-posting to other local groups – saves me about 3 hours weekly of manual copy-pasting into those "Buy/Sell/Trade" community pages.
Tips for Selling a Car on Facebook Marketplace (The High Stakes Game)
Selling a vehicle is where Marketplace has truly replaced Craigslist, but it is also where the scammers live. I have sold three cars on the platform, and each time was a lesson in human psychology.
The "Title in Hand" Rule: When looking for tips for selling a car on Facebook marketplace, the number one rule is transparency. If you have the title, put "TITLE IN HAND" in the first line of the description. It separates you from the scammers and the dealers.
My Anecdote: In 2021, I sold a 2008 Honda Civic. It had 180,000 miles and some rust. I was honest. I took photos of the rust. I listed it for $3,500. Within ten minutes, I had 50 messages. The mistake I made? I didn't filter the buyers. I set up appointments with three people. The first guy showed up, kicked the tires, and offered me $1,500. I was insulted. The second guy showed up with cash, didn't even drive it, and paid full price. Lesson: Don't hold the car. First person with cash gets the keys.
Tips for Selling Cars on Facebook Marketplace: Avoiding the "Curbstoners"
If you are diving deeper into tips for selling cars on Facebook marketplace, you need to know about "curbstoners." These are unlicensed dealers posing as private sellers to avoid taxes and regulations.
If you are the seller, you want to prove you aren't one of them.
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Take photos in your driveway, not a parking lot.
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Blur your license plate (privacy), but show the VIN so they can run a Carfax.
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Be ready to sign a Bill of Sale.
Now the tricky part... payment. For cars, I only accept cash (verified with a marker pen) or a cashier's check if we meet at the bank. Never accept a personal check. Never accept PayPal or Venmo for a car sale (they can be reversed or are subject to limits). Meeting at the buyer's bank so you can watch the teller cut the cashier's check is the safest method I have found.
Facebook Marketplace Charges and Hidden Costs
One of the biggest appeals is that it feels free. But are there facebook marketplace charges?
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Local Pickup: Free. $0 fees. This is why it beats eBay.
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Shipping: If you enable the "Buy Now" button for shipping, Facebook takes a 5% fee (min $0.40).
Opinion Statement: I avoid shipping on Facebook Marketplace like the plague. The seller protection is weak compared to eBay. If a buyer claims the item is "not as described," Facebook often refunds them from your account without requiring a return. I stick to local cash sales only. The 5% fee isn't the problem; the lack of support is.
There is also the "Boost Listing" option. I have tested this. I spent $10 to boost a listing for a dining set. It got me 500 more views but zero extra messages. In my experience, if the price and photos are good, you don't need to pay for ads. Organic reach is sufficient.
Tips for Selling on FB Marketplace: The Art of Negotiation
You have to accept that everyone wants a deal. It is part of the culture. If you want $50 for an item, list it for $65.
The "Is this still available?" Auto-Reply: This is the bane of every seller's existence. People hit that button by accident while scrolling. My strategy: I do not reply "Yes." I reply: "Yes, are you available to pick up in [My Neighborhood] today?" This filters out the accidental clickers from the serious buyers immediately.
Parenthetical Aside: (I once had a guy message me "Is this available?" for a lawnmower every single day for a week. I finally replied, "It is, but not for you." Petty? Maybe. But you have to protect your sanity.)
Safety First: The Meet-Up Protocol
I cannot stress this enough. Tips for selling on fb marketplace are useless if you get robbed.
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Under $50: Porch pickup. I leave the item on my porch. They put cash under the mat or Venmo me. I have a Ring doorbell camera. I never interact. It saves time.
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Over $50: Public meetup. Gas stations are okay. Police stations are better.
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Over $500: Police station lobby or inside a bank.
Honest Limitation: I live in a relatively safe suburb, so porch pickup works for me. If I lived in a high-theft area, I would never give out my address. Use your judgment. If a profile looks fake (no photo, created yesterday), block and ignore.
Managing the "Flake Factor"
The biggest downside of Facebook is the flakiness. People say "I'm coming at 2 PM" and never show. My rule: No Holds.I tell every buyer: "I cannot hold items. Message me when you are in the car and ready to head over, and I will give you the address." This prevents me from waiting around all Saturday for a ghost.
I use Closo to organize my inventory and track which items have been cross-listed to OfferUp, so if I do sell it on Facebook, I remember to delete it elsewhere immediately.
People Always Ask Me About Pricing Strategies
People always ask me how I know what to price things. Do not look at what other people are listing items for. Look at what they sold for (if you can find it) or just undercut the competition. If there are ten IKEA Kallax shelves listed for $50, list yours for $40. You want to be the obvious choice. Also, weird numbers grab attention. Listing something for $43 looks like a calculated price. Listing for $50 looks like a guess. I don't know why, but $43 sells faster.
Common Question I See About Profiles
Common question I see is whether I need a separate "selling" profile. You can, but it often hurts you. Buyers trust established profiles with friends and photos. A blank profile with a generic name looks like a scammer. I use my real profile, but I lock down my privacy settings so strangers can't see my family photos, only my marketplace listings.
Conclusion
Is Facebook Marketplace perfect? Absolutely not. It is glitchy, filled with low-ballers, and the messaging system is chaotic. But is it the most powerful tool for turning household clutter into cash? Yes.
If you follow these tips for selling on Facebook marketplace—price competitively, take great photos, and refuse to hold items for ghosts—you can generate serious side income. I have paid for entire vacations just by selling things that were gathering dust in my basement.
The key is to detach emotionally. It's just stuff. The goal is the cash. Get the photo, get the cash, get it gone.
If you are looking to get serious about reselling, check out the guide to reseller tools to professionalize your operation. And if you are tired of manually reposting items that don't sell, look into automation software to keep your listings at the top of the feed.
FAQ
Is it safe to give my phone number to a buyer on Facebook Marketplace?
Generally, no. Keep all communication inside Facebook Messenger. A common scam involves a "buyer" asking for your phone number to send a "verification code" (which is actually a 2-factor authentication code to hack your Google or Instagram account). There is rarely a legitimate need for a phone number until you are physically meeting up, and even then, the app's calling feature is safer.
How do I stop people from asking "Is this still available?"
You can't stop the button from existing, but you can deter the behavior by putting "If the post is up, it is available" in the first line of your description. However, the best strategy is to simply ignore the generic messages or use a saved reply like "Yes, are you available to pick up today in [City]?" to force a real conversation.
Does Facebook Marketplace charge a fee for selling cars?
For private sellers listing a personal vehicle, there is typically no listing fee. However, if you are a dealership or listing as a business partner, fees apply. For the average person selling their used Honda, it is free to list, which is a major advantage over paid classified sites like Autotrader.
