I'm so excited to share my tips for shopping Facebook Marketplace with you. Marketplace is one of my favorite online tools for buying/selling new and used items! I've been using it since it started in 2016 so I've learned a thing or two along the way.
Pictured below is my favorite Marketplace find of all time - a free piano! It was originally green and we painted it to fit our style. It is vintage and when we researched it, this type of piano has sold in the upwards of $20k!
If you've been following along on our journey since the beginning you know before we purchased our current home, we moved 5x in 5 years. With each move, I tried to purge as much as possible (less to move) and only keep items we truly needed and loved. It has always been important to us to fill our home with meaningful items and Marketplace has helped me maximize our profit with each sale of the things just taking up unwanted space. Over the years, we've sold everything from window treatments to vehicles.
Selling Tip: If you plan to sell on Marketplace, make sure you post quality photos, price fairly and include a good description.
Since users of Marketplace are able to filter by location it usually doesn't take long for items to sell. There have even been times when I haven't been able to get to a Goodwill for a drop off so I've listed items for free (just to get rid of them save me a trip). This was especially true when we lived in a big city. Most items I've listed for free are gone in just a few hours. In my experience, Marketplace is a powerful tool to sell and get those unwanted items out of your home quickly.
Pictured below is a vintage sconce we found for under $20 in a near by town!
When we purchased our current home, I sold everything from old fixtures to used appliances. I always made sure my husband was home for when I scheduled buyer pick-up times, but using Marketplace allowed us to not only earn a profit on items we didn't want, but the buyer came and loaded everything themselves. Truly a win/win because the buyer knew they were getting a deal and were happy with their purchase.
Pictured below is a vintage blue velvet couch I found in a large city on our anniversary trip. Believe it or not, I talked my husband into renting an extra vehicle to get home because we found so many great items for a STEAL in the city. We saved $$$ on those unique items we had been hunting for so the rental cost was easily justified. They are pieces I plan to keep forever.
On the buying side, I love the ability to be able to filter by location. I regularly check local listings, but I also update my filters when I know we will be traveling. There have been times we have purposely took a larger vehicle or trailer because I knew in advance we would be picking some Marketplace items up on a trip. Especially when you find something for a deal, it's worth it :)
One of my favorite things to do on vacation is check the local Marketplace. We've bought so many unique pieces over the years and hauled them home from miles away. To us, those finds come with a story and it's usually something I've been looking for, but didn't want to pay the new sticker price.
This vintage chandelier in our daughters' playroom came all the way home to Illinois with us from Florida last year.
I've also found several vintage pieces on Marketplace for a song. To me, it is like going into a thrift or antique store and never knowing what you'll find, except you can look anytime of the day, ask the seller questions and negotiate.
I collect copper and that is one of the keywords I've searched for in the past. Many of these vintage copper pieces I've found go for $100 or more each on Etsy and other sites, but I was able to snag them locally on Marketplace for under $10 each.
Buying Tip: If you are looking for something specific, be sure to enter descriptions in the search bar on Marketplace regularly. Some of my favorite key words to search are "free," "vintage" or "old furniture." This will help items you are looking for show up first when you open Marketplace.
Another favorite find from Marketplace is our 1989 Jeep Wrangler. We needed a farm vehicle and something to pull our trailer, but didn't want to spend much. We found this beauty (which my husband is obsessed with) just miles away and it was priced fairly and in excellent condition.
You can truly buy/sell so many items on Marketplace. 90% of the items in our home are used or vintage. I prefer the character and honestly - the price! I've always struggled with buying new when I know I can find something at least the same or better at a consignment shop, antique store or on Marketplace. Take our French-inspired den for example.
While we did purchase a new couch and chairs, nearly everything else is from Marketplace or an antique shop.
If you've never used Marketplace, I hope this encourages you to give it a try! I would love to hear of your amazing sales and/or finds below.
As always, thanks for stopping by the blog!!
xx,
Amy
Muchas gracias. ?Como puedo iniciar sesion?
The thing about Marketplace I don’t understand is how do you get the most recent postings. I miss a lot of things because the recent postings are not at the top. I can look through the items and way down the page is something posted about an hour ago. Cannot find where you can contact Marketplace to get any answers. Thanks.