CraigsList vs. Facebook Marketplace

[Hay Dude]

Biggest problem I see with FB marketplace is guys trying to sell cranes, bulldozers, etc under the category “outdoor power equipment”.

I mean, can’t they create some more sensible categories for us knuckle draggers to sell our bigger equipment?

Or is FMB cater only to the Harvard Law School crowd?

 

[etpm]

I dunno about Facebook Marketplace because I don't have anything to do with Facebook. But my wife uses Facebook "Buy Nothing" and it is a really neat and helpful feature. In case you don't know folks post stuff to give away and then somehow decide whom to give it to from the number of folks who respond to the posting. It is not barter. It is just a way to give stuff away and maybe find something you want. And then maybe even get the item if you are chosen. We have given away a bunch of stuff, none of it being trashy or low quality. We have also gotten a few things, also none of them trashy. So far we have given away much more stuff than we have received. This is good. Last week we gave away a maple table with two leaves, a really high quality piece of furniture that we no longer needed. And the person we gave it to really needed it. We also gave away a dryer that I had just rebuilt to a young woman with a couple kids who had a washer but no dryer. So even though I avoid Facebook like the plague it at least has one useful feature. We are getting older and need to divest ourselves of some of the stuff we have collected over the years. Buy Nothing helps us to do this.
Eric

 

[4570Man]

Biggest problem I see with FB marketplace is guys trying to sell cranes, bulldozers, etc under the category “outdoor power equipment”.

I mean, can’t they create some more sensible categories for us knuckle draggers to sell our bigger equipment?

Or is FMB cater only to the Harvard Law School crowd?

The search function on market place works pretty reliably. I’m not sure why there even are categories. Marketplace is the only selling platform I use. I’ve bought and sold numerous pieces of equipment there. I sell hundreds of low dollar listings there.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

haven't looked at CL in years, would never buy there due to the scams.

 

[taem]

I use both and have successfully bought and sold with few scammers. That said, FBM does not have a "farm and garden" section, forcing you to use categories that don't really fit. Also, FB doesn't let you post animals for sale, such as the beef cattle I sell, although there are groups that you can post in that don't get banned. Both have their uses.

 

[LD1]

First, I wouldnt automatically assume the "is it available" response as scam. Yes, sometimes they are.

Problem is its the automated message that gets sent if you click the wrong button while scrolling. I have been guilty of doing that. As well as "liking" posts in which I dont intend to. Its easy to do things like that on mobile device.

But yea, FB gets alot more activity. Honestly, what I hate are all the sponsored ads. About 2 out of every 4 things (when on mobile) are sponsored ads. And sadly, most of the sponsored ads for equipment are the scams you can spot a mile away. Like equipment priced 1/2 or 1/3 of what a fair market value would be.

While I do like market place search and radius function....I wish there was a way to sort the results better. OR actually search what I am looking for, and not just show me a couple of relevant things and a whole lot of things I am not interested in.

Like recently when searching for a gooseneck (as in looking for a trailer, but I dont put trailer in the search because it will search all ads with EITHER the word "gooseneck" OR "trailer"). But yet I still get results for bumper pull car and equipment trailers. Even though the word gooseneck appears no where in the ad or title.

My other annoyance with FB is all the local "for sale" sites. Literally dozens of local sale sites in my area. People need to quit creating these stupid pages and just freaking use marketplace.

 

[caver]

<snip>My other annoyance with FB is all the local "for sale" sites. Literally dozens of local sale sites in my area. People need to quit creating these stupid pages and just freaking use marketplace.

Agreed.
I was on two area FBMP groups for buying and selling music gear. One became more popular and was mostly filled with listings of a few area music gear flippers. I eventually unfollowed both groups.

 

[MattB4]

I miss the local paper classifieds called Little Nickel or Big Nickle that was delivered outside stores. Yes it cost a bit to advertise in them but there was almost no scams.

I am not interested in stuff like Facebook. It is sad to see Craig's List fail since they were the closest thing to a local area classified paper. It just seems they have never put much effort into adapting to the changing environment nor did they continue to add more localities to make them better serve more areas. In my location they only have a distant city that makes driving distance for interested people too much to do for lower cost items. Closer cities they have no selection for.

 

[5030]

People need to quit creating these stupid pages and just freaking use marketplace.

Lots of people today are both ignorant and stupid and sneaky as you found out. Out here if I want to 'dispose' of unneeded or unwanted items I just put them at the edge of the road and they vanish real quick. When I replaced the seat on my open station M9 with an air ride upholstered but weather proof Cordura seat, the OEM vinyl seat as well as the terrible suspension went to the edge of the road and by the time I got back to the shop, it was gone and it was heavy to boot. Didn't even hear the taker take it. That is unusual in as much as most of the 'dumpster divers' have no mufflers.

 

[4570Man]

First, I wouldnt automatically assume the "is it available" response as scam. Yes, sometimes they are.

.

The vast majority of people send that first. I used to get annoyed now I just reply Yes. I’ve sold a lot of stuff to people that started with “Is this available?” Sure fire indicators of a scam are wanting you to send a “security code to verify you’re a real person”. Wanting you to send a deposit to secure your spot, selling something drastically under market value, wanting you to contact them by email or offering to ship something for much less than it would actually cost.

 

[tradosaurus]

I dunno about Facebook Marketplace because I don't have anything to do with Facebook. But my wife uses Facebook "Buy Nothing" and it is a really neat and helpful feature. In case you don't know folks post stuff to give away and then somehow decide whom to give it to from the number of folks who respond to the posting. It is not barter. It is just a way to give stuff away and maybe find something you want. And then maybe even get the item if you are chosen. We have given away a bunch of stuff, none of it being trashy or low quality. We have also gotten a few things, also none of them trashy. So far we have given away much more stuff than we have received. This is good. Last week we gave away a maple table with two leaves, a really high quality piece of furniture that we no longer needed. And the person we gave it to really needed it. We also gave away a dryer that I had just rebuilt to a young woman with a couple kids who had a washer but no dryer. So even though I avoid Facebook like the plague it at least has one useful feature. We are getting older and need to divest ourselves of some of the stuff we have collected over the years. Buy Nothing helps us to do this.
Eric

I am doing the same at age 58. I've been getting rid of stuff for the last 4 years and as the last kid leaves will be doing even more.

Just go to an estate sale to see how much junk people will accumulate before they die.

 

[KennyG]

The vast majority of people send that first. I used to get annoyed now I just reply Yes. I’ve sold a lot of stuff to people that started with “Is this available?” Sure fire indicators of a scam are wanting you to send a “security code to verify you’re a real person”. Wanting you to send a deposit to secure your spot, selling something drastically under market value, wanting you to contact them by email or offering to ship something for much less than it would actually cost.

I think people have moved past the "is it still available" option because of all the scammers. Like I said, I got about 6 of those replies and answered each with a "yes". Not a single one got back to me but the 5 that didn't use the standard response all responded.

 

[JasperFrank]

Free advertising, which CL and FB have created, has completely altered the buy and sell environment. Both forums are mostly SPAM now. It would be neat, and advantageous to have VETTED sellers, even if this costed a little bit to be approved.

 

[5030]

Free advertising, which CL and FB have created, has completely altered the buy and sell environment. Both forums are mostly SPAM now. It would be neat, and advantageous to have VETTED sellers, even if this costed a little bit to be approved.

Why I buy and sell on Tractor house. There are no scammers there, they screen every seller and buyer carefully and yes, if I sell something, they do charge an insertion fee and the commercial sellers as well as the little ones like me are always subject to scrunity. I don't mind at all, it's very good site and like I said previously, not just ag equipment and tractors, but everything from lawn mowers to boats to airplanes and more (even firearms) and when I sell something I can post pictures and they even estimate what an item is worth and advise you on that as well and they will provide shipping estimates on big stuff and have contract carriers they recommend. When I bought the Worksaver stump grinder in Oklahoma, they arranged transportation and told me what it would cost up front and to pay the delivering carrier that amount on delivery, which I did. Very seamless operation. No spammers, no low ballers, no tire kickers, nothing.

 

[jaxs]

I don't understand why FBMP doesn't get rid of that stupid "Is this still available" button since so many complain about it. FBMP also make's things worse by automatically forwarding "are you still interested" responses. Dropping those would make lots of folks happier.

 

[mikester]

Scammers pay FB for ads so it's win-win for FB

 

[BnRidge]

There are external search engines that may work for FB an CL.

SearchTempest: Search all of Facebook Marketplace, craigslist & more

Search by state, driving distance, or just search all of Facebook Marketplace*, craigslist*, eBay and more. The most trusted classifieds search engine. *Not affiliated with Facebook or craigslist.

www.searchtempest.com

 

[LD1]

I miss the local paper classifieds called Little Nickel or Big Nickle that was delivered outside stores. Yes it cost a bit to advertise in them but there was almost no scams.

I am not interested in stuff like Facebook. It is sad to see Craig's List fail since they were the closest thing to a local area classified paper. It just seems they have never put much effort into adapting to the changing environment nor did they continue to add more localities to make them better serve more areas. In my location they only have a distant city that makes driving distance for interested people too much to do for lower cost items. Closer cities they have no selection for.

Sadly if you want to maintain a "classified" type experience going forward...C-list and Marketplace is just about it.

Why would anyone PAY to advertise in a tree-killing business (paper print) when there are so many free options that reach MANY MANY more people. Technology changes and we evolve. Internet killed printed media. Cell phones killed land lines. I bet less than 5% of people under the age of 40 actually have a landline telephone.

I think people have moved past the "is it still available" option because of all the scammers. Like I said, I got about 6 of those replies and answered each with a "yes". Not a single one got back to me but the 5 that didn't use the standard response all responded.

Like I said, alot of it may just be an accident. Browsing and accidently hitting the "send" button on your listing and that is the automated response. No they arent interested. Hence no reply, as it was a mistake they even sent it. I have done it several times....however I do still reply that it was a mistake I accidently hit the send button.

Just like scrolling your FB feed. If you are on your phone and are a left-handed scroller like me....how many times have you accidently "liked" something you didnt mean to? Except you can immediately reverse that action, unlike sending the "is it still available" message

Free advertising, which CL and FB have created, has completely altered the buy and sell environment. Both forums are mostly SPAM now. It would be neat, and advantageous to have VETTED sellers, even if this costed a little bit to be approved.

Craigslist has actually started charging for several things. Listing in the RV, cars/trucks, or motorcycle categories costs $5/post.

For a dealer, its costs in EVERY category. And businesses offering services, costs in every category as well.

But craigslist doesnt police it. Its up to the people browsing to report it. So if you see dealers listing crap under "by owner"....flag the post then CL will take it down.

But at the end of the day.....there is no way to get rid of spam with being allowed to advertise for free. And there is no way to get the sheer volume/traffic by charging. Truly is a case of not being able to have your cake and eat it too.

 

[DieselnHooters]

I have used FB marketplace number of times to buy and sell from ATV to furniture, chainsaws , compressor you name it, always worked fine with great response time when priced appropriately.

Never heard of Craigs list before opening this thread so I had to look up if available in Canada....so here they are but their site look like something from 20 years ago, I bet their marketshare is tiny compared to FB marketplace

 

[Oaktree]

Sadly if you want to maintain a "classified" type experience going forward...C-list and Marketplace is just about it.

Why would anyone PAY to advertise in a tree-killing business (paper print) when there are so many free options that reach MANY MANY more people. Technology changes and we evolve.

Totally agree. What gets me are the number of swap-shop radio shows (usually Sunday mornings on country stations) that are still around. I have better things to do than to sit there for a couple hours listening to the same people listing the same stuff they listed last week just in case there's something new that sounds interesting, then trying to get the phone # before the host moves on to the next caller. It just seems so 1972.

I haven't had any real issues with CL, never really noticed any obvious scammers though as someone mentioned in another thread there are the multiple listings for the same item to wade thru. Don't do FB. A few years ago signed up under a fake name just to see what it was about, and quickly discovered that you need to give up a lot of personal info in order to see/do anything useful so that was the end of it for me.

Agree with the comment upthread that CL's user interface could use some modernization.