By Staff
Introduced in late 2016, Facebook Marketplace became an online space where users could either buy or sell new or used objects. Ranging from clothing, furniture, cars, and really anything you can imagine.Facebook marketplace is a platform where you can either purchase or get rid of, really anything you want, at a great price on both ends.
Facebook Marketplace allows you to buy and sell products locally. You can set filters to ensure that you are only viewing products within a radius you desire to travel, and a certain price limit to make sure you remain within your budget. Now, this isn’t to say you cannot haggle prices down, which I highly recommend doing. As an entrepreneur does, sellers attempt to optimize their own revenue by originally listing products at high prices. As time goes on, and their product remains unsold, they will drop their prices. As a buyer, when interested in a product, keep your poker face on, remain cool, and act like the product isn’t that desirable, try to bring the price down a bit.
As a marketplace enthusiast, I have many many positive things to say about the platform. Personally, I have found many great items for great bargains, which has saved me a lot of money. When moving into my new room, I was in need of new furniture. Instead of going to department stores where a dresser, for example, would cost me around $500, I hopped on marketplace and ended up finding a beautiful one for $50! For 10% of the price, I got pretty much the same exact product. Now, all of these advantages don’t go without saying some of the downsides.
Facebook Marketplace is run by the users. Now these users are not all trained to be intellectual business people, meaning, some users are inexperienced and really clearly don’t know what they are doing. It is not a rare occurrence that you will be left on sent when making an offer. Some sellers will leave products that they have already sold marked as up for grabs. I can never tell if it’s some sick joke or if they are just oblivious and unbothered by the mind trickery they bestow on the eager shopper on the other side of the screen. Regardless, it is really annoying,but you just have to learn to look past it.
Marketplace is always changing and evolving. New products and items are constantly being dropped and added. This keeps things fun. There may be a period where nothing seems right and you can’t find what you want, but I advise you to keep looking. Everyday refresh the home page and see if something catches your eye. Products sell fast, move faster!
Another important aspect I do not want to leave out is safety! Though most of the interactions between buyer and seller are taking place behind a screen, a time comes where you must come face to face. When setting up a time and place to exchange money for a product, there are precautions you need to take to make sure it is a safe interaction. 1. Don’t meet up alone. Bring someone with you when meeting the buyer/seller 2. Conduct the exchange during daylight. Daylight decreases the likelihood that foul play will occur.
Marketplace is a platform that encourages sustainable shopping. Instead of shopping new and supporting big corporations at high prices, shop used and save the environment in doing so. As they say, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.
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