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mtnrdredux_gw

Facebook Marketplace Question

mtnrdredux_gw
last year

So I keep hearing about FB Mktplace. Never used it and never really use FB.


I log on tonight just to look. See something I want. I click on "message seller" to say "is this still available?"


I get this message:


MyName · The item I messaged about

You created this group

You're not connected to 1 member


What does this mean?


Comments (45)

  • jojoco
    last year

    That's normal. It also says something like you have renamed the group. Ignor that stuff.

    Just treat it like a norrmal private messaging conversation. Oh, and if you really want the object, make an offer right away. Clearly it is non-binding, but it will push your interest to the top.


    Welcome to FB Marketplace. It is addictive.

  • salonva
    last year

    Wow I use FB a lot, and only browse on Marketplace. I've never actually even messaged anyone so this is good to know. I too would be wondering which wrong button I hit to get those replies. Live and learn.

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  • mtnrdredux_gw
    Original Author
    last year

    Thanks Jojo, it really is an odd and confusing message!

  • Sherry8aNorthAL
    last year
    last modified: last year

    You can click on that line and write your own message before you send. I hate that auto message facebook put there. A lot of people won't even answer that one, since all the scammers use it.

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    Original Author
    last year

    They replied. The item was $350, I offered $300 and they declined.

  • graywings123
    last year

    I find a lot of legitimate people click on "is this still available" as their opening. I answer the same way to everyone: "yes, it is" and wait to see if they follow up.



  • Jilly
    last year

    You have a lot of nerve not telling us what the item is. I need to know!


  • arcy_gw
    last year
    last modified: last year

    It seems from messages I read posters on FBMP really HATE the question 'Is it still availible"? They would take the post down if it were not. Skip that opening go straight to your offer. It saves everyone a lot of delayed answers and time. I would not give up on the item you want. Chances are it won't sell and your price will start to look very good very fast.

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    Original Author
    last year

    Hmm, IME on CL (albeit limited) people were lazy about taking down listings for sold items.

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    Original Author
    last year



  • DLM2000-GW
    last year

    FWIW mtn I never accept an offer on something I just posted because I price things to sell from the get go. I know not everyone does - some people throw out a number because it's what their car payment is! If it's been on a while I'll consider a reasonable offer. But it does bug me to get an offer on something just posted when they haven't even seen the item - maybe that's just me. If you see it and don't think it's worth what I'm asking then make an offer. And yes that auto reply is like snake oil - bugs me every time I get it but I reply as graywings does and wait. Sometimes there is a follow up, sometimes not. When I'm interested in an item I will either delete the auto reply and make my own or follow up the auto message immediately with a specific question to show that I have interest and am not a scammer. Reading through scammers on FBMP or CL is a necessary skill.

  • Jilly
    last year

    I love green velvet.

  • palimpsest
    last year

    I think a number of people drunk shop on FB marketplace and on Real Estate sites, because when I have put things on FB Marketplace I have gotten "Is this still available" at 3:00 a.m. and when you follow up the next day they have no idea what you are talking about and are sometimes annoyed by the contact.

    My SO has gotten the same thing through the company website, although usually via Zillow or Redfin, so and so is interested in this property. And when followed up, the person is like "Who is this and why are you contacting me?" "Because you expressed interested in my listing via..."

    " That was a mistake, now please stop contacting me". As if they were not the one who made the initial contact.

    mtnrdredux_gw thanked palimpsest
  • Sherry8aNorthAL
    last year
    last modified: last year

    " But it does bug me to get an offer on something just posted when they haven't even seen the item "

    Yes! I price to get rid of it. If I see something I like I ask "When can I come see it?"

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    Original Author
    last year
    last modified: last year

    I have an off-white slipcovered sofa in our LR (the octagonal LR, not the big family room, which also has an off-white slipcovered sofa but that one is an enormous sectional and down filled).

    The one i have i the octagon is cheap and looks it. The room used to have 4 club chairs and no sofa, but I moved this sofa from our office into the octagon and put 2 of the chairs into the office. The octagon is so tricky to furnish.

    I don't want to invest in anything because our horizon here is not indefinite. But for a couple hundred bucks, I think it would look nice. I got over my used upholstered furniture fears with the sofa I got the girls on CL. This seller is very close to me and in a very nice area. If I go there and don't like it, I won't get it.

    I have been watching a lot of decor videos and all I hear is "facebook marketplace." I was never really on facebook but a friend wanted to post a picture of my winter pavlova and then I decided to look. And then i decided to check out FB MktPlace and lo and behold.

    Here is my winter Pavlova with skyr. I had to assemble it onsite so it's not as nice as I'd .have liked. It is essentially the same as my Christmas one but different fruit. Pardon weird photo but I wanted to crop out the granite counter. : )




  • mtnrdredux_gw
    Original Author
    last year

    LOL, Pal. I purposely don't message people at odd hours because one could appear less serious.


    IDK about this item. I really like it and it is relatively au courant. But I can get the same thing new on Wayfair for $400-500 plus shipping. I think her valuation is off. It's not a high end brand and it does look (gently) used... single cushion sofas tend to have a tired air pretty quickly.

  • Funkyart
    last year

    I have had terrible luck on FB Marketplace and rarely look or list things there anymore. I am sure it varies by area. I am not sure where people ARE selling items. Maybe I just think my stuff is better than other people think it is LOL.

    I have a pair of ugg minis in a size/color that was impossible to find over the holidays -- in order to save the hassle of a return I offered them $20 off and of course.. they were available in maison du Funk when they weren't on Ugg, NM, Nordstrom, etc. Not a single bite.

    I have a NIB child's train set from Tender Leaf that I listed at 50% retail -- with the intentions of reducing further or even giving it away to someone who had a child that would love it. No bites.

    What is moving? Broken chairs.. well used sweatshirts.. huge playsets that have to be disassembled. My items are easily picked up/transported but not even an "is this available". I gave up. Between my overflowing gift closet and missed returns, pretty soon I'll have enough items to open a shop!

    mtnrdredux_gw thanked Funkyart
  • palimpsest
    last year

    Many people want things on these markets for free and delivered to their doorsteps as well.

  • graywings123
    last year

    At times when I have been giving away things, I have fairly often gotten the response, "Where can I pick this up?" which strikes me as presumptuous. One time I responded, "I'm located near XXX street" because it was large and heavy, and distance could make a difference in whether someone wanted it. The lady presumed I was giving it to her - and not one of the other 12 people who had responded - and then followed up with a blistering message when she found out she wasn't getting it.


    I'm also averse to, "I can take that off your hands" responses when I am kindly giving away something of value.

  • palimpsest
    last year
    last modified: last year

    What is moving? Broken chairs.. well used sweatshirts.. huge playsets that have to be disassembled.

    There are all sorts of factors that play into resale market interactions.

    People like Mtn, tastemakers, and influencers aside, part of this is the tastes and preferences on the buyers' end of things, and often that taste is going to be mid-market or down-market. I saw a whole thing on bread one time, where artisanal bakeries will sell things discounted to their regular sort of clientele at the end of the day and then it goes to a food bank. On day two it will be at the foodbank and no one will take it. But if they have a drop off of Stroehmann King White, it would be gone in an instant. So on day one people are paying $10.00 for a loaf of bread and on day two it can't be given away in a different sort of marketplace. And you know that the people who bought it on day one are not throwing it away that quickly.

    I had a Ward Bennett sofa, and a bunch of weird things happened when I was trying to sell it: the dealer got mugged on the way to my house and was hospitalized, someone else decided to get a dog and subsequently not get a cream colored sofa, and then the dealer got out of the hospital and came and looked at it and said "If I had come that day, I would have bought it, but now I think a cream colored sofa would be a hard sell. It's not eye-catching like some of my kitschier stuff and people are afraid of light colored furniture. I am afraid it would sit in the showroom".

    Then I think Covid started. So it didn't matter that there were a couple on 1st dibs at that time for $5000 and they sold for something if not actually $5K, as a private person I could not give it a way. I think I took $200 for it.

    And at least in my area, I feel like anything that is trendy and NWT is probably stolen, either shoplifted, scammed from the original vendor as being "not delivered", or actually a stolen delivery from someone unfortunate to have had a package left on their porch. Stolen packages in my neighborhood is a daily thing.

    mtnrdredux_gw thanked palimpsest
  • nicole___
    last year

    I'm on a round coffee table buying binge. I tried Facebook Marketplace for the first time & it went like this. Me: What size is it? Him: about 48" x 24". Me: That's too big. Him: Just measured it, 36" x 17" tall. Me: When can I come over to pay for it and pick it up. Him: We're leaving early in the morning, won't be back for 10 days. Me: I'll keep shopping, thx.

  • DawnInCal
    last year

    I've had pretty good luck on MP. The best deal we got was a nearly new riding lawn mower for $200. The seller was moving and in a hurry to get rid of it.


    I do ask if something is still available and I've always received a polite response. When I asked if an armoire was still available, I was told that someone else had already bought it. I messaged back to thank that person for her reply. Two days later, the seller messaged me that the original sale didn't work out and was I still interested. We went and looked at and ended up bringing it home.


    If I ask if something is still available and am told that it is, I then message the seller to arrange a time to look at the item, especially if it is expensive or something big and heavy that we are going to have to move. For smaller items, I often close the deal via messaging and then go pick it up and pay the seller.


    If you are really interested in the sofa, keep an eye on it. If it's still listed in a week or two the seller might be more receptive to your offer.





  • mtnrdredux_gw
    Original Author
    last year
    last modified: last year

    LOL Pal, Stroehmann Thin White was the bread of my childhood. My kids have never had pre-sliced bread. I recently bought a loaf of Pepperidge Farm to make prefect tiny square croutons for my mini caesars in parmesan tuiles. They looked so cute and were delish; that bread is like cake!

  • Sherry8aNorthAL
    last year

    I post as much info as possible and as many photos as possible. If there are any defects, I am sure to describe and post a photo. As a result, the first person that shows up buys it and we are both thrilled.

    I don't have an attic or basement, so cannot store things to use later. The only problem I have had is with scammers that want a phone number. I started posting, like a lot of people, that no phone is available. If I get one wanting a phone number, I block them.

    I used Craigslist several years ago, but it is outdated and most have moved to Marketplace.

    Once I get the unneeded stuff pared down, I will probably delete Facebook altogether. Little things I donate to the thrift stores. Bigger things, hubby is kind of a keeper, even if we will never need it again. He hauled all kinds of stuff home from my parents and his when they died. He would NOT throw away anything. I list and if it does not sell, I donate. We are both happy.

  • palimpsest
    last year

    Where I lived, growing up, there was no such thing as a bakery where you could buy bread or specialty bread, really. This was as foreign as paying for a bottle of water was. When we had Anzio bread for school lunch it was in the Church Bulletin--so regular Italian bread was something fancy. That said, we mostly ate whatever sort of not thin-white bread that was available.

  • Funkyart
    last year

    I never even considered that people thought I'd stolen packages or was running a scam. This isn't a high crime area but you don't have to travel far to get to one. I suppose that may have been at play ... or people just want bargains and projects.

  • Feathers11
    last year

    Hmm, IME on CL (albeit limited) people were lazy about taking down listings for sold items.

    I haven't used CL, but people on MP tend to take down or mark as sold right away because, if they regularly use FB itself, they don't want the message notifications for inquiries on stuff they've already sold.

    I don't like the auto-"is this still available" feature, and I came across many ads that clearly stated: If you're reading this, it's still available. (Meaning, don't ask if it is.)

    I haven't used MP in a while, but I usually had decent experiences as a buyer and a seller. I've bought art, bookshelves that are well-made by a prominent Chicago furniture maker, and a beautiful antique small dresser that I refinished and use as a nightstand.

    I also re-figured my DR furniture a few years ago. I had the table, the upholstered head chairs were special ordered, and the side chairs I found on MP. They were in perfect condition and being sold by a young woman who was switching up her decor and wanted something different.

    I've sold a few things, including a playset that was in my backyard when I moved here. It was sturdy, but at the point at which it needed painting. With no grandkids on the horizon, I didn't want to put that effort into it. Put it on MP for free, and it is being used by a sweet little 5-yo after in a neighboring town after her father made 3 trips back and forth to disassemble and reassemble it for her. The thought makes me happy. It was a nice, creatively built custom playset.

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    Original Author
    last year

    Same here, Pal. The first bread I remember my family buying that was not a perfect square was when Vie de France came out.

  • nicole___
    last year

    They sell Pepperidge Farm & Thomas Bagels @ Dollar Tree here.

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    Original Author
    last year

    OMG, what passes for bagels in some parts. Awful.

  • palimpsest
    last year
    last modified: last year

    I never even considered that people thought I'd stolen packages or was running a scam.

    They may not. Where I live I would think it more likely, but near one of my workplaces in an affluent suburb, the thrift shop that benefits the hospital and consignment places regularly have designer items, sometimes new with tags, because people get things as gifts and either already have one or don't want to embarrass anyone by asking for a gift receipt, things like that. One of our desk people used to get even Vuitton and Gucci bags and accessories this way.

  • Sherry8aNorthAL
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Yes, i put bunkbeds in a guest bedroom for grand children. they out grew them and I sold. The people that bought were thrilled, because you could not buy the same quality anymore. I sold a day bed, same thing. It was just what she wanted for her toddler boy's room NOT available for any price new.

    I have sold china for my son after their divorce. The (of the lady in question)FIL came and bought it. He drove 2 hours to get here. His SIL(her husband) wanted it for his wife to finish out her set for Christmas. It had been discontinued and the one I sold was in mint condition for half of the price it was originally. None were related to or known by us.

    Edited to be clearer.

  • Funkyart
    last year

    I need to set up a spare room this spring (i only just removed it last year lol) ... so maybe I will give it a try again. I wouldn't hate finding a velvet sofa too ;)

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    Original Author
    last year

    Sherry, I had to read that a few times to get it. I thought your son's FIL bought it!

  • Feathers11
    last year

    Me, too, Mtn! I initiall thought, "Wow, he's having a hard time letting go..."

  • Jen K (7b, 8a)
    last year

    We have better luck on Nextdoor when we were selling items and now that we're giving it away we only use ND. Generally those people are only in your local area, but I have a lady who likes my antiques and she comes up from Cameron (I'm in Raleigh) which is about an hour away. We met over ND.

    I've gotten used to the nonchalant responses on social media selling. Some are extremely presumptuous and others are ghosts after the first engagement. If I want to get rid of the item, even a free item, I have to be organized, responsive, and respectful. I found that when people put stuff on an online marketplace they're lazy about it. I don't realize that you have to respond to people, you have to answer questions, and you have to be available for it to be picked up or at least put it somewhere where it can be picked up when you're not home. Pretty easy things to do but I understand that some sellers are bad at it.

    When I post things, it's explicit with lots of pictures so there's no doubt what I'm trying to move. I try to look it up online to see if there's any provenance I can put with it if I don't have it myself. I've successfully moved to antique beds, antique radio, three antique dressers, antique tools, and lots of whatnots and whose it's.

    As for the artisanal bread not being selected at a food bank, they weren't going to buy it at the store in the first place. It being free wasn't going change their interest in it.

  • palimpsest
    last year

    As for the artisanal bread not being selected at a food bank, they weren't going to buy it at the store in the first place. It being free wasn't going change their interest in it.

    Yes, actually this was my point. You can try to sell some perfectly nice stuff, but if it's not the type of stuff that the buying pool likes, it doesn't matter how good it actually is or how cheap you are offering it.

    mtnrdredux_gw thanked palimpsest
  • Sherry8aNorthAL
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Okay I edited, hope it is clearer. I posted china for my son. Someone from two hours off wanted it for his wife to finish her set. It was discontinued and of course EBAY and Replacements want a huge amount for anything.

    Her father came and bought it for her husband, his son-in-law. It was to be a Christmas gift. We did not know any of them and they were not related to any of us.

  • arcy_gw
    last year

    It's true most people offer less no matter what, as a principal. It is also true most people think what they have is worth more than it is. It's worth is dependant on what another will pay when push comes to shove IDK what a seller read on the internet. hahahah I suppose there are as many people who are rude and do not take their ads down as there are people who remove them asap. Plenty of people don't want all the unnecessary requests. It still cuts to the chase faster for you to step forward with your offer. It is also very true many people say they want an item and never show up or show up w/o the agreed on amount. It's part of how you earn the better deal I suppose. Otherwise you could just go into a store and pay what they are asking for similar items.

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    Original Author
    last year

    Update; green velvet sofa is sold. It was up less than a day. Of course, now I simply must.have.a.green.velvet.sofa .LOL.


  • Funkyart
    last year

    LOL i was thinking the same!


  • palimpsest
    last year

    Well, that one looks like it had messed up welting center left.

    mtnrdredux_gw thanked palimpsest
  • barncatz
    last year

    Ha Funky and Mtn, me too! Not going to happen tho.


    I'm not on FB or ND, but we do have a local area thread posted by a kind hearted local businesswoman. It's more for events than sales items. I've never seen anything posted that interested me but I posted and gave away an item that was immediately snapped up. DH and I ended up bringing it to the person's house because it required a truck or van and they didn't live too far away. I got several more calls, any of which would have picked it up. Oh well, I'm retired.

  • Sueb20
    last year

    My most recent FBM experience: person was selling a restored vintage piano stool for $125. I sent a message saying I’d come get it in the morning if she’d take $100. Response: ”The price is 125.” Um, ok. If I’m not budging on my price, I list the price as ”firm” so people know. Otherwise I assume people are going to offer less than asking price.


    Do I need a piano stool? No but I could have convinced myself I did for $100.