Anyone used Facebook to sell stuff? (furniture, garage, pricing, house)

[Monjam]

Hi, has anyone used Facebook to sell furniture and other household goods? If yes, can you please give me some pointers? How do you find the "for sale" section on FB? I have read that FB is better than Craigslist because of too many negative incidents with Craigslist that have put people off.

Thanks in advance for any advice you are able to share.

[veuvegirl]

I have used FB in two states, much easier and sells very quickly. Do a search for local 'garage sale sites', so look for 'anytown garage sale'. Usually two or three pop up.

I would watch what sells, what people are pricing things for and go from there. When I was in PA people priced things for a ridiculous amount, they never sold. I went on, priced all my items very low, sold within an hour (pissed the regular sellers off).

In Texas, people price things high and they sell at a high price. So definitely watch the trends so you know the proper pricing strategy.

[Berrie143]

I belong to several FB selling groups and have bought and sold a lot of things. I've found that it holds people more accountable as opposed to Craigslist; the ones I belong to have pretty strict rules and if you mess up you only get a few chances and then you get blocked from the group. There are some people who "police" things and act like wankers but for the most part it's been great for my friends and I, especially for getting rid of baby stuff.

Look and see if your city has an "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" group- those are what are popular around here. And don't price items too high, either- go just above yard sale value, unless it's a specialty item, like a smartphone or electronic. I look at completed sales on Ebay sometimes to get an idea of what things are selling for, too.

[sskkc]

I followed and did some buying and selling of a few items on some of the local "Buy, Sell, Trade" groups on FB for a couple years. When it came time for us to move, I was ready and a known member of three local sites.

I planned a garage sale for about a week out. Then I posted photos of some of the bigger items for sale, and made clear all prices were "or best offer". People started messaging me immediately. I was able to sell a lot for asking price (or just above) by stating that I wouldn't lower prices until after the first day of the garage sale I had planned for the weekend.

We needed to make $300 minimum. I was hoping for $700. We made $1300. Not too much leftover - and for the leftovers, I posted online that they were available for free pickup the day after the two day yard sale, so we didn't have to get rid of much via another avenue - ie carting it to Goodwill

My best advice is to join several of the sites, pay attention to how things are done on those sites for a few weeks first. I preferred to post on the sites where the admin banned anyone who did a no show after stating they were on their way to purchase something, or banned sellers that agreed on a price through messaging, then when I drove for 30 minutes to get there to pick it up, they'd say they had an offer for more and want more. You really want an active and involved admin on a site for the best experience. Read their rules and stick to them and you'll do well

Also - the day of the yard sale, I kept my phone at my side and checked messages every 15 minutes, staying engaged with people who didn't want to drive out, only to find something had sold. Funny story - had a man at the sale, offering for a vanity I had for sale while his wife was offering more and saying her husband was on his way. In order to keep everyone happy, we settled right in the middle of what he offered and what she offered - both still short of original asking, but we were all happy and laughing at the end. It was a cold day, so my daughter was offering and giving hot chocolate to everyone as well. Kept people there and looking, chatting, etc - and that's how we sold so much of the little knick knacky stuff and small kitchen items

[Seagreen10]

Facebook is much safer. Look up garage/yard sale sites for your city or county.
Pros
1. You know who is contacting you
2. Such groups have admins who constantly monitor crazies
3. Easier to contact

Cons :
1. Mostly limited to your city and county
2. Profile being highlighted. I say this because i have pics of my kids up as cover photo etc and i dont like when strangers go thru it (yes i know i can take them down but yeah..)

[Monjam]

Thanks very much for your responses. I'm a complete newbie to FB so didn't even know where to start!