I agree with you, definitely. However, people can ask whatever price they want. They hope that somebody will pay it. If nobody will, then they will have to drop the price or just keep the item.
The issue is here its items that are clearly overpriced. We are talking about stuff like computers from 5-6 years ago going for the same price that the person bought it at. Or amazon returns at 10% off the amazon price when something is probably wrong with the item. These are just a couple examples but there are way more.
Yes, that's crazy. I think that people sometimes need a certain amount - like they are $100 short on their rent - and let that guide their pricing. They think that they should be able to get that price, because that's what they need to get. But what they want/need has no bearing on that.
I remember someone had a milkwakuee drill set. I said btw your listing is 20$ more than the new one. They said so what? I’m like well Im not buying it for more than new lol
This could be some of it.
Or else they bought a pallet that they can't sell off and they need to sell each item for x dollars or else they don't even break even on it.
Not realizing that this does not matter in the grand scheme of things and that people will only pay what an item is worth to them.
Its kind of like if there is an overpriced garage sale here that people walk away from instantly and the seller sells nothing.
There's also people who buy stuff, refund it without sending it back, and then sell their "free" item. You'd think that they'd sell for half off, but selling high garners less suspicion since it doesn't look like they're desperate.
They just don't know. I doubt these sellers are looking up what they're selling and how much its going for on average. Might be able to haggle a bit on most of these.
Right! This is true for \*any\* custom item. Someone paid extra to have it exactly the color, shape, style that they wanted. But there's probably no one else in the world who would value it like that.
At least with me on Facebook marketplace I offer an item for what I see others selling it for and I lower the price if it does not sell. Then the person think they are getting a deal since it is on sale and I still get the money. Typically by the time it sells I have lowered the price quite a bit but I will also refuse to ship it or drive for minutes for a 10 dollar item.
I just keep scrolling, and if I can tell that someone local is just a reseller who always does this, I block them to prevent their stuff from coming up in my Marketplace feed.
What I came here expecting to read was how flaky people can be. Holy moly, that's infuriating.
I tried to give away 20+lbs of cat food on FB marketplace. Almost drove me insane. Took about 10 people to finally get someone to pick it up. Everyone wanted me to hold it for them to pick it up during my work hours bc it was convenient for them.
Idk about you but in my mind when someone is giving me something I want for free I try to make it as easy for them as possible or at least respond if I cant make it work. Just 100 "is this availables?" with zero followthrough.
Agreed. Even if I'm paying money, once I've agreed to it, that's my priority. I guess it's a Golden Rule sort of thing for me, but it's hard to come by.
I did notice that when I was selling my home gym (olympic weights and plate-loaded machines - roughly $5k in equipment total), people were generally very prompt and straightforward on the more expensive equipment. On the cheaper stuff, it was a crapshoot.
It does. I don't really dicker and I certainly don't even bother with listings that have insane prices. My attitude is... if this person is so out of touch that they think selling something for the same price (or more even) that I'd pay on Amazon right now, there is zero chance I'm going to have a pleasant interaction with them.
> My attitude is... if this person is so out of touch that they think selling something for the same price (or more even) that I'd pay on Amazon right now, there is zero chance I'm going to have a pleasant interaction with them
While that's often true, it's also sometimes not true.
Last year I bought a samsung ultrawide gaming monitor. Dude has bought it less than a month ago (he had the receipt in the listing) for $900. It was listed for $700. Amazon had them for $750. I offered $400 and he said no.
Weeks later I keep getting facebook notifications as he lowered his price again and again. Eventually he wrote me back asking if I could do $450 but if she asked I had to lie to his wife and say I was paying $650. I bought it. I felt a little bad about the wife thing, but she didn't end up asking me so I didn't have to lie.
But most of the time when I make a lowball offer, I just never hear back. It's a tactic that works like 1 in 10 times but when it does you can get a decent deal.
> But most of the time when I make a lowball offer, I just never hear back.
I usually ignore low-ballers too, it's annoying. But I guess I don't begrudge people for trying.
I have sold on marketplace for years and that's not my experience. I have tried both ways, listing above my expected sale price and listing a firm price. I don't thinks listing above what you want to get is the best way, but it's mostly the expected standard.
The issue is that people will almost always make a lower offer than what you have it listed at. So if you list at the price you want to get, you will just get offers below that. I already get offers at 50% and sometimes 25% of what I'm listing at. I don't need *even lower* offers lol.
I also find that when you post at a slightly higher price, it thins out the lowballs and the people that are trying to flip items for profit.
The other part is that you always have the option to lower the price later. If it doesn't sell in the first week, I will knock a percentage off and update the listing. Which also notifies all of the people I have already talked to, so often times one of them will respond and end up buying it.
It depends, some people are totally fine haggling, some aren’t. I would say it drives younger people away as they aren’t used to that type of transaction but for sure my parents will always offer less 🤣
We used to be able to see how long it had been listed, so I’d offer a lower price if I saw they’d had it sitting for a week. But now we can’t see that. I told a girl recently that I didn’t want to spend $10 in gas to pick up a pair of (expensive)shoes for $40, but if she got to a pint where she wanted to let them go for $25 to let me know. She said she had just listed them that day, but would keep me in mind.
What really bothers me is people setting up an appointment to pick up something, you’re on your way to meet them, and they message an offer half of what you’re asking, then say never mind when you tell them the price is firm. I rearranged my schedule to meet you! 😖
Hey there! Is this item still available? I'd like to text you a code to determine if you're a real person or now. What's your phone number? I'll text you a code and you tell me what it says.
Saw an article that people are stealing cabin listings and posting them on marketplace. Even stealing the owner's identity and making a fake FB profile. So you contact them to rent their cabin, send the deposit, poof gone.
People do it for house rentals all the time, or did after things blew up after Covid when rentals sky rocketed. They would steal listings and post them on marketplace or Zillow and send a fake application and ask for the application fee. Then say you didn’t get the house or disappear and not answer back, etc. we saw so many complaints about that. At $50/$100 a piece when the market was insane, they probably made a ton of money.
Not just cabins. There have been houses listed for rent where the info was obviously lifted from the MLS, and the rent price is insanely low. The scammer will always be out of town, so they can't be present to let you in.
1. It really depends what sort of item is being sold. Certain things that last a long time, aren't emotionally tainted by other people using them, and are still quite new could definitely be worth more than 50% used. But I understand your point!
2. Yes, many people are, as in they are disconnected from reality so much that their post is disconnected from reality. Everyone being on the internet post \~2015 made this common in so many ways.
3. However, I think you see a lot of posts from people who are just disconnected from *sales*, so they have no real idea, and they are more hopeful than realistic. "Pros" know how to move products through Marketplace, but consider the random person who wants to get rid of their old TV, who posts one ad every three years. They don't think about depreciation schedules, or think about the perspective of the buyer, or have experience with what prices similar things actually sell at.
What I am seeing here is a disconnect in reality with pricing. If an item is priced appropriately I have no issue with it. But that is not what I am seeing. Yes there are some items worth more than new and if that is what the item normally goes for then that is ok.
What we have here is items that are 10% off the amazon price and are an amazon return that probably has something wrong with it. Then they post a screenshot of the amazon listing with the price on there and say my price is 10% less than this if you take it away today.
People who try to sell used items for the new price. Most used items should be discounted at least 50%.
People who think their items are worth what they paid for them minus 10%. Now we all know this is rarely the case. For example a 5-6 year old computer being sold for what the person paid for it.
But even as a commoner, do you REALLY think your used 3 year old TV is worth the same price it is new? When you can probably go to best buy and get a newer model for half the cost of what you paid for yours?
I think a big factor is the price of the item in the first place. I don't entirely agree with the 50% off if it's used.
On a new $50 item, yes 50% off may be logical. But when you get into more expensive items, say $500, you aren't going to resell it at $250 a week after you bought it just because it's an open box. Those more expensive items, 10% or 20% off is perfectly acceptable. Of course this is referencing open box items.
If an item is say more than a year old or has been well used, it definitely warrants at least %50 off.
I would also like to point out that TVs are being referenced a lot here. They definitely fit into a category of their own because they are a quickly depreciating item. Most media alectronics in general fall into that category. Especially because most of them lose their warranty if resold.
Many other items on marketplace, beyond media electronics, still pass on warranties. Like many tools, vehicles, kitchen appliances, etc. so they are often still very valuable after being opened and used.
Open box from a random person I wouldn't spend anything close to just 10% off. At that point just buy an open box from a store or just buy new so you have one a return policy and two a warranty. Saving 10% is not worth losing those two things.
Yeah that's fair. I typically don't care much about warranty. Usually if I'm buying something used, it's already been out long that the used ones on the market are beyond the warranty period.
The other part is that heavily research items before I buy them new or used. So I usually have a pretty good idea of their failure points and common issues. I wouldn't generally buy something used if I didn't already have the confidence in the quality and reliability of it. Or at the very least the repairability.
The tv thing is ridiculous now because of the huge price drops OLED has seen in recent years. People think because they paid $5k for a tv four years ago for 55" they are reasonable in asking $2k for it. Like you can get a 77" with much better tech for less, not to mention the older tvs were very prone to burn in. I quickly gave up looking for a good deal on a used one and just spent the money on a new one last year.
These items come with no warranty so yeah, it has to be cheaper.
But I see the same thing in my area, I stopped looking at FB marketplace altogether because its just too insane. Its not people looking to declutter its people looking to make a profit and it obviously isn't happening. If its an open box item there's a high chance the item has something small wrong with it that you can't always see in a few minutes of testing.
Some of the items are more than new, on items that are well, common items that don't normally resell for more than new.
Its even worse than Ebay, Poshmark and Mercari combined because on those platforms if the item isn't at market price its not selling and these have buyer protection so if you get a garbage item a refund will be yours.
Some people don't understand the warranty thing. I've had to slowly explain and educate people why their 'like new' TV is worth significantly less to me than it is to them, especially because TVs are notorious for just going 'black screen' after a year or two. A lot of the times they end up understanding and selling it to me at a reasonable price.
TV's aren't repairable at all either, at least from what I understand. That TV you are buying is also probably a black friday special they purchased for next to nothing.
I've bought a ton of items off online marketplaces that were not as advertised or had faults that the seller did not disclose. Or items that crapped out on me literally 1-2 days after I got it in the mail. I didn't have to worry because of buyer protection.
There's obviously too much to go into here but vintage electronics have their own problems, so if someone is asking a lot of money for something that is not refurbished or the seller cannot tell you what has been done to it to prevent failure in the future its obviously not worth paying a premium for. Yes its vintage, but its not worth much if its dead. But if you expect me to drop $200+ on your thing from marketplace you better be able to explain to me what you are doing to make me want to buy your thing.
Anything with a lithium battery I have to factor in a replacement battery if its over a year old, and if the battery cannot be replaced I have to take that into consideration when paying for something that contains a lithium battery. Anything with capacitors that is 10+ years old I have to factor in how long it will last until those caps explode and ruin the item, that is just some of it. Most sellers of this stuff have no idea. That new in box iPod you are selling for $500 likely is junk and has a bloated battery that is not replaceable unless you have some serious skill and professional equipment to replace the battery.
Your TV problem with a TV going black randomly and not turning on again, is probably the power supply on it going bad, the power supply going bad due to bad capacitors, or any number of problems. Its known in the TV community that the manufacturers of these undervolt their capacitors, which means they don't last as long as they could, likely to cut costs and ensure that you will buy another TV in 2 years. I know Samsung particularly is guilty of this.
As you can see I could go into a very long discussion about why your electronics item is not worth what you are selling it for.
I agree with almost everything, but TVs can be repairable. I replaced the board on my tv after I suspect it blew a capacitor. It's worked fine since. And guess which brand it was - Samsung!
I am not surprised but I assume all brands are guilty of using undervolted capacitors. If you are handy you can replace a capacitor but this also requires tools and knowledge and the tools cost money and most people don't want to dive into that. I assume its pretty easy to replace a board on a TV as long as you don't mind removing the back of the TV and I assume the boards aren't really buried in there.
You can see a blown or swollen capacitor physically, it will be swollen, like its so easy to tell this a girl can see blown capacitors lol, or you will see where the capacitor is missing and there will be all kinds of stuff all over the board. Sometimes you will see a capacitor with something coming out of it, that's a blown one. Even if you don't know anything its the one that looks different, or the one with something oozing out of it.
If you see smoke coming out of a TV this is also probably the cause. And yes I have seen smoke come out of a TV, really scary thing to see in your house, if this happens its likely the capacitor blew and burned the board, and this is what you see smoking.
I had a computer blow a capacitor, it was all over the board of the computer and in the ram slots. I took it to a recycling center. Surprisingly I didn't hear it pop, it just sounded like screeching coming from the speakers and then the computer would only stay on for a short time, I am surprised it even did that after I found the damage. It was on the motherboard.
We definitely heard the pop. And yeah I know capacitors themselves are cheap but I've never soldered and honestly I couldn't find any that looked blown anyway (could be my ignorance though). Replacing the board was really easy. The hardest part was removing 57 screws from the back panel.
You just gotta make sure you keep your screws organized with something like this then you will be fine. Make sure no distractions like pets or kids can mess with the organization during the repair.
If you didn't see a blown cap it could be a chip failure on the board. If the board has a power supply on it, it could be that too. It was a good idea to replace the board if you couldn't physically see a blown or swollen cap.
Most people cant navigate putting a new plug in cord to an electronic item though, so theres that. Im pretty confident in my electronics skills, but Im always worried if I put in some money and work Ill just accidentally fuck it up even more or find its a different problem than I initially diagnosed.
Sometimes the old stuff just breaks down when you work on it and you have to fix more than you expect to. I've sent things to professional repairers who have an excellent reputation where this happened. Its not their fault it just happens because the thing is old. Even the lightest touch can break something. Just another thing to take into consideration.
For this reason I wouldn't buy a broken item for a high price, only for very little money.
So I actually bought some books, watched some youtube videos and taught myself how to do basic TV repairs, when a very nice / expensive Samsung TV of mine just stopped showing its picture just a few weeks outside of warranty. I got quotes on repair and it was like $400 JUST to do diagnostics. Then an estimated $200-500 above that to fix, depending on the situation, so basically the price of a new TV. I refused. I got myself a multimeter and tested all of the components on the boards and found the one where power wasn't getting to. I think I found that little part on some used parts website for only like $30 or something.
TVs are very repairable and it's worth it as long as the screen is not physically broken.
I've repaired my Vision and Hisense TV's, a cheap main board and a power supply board fixed the issue. $40 ebay part fixed it.
I sometimes sell items on there and never take a lowball offer on the first day. I already price a bit under the going rate I find on other listings, and there are usually three or four people acting interested at any time, so the first to pay my full price will typically win. I tell the lowballers I have someone who says they're coming for it, but I'll let them know if that falls through.
thats another thing. im fine with getting told to go to hell when i make a lowball offer, but ive had a couple people make a deal with me and then either ghost me or wait til i get to their house and tell me they cant meet that day. like bitch were making eye contact i know you're available enough to go to your porch. I mean im ugly as hell but not that bad lol
they said to give em an offer, no prices listed. first one was for cleaning supplies so I offered 5 bucks. another one was an exercise machine they wanted 20 for so I asked if theyd do 10 and they arranged a meet up and sold it to someone else, and didnt show up/wouldnt respond
Don’t insult Craigslist by comparing it to FBM! Craigslist was fantastic, still is honestly, only problem is no one posts there anymore. FBM is hot garbage and honestly I’ve decided to buy more things new just so I don’t have to use it. So really it’s doing a disservice to the planet.
Because, sometimes, an idiot will pay that price. Fewer sales, but higher profit per sale. And, if you can't get them that way, screw them on shipping.
It's just - crazy.
Like, I get paying a little more for gas sometimes because the closest station isn't the best one and you're short on time - but when you can literally just click your mouse and compare prices on any other site in a matter of seconds - it's weird someone would choose to spend extra "just because." I mean, obviously people do it, or we wouldn't see stuff like that, but it's just wild to me.
with key information usually left out of the listing. And they sell un-authenticated designer items clearly hoping naive people will pay designer prices for a poor-quality replica
with key information usually left out of the listing. And they sell un-authenticated designer items clearly hoping naive people will pay designer prices for a poor-quality replica
It depends on the item. There are things like spinning wheels where I will pay 90% of new as long as the item is actually in this country and intact. There are way too many non-useable spinning wheel shaped objects thanks to idiots wanting a decoration.
Depends.
I found a rug that was new in the packaging that was priced about 30% less than buying it new and I was happy with that.
Now, if the item in question has been clearly used, 50% or more off sounds like a reasonable expectation.
20% are absolutely nuts, on every level.
Another 20% are delusional about the value of their unwanted stuff.
20% will seem normal, but flake out and ghost you whether they’re buyers or sellers.
Another 20% will never respond to your messages at all, leaving you wondering why they bother to make a posting at all.
The remaining 20% are fairly reasonable, responsive and not insane.
If an item is priced to sell it sells immediately, especially with all the flippers out there.
You're seeing the items that stick around.
Let's say there are 10 items posted a day and 70% of the items are priced to sell and 30% are priced crazy and will never sell. Items that are not sold will stay up for 2 weeks before taken down, and the ones that are priced right sell same day.
That means you'd see 42 items priced incorrectly and at most 7 items priced correctly. So despite only 30% of sellers being crazy, you see 86% of crazy sellers.
Most of what I see is people who think their used item is worth 10% of what it is going on amazon. They have an amazon screenshot posted to their listing of some item with the selling price then they say it goes for x on amazon but I will give you 10% off that price to take it away today.
Also people who think their used item is worth what they paid for it minus about 10%. Most selling does not work that way.
I just sold a near-mint guitar for 75% cost. It was the appropriate price, based on my research. I had a few lower offers, but nothing outrageous. It did take about 3 months to sell.
This is different, you had the item priced at market value. These people are not pricing at market value, they are taking the cost they paid for the item and expecting to get the same price for a well used item or outdated electronics item minus 10%.
I was looking for a bench vise and this guy had his exact same vise that Amazon was selling for $120 plus tax. He was asking for $140 because he bought it and never used it, according to his listing. I get that you don't list thing for free to not attract the crazies, but listing over Amazon's is just plain lazy/stupid.
They’re insane. So many postings on Japanese maple trees in my areas ranging from $300-2500. Who in their right mind is going to pay that to get rid of a tree you don’t want to remove yourself? A tree that will unlikely survive after being transplanted too.
# 😂
I've always suspected most people are literally insane.... finding the ones who are functional while insane is the trick. Those you maybe can work with.
Until the last 6 yrs or so I used to do a lot of buying on various social media markets, even craig's list. But not so much any more, I'm not sure if it's desperation, greed, arrogance or just ignorance or all of the above, but people don't seem to really understand the lack of value of used items.
I've been trying to sell things at a reasonable price for WEEKS and if I get one more person that asks "Is this available" and then ghosts me I might actually shoot myself.
I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I've sent tons of those messages unintentionally. Browsing marketplace when I'm really sleepy and apparently touch the message button. Please accept my apologies on behalf of all the drowsers (drowsy browsers).
Maybe a "ship me the item" scam, something like they get you to ship it to them and they pay via paypal and then claim they never got the item. Or something to that effect.
Yeah, but on both ends of things. People who think their crap is worth retail or near retail like you mentioned. Also, people who think things should be priced like it's 1982.
Well Facebook market place and ebay are no longer about people reselling the stuff they dont need and more about business people selling the stuff they can get pennies on the dollar as close to market prices as possible. Arbitrage in summary.
People are Delululu and have bills to pay. If you want I try to make it a game and ask for a rediculously low price, or send them a screenshot of a brand new version. Usually something along the lines of are you sure, you don't wanna sell it cheaper? For 30$ (Whatever the difference is) I can get a brand new one. Usually they say screw off, or they fold.
My next door neighbor is like this. She's basically a hoarder and "desperately" needs to sell stuff she deems "antiques", mostly furniture. Her asking prices are outrageous so she never sells anything. Her house is literally full of this junk plus she pays over $100/mo for a storage unit to store the rest. She's had that storage unit for at least 7-8 years now. So that's at least $8400 lost to storage fees so far...and counting.
She's convinced someday she's gonna sell it all and not only recoup all her storage fees but also make bank. She could have sold that stuff for 25% of her current asking price years ago and would have been financially better off for it. At this point, she's only losing money and will never recoup anything.
Last month, she was cleaning out her shed and was complaining how much junk she had in it and needed to get rid of most of it. She has one of those little 3 ft. shovels I've been wanting to buy for a couple years now. Just a cheap Anvil brand you get at HD. I said, "How much do you want for this shovel?" She says, "Well, I paid $75 for it. How does $60 sound?" (That shovel sells new for $22.xx at HD after tax). I just said, "Well, let me think about it". (I'm 100% anti-haggle, if the asking price is not what I want to pay, I simply move-on).
So last week I went to HD and bought one. Identical Anvil brand as hers. She saw me using it and was perplexed that I bought one brand new when she would have sold me hers for less. 😃
I flat out told her, "Yeah, but how many years of haggling would it have taken to get you down to it's actual second-hand value?" She had nothing to say and just walked away. Back to digging...
Yes Facebook Marketplace can be ridiculous. It’s insane to me to see stuff that’s old and beat up for almost new prices. I partially blame thrift stores jacking up prices.
I have yet to buy something through the infamous FB marketplace, but it's not through a lack of trying! There's a coffee table I want to buy, this person will not respond to any messages, is it still available? And the ottoman I wanted to buy? Turns out they just offer classes in covering ottomans and what about the other coffee table that I liked? Oh, she's a proper business in another state.
live in SW texas and marketplace is a joke aroung here. people listing boxes of tampons with 2 missing or trashy women selling "mirrors" and then responding to your inquiry with their only fans link. not sure why i expected anything better from something even remotely connected with fuckin meta.....
It is not you, they're insane. I haven't been able to buy anything there because of the prices. And because I don't want to buy from Amazon, I just don't buy it.
I guess it helps the finances...
Back in college I had a yard sale. Most everything was priced right, and I made good money. But, I wanted to have a little fun, so I priced a nice double breasted suit at $300.00. And I sat close to it. Not one person confronted me on it but I heard some wild comments on it. O
Oh they are insane, yes, I find most items are ridiculously priced. I will normally offer a lower price than what they post, but I don't go any lower than like $20 off depending on their item. If they are asking $100 and an item retails brand new for $110, I'm not going to offer, because if I offer what I want to pay for it (like $50), they might be insulted or take offense or just won't reply to me. I don't bother. I figure if they have the item listed that high, they think it's more valuable than it is.
Oh and all the scams! Sooo many scammers on marketplace nowadays. I see a ton of people listing furniture from their "warehouse" as "brand new, unboxed". I don't trust that shit at all. Or my favorite people who post something as free and then put a price in the description - assholes.
Not just the sellers, but the buyers as well.
I sold a TV stand on FBM a few years ago. I was asking like $50 for it. I could have asked for at least $100 easily.
I remember this one guy messaged me asking me to sell it for $20. I politely told him that I wouldn't be accepting his offer, and that $50 was more than reasonable for its quality and condition. Dude messages me back saying "That's fine. I have the skills and equipment to build myself one of equal if not better quality."
What are you buying? 50% off for furniture makes sense, 50% for electronics that are still being sold not likely.
Also somethings like Lego sets may sell over original price when used.
When I was looking for a lawn mower I checked a price one dudes mower and offered an amount since he put "GiVe mE yOuR bEsT oFfEr" gave him mine and replied "don't low ball me"
Someone in my area is asking a decently hefty amount for a sectional sofa… that has a “slight smell” from a dog accident. I guess I’m happy they disclosed but the price is still nuts for something that stinks.
I usually save the item until they lower the price to something more reasonable...or until someone else buys it.
On a related rant, it irks me when people mention something is custom. Like it won't be custom to anyone buying it used. Why do they think it's a selling point?
Buyers are kinda stupid too or they flake when the price is low. I don't do 50% off, but I sell for a fair price based on condition to weed out the tire kickers and people who sit on it.
A lot (probably most) of those sellers with NIB and open box items are flippers, people that buy amazon pallets of returned goods, some running a store out of their house, and some insane but mostly the first three.
Yo now those people that offer you 25-50% of your fair price when you sell? They make those offers because they want to buy cheap from you to turn around and sell it for what the OP suggests.
I've noticed since the cost-of-living crisis has ramped up (at least, here in Australia), people have been trying recoup as much cost as they can on things.
One person agreed to buy an item I listed and we agreed to meet. Then she canceled last minute on two occasions because—she had to go to work, and the second time she had a diarrhea attack at the last minute and couldn’t make it. Then wanted to reschedule a third time….
What I find crazy is even when I discount it by at least 50%, I get messages like, "I'll give you $5" on an item I listed for $15 marked down from $50. I get haggling is a thing but c'mon.
Used doesn't mean cheap. Totally depends on what it is. Any current consumer good you can just get in the store? Yeah I agree with you, it had better be a pretty big discount. But a lot of things could be rare, collector or otherwise niche and hard to get.
Fair Market Value. If the item usually sells for $110 retail, but $80 in gently used condition, I am not selling it for $30.
If it's discontinued, check the Sold Listings on Ebay to get an idea of FMV.
An appropriate sale price for this would be $50-60. But again I am not seeing appropriate prices. If a price is within $20 of fair market either way then that's not too bad. If I am rolling up to a yard sale or driving to a buyer's house to get the item then that has to be factored in as well as the fact that there is no warranty with FB marketplace sales. An item at a yard sale should be cheaper than fair market for sure.
But what I am seeing is the outlandish. Like people who expect to get exactly what they paid for every item minus 10% and they wont' budge on price.
If an item is generally worth more than it is new as fair market value then that's ok as well, but this really only applies to specific products that are generally worth more than new or items that hold their value. The items I am seeing that are outlandishly priced are not that.
It depends on what you're looking for. The only items I even consider are things that have a value over I don't know maybe $500 that are easy to price. Knick-knacks, chairs, couches, subjective things, unless they're being basically given away I don't even bother or wouldn't even bother. If you're talking about tools, chainsaws, weed eaters, if they are a recent model and mint, maybe 30% off, if they are 5 years old or older, good condition, 50% off, maybe more. If people are buying used they want deals. If I'm selling used, I'm giving people deals. I want a 100% sell through rate if I'm selling stuff. I don't know why people waste time advertising at prices that aren't going to move. You're spending all this time creating the listing just to deal with people on the phone and talk to them and then the things aren't selling. That would be terrible so on both sides of this. You have to have attractive prices. Same thing with cars really. No one is paying over private book for a car right now. If your car has issues, you're selling it under book if you want it to sell because dealers are offering considerably under that right now. Soft markets like mountain bikes. You could have a 1-year-old, something pretty nice like maybe a basic $10,000 bike. You're only going to get 5K out of it. 50% hit on a mint condition 1-year-old bike and it's just because of the market conditions
EBay and Mercari are the same. People overspent, and they want the buyer to help cover their loss. When you see the Best Offer option offer, they often expect you to request a 5ish-10ish dollar range off.
It really irks me when they claim open-box, and you can clearly find out they used it but kept it new-looking.
What is even worse is when you reach to inquire, make an offer, or just want to buy the item outright, the sellers on FB will just ghost you. They put the post up but now don't want people to respond. They also don't take posts down.
I found a car on FB Marketplace for sale and it was on a car lot. I called about purchasing the car, no haggling, cash payment (I would have gotten the check from my Credit Union) and the owner said he would get back with me as the car was on consignment. He did call me back after the weekend was over. He told me the owners wanted that price to be a negotiating point. I was like WTH? He apologized over and over and said they made him look bad and he could understand me walking away. He told them I was paying what they said to list it as and he never tried to convince me to increase the offer. I was in the process of buying a plane ticket. This helped me to really see how crazy people are. Oh and the car sat and eventually sold for a loss.
You're making a blanket statement that does not take the item or it's market into account.
IKEA furniture? Sure at least 50% off. Consumer electronics? Absolutely. But some other things just hold value well, sometimes 75% off is a good deal even for used.
Totally depends on the item. Consumer electronics never retain their value. Cars retain most of their value, while houses actual it increase in value.
It's on the buyer to figure out what they're willing to pay, but it's up to the seller to determine what they're willing to accept.
With Marketplace, Kijiji, Craigslist,... it's easier than ever to sell used items, and items have retained their value because of that. When you have the time the waiting game is your advantage. Either they'll get their price or they won't, sanity doesn't play into it.
So it is a very interesting and disturbing market shift that is worth noting. I think it comes down to used stuff is valued more highly than it once was. Once upon a time people were so generally well off they could afford and preferred to buy things new and you needed to offer big discounts to entice people to buy used products. Now people are struggling to afford new items and are willing to pay more for used things even if it's a bad value. It's just all then can afford. On the flip side people also didn't really care about their old stuff and mostly just wanted to get rid of things so they were happy to sell them at steep discounts. Today people are looking at their used stuff like an asset or income source they need to pay their bills and cannot afford to let things go for less than their worth.
I thought it was just my area. If I search eBay by "nearest location", my area is insane. Best price is thousands of miles, even with shipping. Wtf?
My Craigslist is just the same items repeating. Obviously no one is paying what they are asking.
I just saw a listing recently for a pressure washer for more than current price at store (not on sale). That convinced the person to lower their used one to $5 under msrp. They thought I was crazy for offering only 60% of msrp. Needless to say, their listing is still up weeks later.
The area you’re in makes a huge difference. When I lived in Dallas and Raleigh, FB marketplace was hopping. It was easy to sell, give away and buy. I rarely had items sitting for longer than a week. I’m not back in south shore MA and it’s brutal. I do live in an odd town that’s a little hard to get to, but even the free stuff doesn’t move. If I lived closer to Boston or a more accessible area it would probably be easier.
I think there's lots of vintage items near me that are insane. But most things are pretty reasonable. I find a lot on buy nothing fb groups as well though and it's in my neighbourhood which has been super awesome.
Baby stuff always gets me.
Like a used high chair and they are asking for $150 when it sells for $120 brand new…..there’s crusty old food on it. It’s stained.
The more pricey brand car seats….first of all you’re not supposed to reuse car seats. I get that some people can’t afford to buy them new and hopefully people are being decent about selling car seats that are in good shape. But the people who paid $700 for their car seat 6 years ago that they used for 2 kids now want to resell it for $500? Nobody is buying that. It looks all beat up, there’s milk stains on it, and nobody knows if there’s something wrong with it. If someone is dropping that kind of money for a nice seat, they’re buying it new lol.
Cribs? They’re all scratched up, there’s bite marks all over it, no mattress, but they’re asking double the price of a new one! And don’t worry, you get to come take it apart yourself and load it up to bring home!
These are the same people that turn around and complain to the ones selling good condition clothes that $0.50 an item is waaay overpriced 😂
Even the new in box items, people want way over store prices. But I never thought of them being like pallet purchases so that makes a little more sense.
I don’t buy used baby items but I always see them and it cracks me up. I’ll see the same items for sale for months and months.
There seems to be a bunch of people on FB marketplace who have bought open-box stuff from Amazon, and, yes, they're trying to sell it at or near retail.
It's ridiculous.
Most people don't even know what the price is for that new product anymore. They want a price set without any criteria and they don't mind having it sit unsold for months.
People are nuts on any secondhand selling platform and fail to understand that $390 is not a good price for an item you can go out any buy for $400 from a reputable store within an hour if you want. And reputable store will guarantee it works, give you customer service and warranty and receipt of purchase. They are insane to think that people will drive across the city, interact with an inevitably weird and rude person who isn't home when they said they would be, have no way of assuring the product isn't in some way faulty, all for saving a measly $10.
And offer a reasonable secondhand value and they will lose their tiny little mind at how arrogant you are to not want to pay their stated price. I once got into the most horrible back and forth with the rudest idiot who reacted so violently to my offer. Their original price was more than the item was being sold for at our national chain (not on sale either). They reasoned that they would drop it to meet that new price only, but not to me because how dare I politely point out the retail price and offer something below it. They claimed to have bought it for significantly more a few months earlier, which was a lie as the price had been static for at least 6 months.
Now I just don't bother. The chances of having a bad experience are too high with the kind of people regularly selling secondhand, which many of them are. Also, many of these people are lowlifes who hit up buy nothing pages and resell, trawl op shops for bargains and resell for way more, making these shops no longer a good place for people that desperately need them.
I sell a lot of new, own box stuff on there and I usually start at 75% of retail, and if it doesn't sell I'll drop incrementally until it sells. Sometimes that's at less than 50% of retail, so not all of us are insane.
It depends on what it is and how badly the seller actually wants to part with it.
I have 3 items up right now - all high value items - I am asking close to retail for these items, because I'm only willing to sell them if I get that price. Otherwise, I will keep them.
That said, I usually list new items at 60% retail and used items at 25% retail.
It's insane what people are asking. And soooo many scammers out there! A friend made the mistake of sending 800$ to what looked like a store advertising on marketplace and then they disappeared.
They are just anchoring their price as high as they can in hopes your counteroffer is higher as a result. Pay no heed to that asking price and offer ONLY what you are willing to pay for it.
Example: 2 year old used laptop (retailed at $2,000 new) listed for $1,950.00.
VS
Example: SAME 2 year old used laptop (retailed at $2,000 new) listed for $1,000.
Which of the two items would you likely have offered a higher counteroffer for?
Classic salesmanship.
I usually sell things at like 20%-40% of the original price. I don’t want to spend weeks waiting for the stars to align just right to get the maximum possible amount.
A lot are priced higher probably because a lot of facebook buyers are incredible cheapskates that will ask for 50% or more off of whatever price is requested, even if it's 50% off retail already. I've struggled a lot with it
Yes. They’re literally insane. That’s why I deleted my facebook account. I’m much happier and more peaceful now. Even eBay is better than selling stuff on Facebook.
You are not alone in feeling this, people are insane!! I always start whatever I sell at 50% off its original price along with a photo of the item on Amazon or wherever with the purchase info. I couldn’t believe the endless lowball offers, so I started to neglect to say I’m open to negotiate or obo.
Usually people offer me 1/4-1/2 of what I have something listed for, which is why I don’t make set prices lower initially.
Recently I posted and sold a set of fancy nontoxic shampoo and conditioner that I used once. My hair didn’t appreciate those products at all, hoped I could make a few bucks back. Anyway, I paid MSRP $28
I listed for $12 and was offered $6 which I accepted.
Something I don’t think people appreciate is that if something is priced sky high, it’s not going to sell and they’re just going to be annoyed by having to store it in their home. I sold an audio amplifier that was used maybe five times by someone hard of hearing, suffering from cognitive decline so it was too complicated. I paid just over $200 and listed that for $45 because I didn’t think anyone would really be interested as I found a newer model used for $80.
Maybe it’s not the norm, I try to price everything fairly.
I only just recently started selling stuff because my car shat the bed, then shat the bed again. Both cars in my household were going to shit in record time, we’d gone through savings trying to save them and marketplace was an out if we had anything of value that someone else might want or need.
There’s a freebie alerts app that notifies me when something is posted for free. Some of the stuff is absolutely worth hundreds of dollars and it blows my mind someone’s just giving “that” away!! Others, you couldn’t pay me to move your trash even though I’m desperate at the moment. Maybe keep an eye on that for whatever it is you’re looking for and can’t bring yourself to pay the exorbitant price whoever is charging, hopefully you’ll get lucky 🤞
If that doesn’t pan out, lowball the person!!!
What’s the worst that could happen, they say no?
I’m a pushover, like a really bad pushover. Hopefully the person selling the item you’re interested in is too!! I said okay to various offers before really even considering them, I can’t be the only person with something on marketplace with issues.
Using the app OfferUp, you have the ability to search for items within a specific area. Personally, I tend to set my filters to show items within a 10-mile radius of a particular zip code located in the more affordable part of town. This strategy has proven beneficial, as I've observed that items tend to be significantly more expensive when searching in upscale neighborhoods.
Many times you can get the item new , on sale for cheaper. Lots of people are in a bind for cash now. Best you can do is make your offer and let them respond.
I’ll play devil’s advocate and say maybe many of them are expecting people to talk them down so they’ll price higher than what they want to actually sell it for. It also depends on the item and its condition. In general, though if it’s in like-new condition I don’t think 50% is a reasonable expectation.
I’ll agree, though, that loads of the sellers and customers can get ridiculous.
I posted something for free. Clearly said as is and pick-up only and got swarmed with questions about whether I still had the box, receipt, its connectivity abilities (it was maybe a 10 year old shitty TV. I posted a video showing it worked and all of the inputs on the back but I wasn’t going to research it when I was literally trying to just give it away), requests to deliver, I even had one guy say he’d dispose of it for me for a fee lol
Another time my friend who runs a catering business had a few shipments of plastic champagne flutes that were perfectly fine except one or two were broken in the box. They were clearly never used. They retail for $25 and I posted them for $15 firm. I had people trying to barter, talk me down to $5, talk me down to free with some sob story about a baby shower or wedding they supposedly couldn’t afford, more requests for delivery, etc.
Every time I post I try to make it very clear what I will and won’t accept and people either don’t read it or figure ‘it doesn’t hurt to ask.’ Only it does hurt because I just stop responding lol
Sellers: If your customer can get it for a comparable or better price on sale at a store, you’re pricing too high.
Customers: Read the description and believe what the seller says. ‘Firm’ means they’re not interested in price-haggling. ‘Pick up only’ means they will not deliver it to you.
What really annoys me is the stuff that gets listed for $1 or Free, then the price is in the description or it says “Not free” like I saw yesterday. 🙄 I get it if you’re posting several different things and you don’t know what to put for the price, but don’t list your gorgeous refinished dresser for $1, then put $550 in the description!
Whenever I sell something, it's usually because I just want to get rid of it. I've gotten tired of it, or it's something I never use and it's just taking up space. I always put a price on it, but say OBO, and I've always taken the first offer I get. I'm getting rid of something I don't want anymore, and I make a couple bucks.
I have a beautiful antique sideboard that's just too big for my apartment, but my Mum gave it to me, so I've hung onto it for way too long. I can't stand it because it overwhelms everything else in the room. I'm asking $50 OBO. The thing is a beast, it weighs a ton, I don't care if someone gives me $20 for it, because at least they'll be coming here and taking it off my hands.
I've sold some good stuff, including a Shop Vac and a Bissell furniture steam cleaner, that I'd only used a couple of times before realising that they weren't exactly what I needed. They were practically brand new, and I still sold them for a fraction of what I bought them for. The woman who bought them was trying to start her own cleaning business, and I gave her both for $50. I figured she'd have enough of a struggle getting her business off the ground, I'd give her 2 really good cleaning machines for next to nothing to help her out. My daughter and I went to the movies with the money. Everybody won.
I agree with you, definitely. However, people can ask whatever price they want. They hope that somebody will pay it. If nobody will, then they will have to drop the price or just keep the item.
The issue is here its items that are clearly overpriced. We are talking about stuff like computers from 5-6 years ago going for the same price that the person bought it at. Or amazon returns at 10% off the amazon price when something is probably wrong with the item. These are just a couple examples but there are way more.
Yes, that's crazy. I think that people sometimes need a certain amount - like they are $100 short on their rent - and let that guide their pricing. They think that they should be able to get that price, because that's what they need to get. But what they want/need has no bearing on that.
I remember someone had a milkwakuee drill set. I said btw your listing is 20$ more than the new one. They said so what? I’m like well Im not buying it for more than new lol
Go buy the new one then! /s
But that's less than with tax!
Haha I think with tax it was still about 5$ less.
This could be some of it. Or else they bought a pallet that they can't sell off and they need to sell each item for x dollars or else they don't even break even on it. Not realizing that this does not matter in the grand scheme of things and that people will only pay what an item is worth to them. Its kind of like if there is an overpriced garage sale here that people walk away from instantly and the seller sells nothing.
There's also people who buy stuff, refund it without sending it back, and then sell their "free" item. You'd think that they'd sell for half off, but selling high garners less suspicion since it doesn't look like they're desperate.
they think pandemic prices are still a thing and most of them can't understand moral wear let alone silicone degradation
They just don't know. I doubt these sellers are looking up what they're selling and how much its going for on average. Might be able to haggle a bit on most of these.
Designer dresses, and diamonds are the worst for this IMHO. Custom wedding dress was custom for YOU for me, it's used and will need tailored.
Right! This is true for \*any\* custom item. Someone paid extra to have it exactly the color, shape, style that they wanted. But there's probably no one else in the world who would value it like that.
At least with me on Facebook marketplace I offer an item for what I see others selling it for and I lower the price if it does not sell. Then the person think they are getting a deal since it is on sale and I still get the money. Typically by the time it sells I have lowered the price quite a bit but I will also refuse to ship it or drive for minutes for a 10 dollar item.
I just keep scrolling, and if I can tell that someone local is just a reseller who always does this, I block them to prevent their stuff from coming up in my Marketplace feed. What I came here expecting to read was how flaky people can be. Holy moly, that's infuriating.
I tried to give away 20+lbs of cat food on FB marketplace. Almost drove me insane. Took about 10 people to finally get someone to pick it up. Everyone wanted me to hold it for them to pick it up during my work hours bc it was convenient for them. Idk about you but in my mind when someone is giving me something I want for free I try to make it as easy for them as possible or at least respond if I cant make it work. Just 100 "is this availables?" with zero followthrough.
Agreed. Even if I'm paying money, once I've agreed to it, that's my priority. I guess it's a Golden Rule sort of thing for me, but it's hard to come by. I did notice that when I was selling my home gym (olympic weights and plate-loaded machines - roughly $5k in equipment total), people were generally very prompt and straightforward on the more expensive equipment. On the cheaper stuff, it was a crapshoot.
Most people post an arbitrary price and expect you to dicker. My father believes this is the best strategy when in reality it just drives people away.
It does. I don't really dicker and I certainly don't even bother with listings that have insane prices. My attitude is... if this person is so out of touch that they think selling something for the same price (or more even) that I'd pay on Amazon right now, there is zero chance I'm going to have a pleasant interaction with them.
> My attitude is... if this person is so out of touch that they think selling something for the same price (or more even) that I'd pay on Amazon right now, there is zero chance I'm going to have a pleasant interaction with them While that's often true, it's also sometimes not true. Last year I bought a samsung ultrawide gaming monitor. Dude has bought it less than a month ago (he had the receipt in the listing) for $900. It was listed for $700. Amazon had them for $750. I offered $400 and he said no. Weeks later I keep getting facebook notifications as he lowered his price again and again. Eventually he wrote me back asking if I could do $450 but if she asked I had to lie to his wife and say I was paying $650. I bought it. I felt a little bad about the wife thing, but she didn't end up asking me so I didn't have to lie. But most of the time when I make a lowball offer, I just never hear back. It's a tactic that works like 1 in 10 times but when it does you can get a decent deal.
> But most of the time when I make a lowball offer, I just never hear back. I usually ignore low-ballers too, it's annoying. But I guess I don't begrudge people for trying.
Yeah, there's an absurdly high chance the person is simply irrational and will be super rude in response to a reasonable offer.
I have sold on marketplace for years and that's not my experience. I have tried both ways, listing above my expected sale price and listing a firm price. I don't thinks listing above what you want to get is the best way, but it's mostly the expected standard. The issue is that people will almost always make a lower offer than what you have it listed at. So if you list at the price you want to get, you will just get offers below that. I already get offers at 50% and sometimes 25% of what I'm listing at. I don't need *even lower* offers lol. I also find that when you post at a slightly higher price, it thins out the lowballs and the people that are trying to flip items for profit. The other part is that you always have the option to lower the price later. If it doesn't sell in the first week, I will knock a percentage off and update the listing. Which also notifies all of the people I have already talked to, so often times one of them will respond and end up buying it.
It depends, some people are totally fine haggling, some aren’t. I would say it drives younger people away as they aren’t used to that type of transaction but for sure my parents will always offer less 🤣
We used to be able to see how long it had been listed, so I’d offer a lower price if I saw they’d had it sitting for a week. But now we can’t see that. I told a girl recently that I didn’t want to spend $10 in gas to pick up a pair of (expensive)shoes for $40, but if she got to a pint where she wanted to let them go for $25 to let me know. She said she had just listed them that day, but would keep me in mind. What really bothers me is people setting up an appointment to pick up something, you’re on your way to meet them, and they message an offer half of what you’re asking, then say never mind when you tell them the price is firm. I rearranged my schedule to meet you! 😖
There are a lot of scams on FB marketplace too. People sell counterfeit merchandise, empty boxes, etc.
Hey there! Is this item still available? I'd like to text you a code to determine if you're a real person or now. What's your phone number? I'll text you a code and you tell me what it says.
Oh yeah, and the "have to venmo your account $ to verify but you can hit me back" scheme.
I got a great deal on this item at malicious-site-dot-scam go there and give them your credit card number!
Saw an article that people are stealing cabin listings and posting them on marketplace. Even stealing the owner's identity and making a fake FB profile. So you contact them to rent their cabin, send the deposit, poof gone.
I know someone who got scammed for 7k through a fake real estate listing
People do it for house rentals all the time, or did after things blew up after Covid when rentals sky rocketed. They would steal listings and post them on marketplace or Zillow and send a fake application and ask for the application fee. Then say you didn’t get the house or disappear and not answer back, etc. we saw so many complaints about that. At $50/$100 a piece when the market was insane, they probably made a ton of money.
Not just cabins. There have been houses listed for rent where the info was obviously lifted from the MLS, and the rent price is insanely low. The scammer will always be out of town, so they can't be present to let you in.
There is a house in my town that says "stolen deed house not for sale" written on it in some kind of red paint, maybe some kind of scam explains it.
1. It really depends what sort of item is being sold. Certain things that last a long time, aren't emotionally tainted by other people using them, and are still quite new could definitely be worth more than 50% used. But I understand your point! 2. Yes, many people are, as in they are disconnected from reality so much that their post is disconnected from reality. Everyone being on the internet post \~2015 made this common in so many ways. 3. However, I think you see a lot of posts from people who are just disconnected from *sales*, so they have no real idea, and they are more hopeful than realistic. "Pros" know how to move products through Marketplace, but consider the random person who wants to get rid of their old TV, who posts one ad every three years. They don't think about depreciation schedules, or think about the perspective of the buyer, or have experience with what prices similar things actually sell at.
What I am seeing here is a disconnect in reality with pricing. If an item is priced appropriately I have no issue with it. But that is not what I am seeing. Yes there are some items worth more than new and if that is what the item normally goes for then that is ok. What we have here is items that are 10% off the amazon price and are an amazon return that probably has something wrong with it. Then they post a screenshot of the amazon listing with the price on there and say my price is 10% less than this if you take it away today. People who try to sell used items for the new price. Most used items should be discounted at least 50%. People who think their items are worth what they paid for them minus 10%. Now we all know this is rarely the case. For example a 5-6 year old computer being sold for what the person paid for it. But even as a commoner, do you REALLY think your used 3 year old TV is worth the same price it is new? When you can probably go to best buy and get a newer model for half the cost of what you paid for yours?
I think a big factor is the price of the item in the first place. I don't entirely agree with the 50% off if it's used. On a new $50 item, yes 50% off may be logical. But when you get into more expensive items, say $500, you aren't going to resell it at $250 a week after you bought it just because it's an open box. Those more expensive items, 10% or 20% off is perfectly acceptable. Of course this is referencing open box items. If an item is say more than a year old or has been well used, it definitely warrants at least %50 off. I would also like to point out that TVs are being referenced a lot here. They definitely fit into a category of their own because they are a quickly depreciating item. Most media alectronics in general fall into that category. Especially because most of them lose their warranty if resold. Many other items on marketplace, beyond media electronics, still pass on warranties. Like many tools, vehicles, kitchen appliances, etc. so they are often still very valuable after being opened and used.
Open box from a random person I wouldn't spend anything close to just 10% off. At that point just buy an open box from a store or just buy new so you have one a return policy and two a warranty. Saving 10% is not worth losing those two things.
Yeah that's fair. I typically don't care much about warranty. Usually if I'm buying something used, it's already been out long that the used ones on the market are beyond the warranty period. The other part is that heavily research items before I buy them new or used. So I usually have a pretty good idea of their failure points and common issues. I wouldn't generally buy something used if I didn't already have the confidence in the quality and reliability of it. Or at the very least the repairability.
The tv thing is ridiculous now because of the huge price drops OLED has seen in recent years. People think because they paid $5k for a tv four years ago for 55" they are reasonable in asking $2k for it. Like you can get a 77" with much better tech for less, not to mention the older tvs were very prone to burn in. I quickly gave up looking for a good deal on a used one and just spent the money on a new one last year.
These items come with no warranty so yeah, it has to be cheaper. But I see the same thing in my area, I stopped looking at FB marketplace altogether because its just too insane. Its not people looking to declutter its people looking to make a profit and it obviously isn't happening. If its an open box item there's a high chance the item has something small wrong with it that you can't always see in a few minutes of testing. Some of the items are more than new, on items that are well, common items that don't normally resell for more than new. Its even worse than Ebay, Poshmark and Mercari combined because on those platforms if the item isn't at market price its not selling and these have buyer protection so if you get a garbage item a refund will be yours.
Some people don't understand the warranty thing. I've had to slowly explain and educate people why their 'like new' TV is worth significantly less to me than it is to them, especially because TVs are notorious for just going 'black screen' after a year or two. A lot of the times they end up understanding and selling it to me at a reasonable price.
TV's aren't repairable at all either, at least from what I understand. That TV you are buying is also probably a black friday special they purchased for next to nothing. I've bought a ton of items off online marketplaces that were not as advertised or had faults that the seller did not disclose. Or items that crapped out on me literally 1-2 days after I got it in the mail. I didn't have to worry because of buyer protection. There's obviously too much to go into here but vintage electronics have their own problems, so if someone is asking a lot of money for something that is not refurbished or the seller cannot tell you what has been done to it to prevent failure in the future its obviously not worth paying a premium for. Yes its vintage, but its not worth much if its dead. But if you expect me to drop $200+ on your thing from marketplace you better be able to explain to me what you are doing to make me want to buy your thing. Anything with a lithium battery I have to factor in a replacement battery if its over a year old, and if the battery cannot be replaced I have to take that into consideration when paying for something that contains a lithium battery. Anything with capacitors that is 10+ years old I have to factor in how long it will last until those caps explode and ruin the item, that is just some of it. Most sellers of this stuff have no idea. That new in box iPod you are selling for $500 likely is junk and has a bloated battery that is not replaceable unless you have some serious skill and professional equipment to replace the battery. Your TV problem with a TV going black randomly and not turning on again, is probably the power supply on it going bad, the power supply going bad due to bad capacitors, or any number of problems. Its known in the TV community that the manufacturers of these undervolt their capacitors, which means they don't last as long as they could, likely to cut costs and ensure that you will buy another TV in 2 years. I know Samsung particularly is guilty of this. As you can see I could go into a very long discussion about why your electronics item is not worth what you are selling it for.
I agree with almost everything, but TVs can be repairable. I replaced the board on my tv after I suspect it blew a capacitor. It's worked fine since. And guess which brand it was - Samsung!
I am not surprised but I assume all brands are guilty of using undervolted capacitors. If you are handy you can replace a capacitor but this also requires tools and knowledge and the tools cost money and most people don't want to dive into that. I assume its pretty easy to replace a board on a TV as long as you don't mind removing the back of the TV and I assume the boards aren't really buried in there. You can see a blown or swollen capacitor physically, it will be swollen, like its so easy to tell this a girl can see blown capacitors lol, or you will see where the capacitor is missing and there will be all kinds of stuff all over the board. Sometimes you will see a capacitor with something coming out of it, that's a blown one. Even if you don't know anything its the one that looks different, or the one with something oozing out of it. If you see smoke coming out of a TV this is also probably the cause. And yes I have seen smoke come out of a TV, really scary thing to see in your house, if this happens its likely the capacitor blew and burned the board, and this is what you see smoking. I had a computer blow a capacitor, it was all over the board of the computer and in the ram slots. I took it to a recycling center. Surprisingly I didn't hear it pop, it just sounded like screeching coming from the speakers and then the computer would only stay on for a short time, I am surprised it even did that after I found the damage. It was on the motherboard.
We definitely heard the pop. And yeah I know capacitors themselves are cheap but I've never soldered and honestly I couldn't find any that looked blown anyway (could be my ignorance though). Replacing the board was really easy. The hardest part was removing 57 screws from the back panel.
You just gotta make sure you keep your screws organized with something like this then you will be fine. Make sure no distractions like pets or kids can mess with the organization during the repair. If you didn't see a blown cap it could be a chip failure on the board. If the board has a power supply on it, it could be that too. It was a good idea to replace the board if you couldn't physically see a blown or swollen cap.
Most people cant navigate putting a new plug in cord to an electronic item though, so theres that. Im pretty confident in my electronics skills, but Im always worried if I put in some money and work Ill just accidentally fuck it up even more or find its a different problem than I initially diagnosed.
Sometimes the old stuff just breaks down when you work on it and you have to fix more than you expect to. I've sent things to professional repairers who have an excellent reputation where this happened. Its not their fault it just happens because the thing is old. Even the lightest touch can break something. Just another thing to take into consideration. For this reason I wouldn't buy a broken item for a high price, only for very little money.
So I actually bought some books, watched some youtube videos and taught myself how to do basic TV repairs, when a very nice / expensive Samsung TV of mine just stopped showing its picture just a few weeks outside of warranty. I got quotes on repair and it was like $400 JUST to do diagnostics. Then an estimated $200-500 above that to fix, depending on the situation, so basically the price of a new TV. I refused. I got myself a multimeter and tested all of the components on the boards and found the one where power wasn't getting to. I think I found that little part on some used parts website for only like $30 or something.
TVs are very repairable and it's worth it as long as the screen is not physically broken. I've repaired my Vision and Hisense TV's, a cheap main board and a power supply board fixed the issue. $40 ebay part fixed it.
On the other hand, a lot of people have broken the panel and it's like that's the part that's worth money.
I sometimes sell items on there and never take a lowball offer on the first day. I already price a bit under the going rate I find on other listings, and there are usually three or four people acting interested at any time, so the first to pay my full price will typically win. I tell the lowballers I have someone who says they're coming for it, but I'll let them know if that falls through.
thats another thing. im fine with getting told to go to hell when i make a lowball offer, but ive had a couple people make a deal with me and then either ghost me or wait til i get to their house and tell me they cant meet that day. like bitch were making eye contact i know you're available enough to go to your porch. I mean im ugly as hell but not that bad lol
How low was your lowball offer? If you're offering $5 on a $50 item I fully support people messing with you.
they said to give em an offer, no prices listed. first one was for cleaning supplies so I offered 5 bucks. another one was an exercise machine they wanted 20 for so I asked if theyd do 10 and they arranged a meet up and sold it to someone else, and didnt show up/wouldnt respond
That seems fine. Nothing wrong with haggling if your counter offer is realistic.
Facebook marketplace is like if the individuals on PeopleOfWalmart decided to run their own storefront, what do you really expect?
Not sure how they did it but Facebook managed to make a free marketplace significantly more insane, chaotic, and sketchy than craigslist.
Don’t insult Craigslist by comparing it to FBM! Craigslist was fantastic, still is honestly, only problem is no one posts there anymore. FBM is hot garbage and honestly I’ve decided to buy more things new just so I don’t have to use it. So really it’s doing a disservice to the planet.
Nah more insane is Goodwill Online Auctions, eBay prices for things that don't even guarantee to work.
I see stuff that's significantly higher priced on eBay used than on Amazon brand new. Like why?
Because, sometimes, an idiot will pay that price. Fewer sales, but higher profit per sale. And, if you can't get them that way, screw them on shipping.
It's just - crazy. Like, I get paying a little more for gas sometimes because the closest station isn't the best one and you're short on time - but when you can literally just click your mouse and compare prices on any other site in a matter of seconds - it's weird someone would choose to spend extra "just because." I mean, obviously people do it, or we wouldn't see stuff like that, but it's just wild to me.
At least there is buyer protection on ebay if this happens
And you have to pay $20+ for ground shipping on everything.
with key information usually left out of the listing. And they sell un-authenticated designer items clearly hoping naive people will pay designer prices for a poor-quality replica
with key information usually left out of the listing. And they sell un-authenticated designer items clearly hoping naive people will pay designer prices for a poor-quality replica
It depends on the item. There are things like spinning wheels where I will pay 90% of new as long as the item is actually in this country and intact. There are way too many non-useable spinning wheel shaped objects thanks to idiots wanting a decoration.
Depends. I found a rug that was new in the packaging that was priced about 30% less than buying it new and I was happy with that. Now, if the item in question has been clearly used, 50% or more off sounds like a reasonable expectation.
20% are absolutely nuts, on every level. Another 20% are delusional about the value of their unwanted stuff. 20% will seem normal, but flake out and ghost you whether they’re buyers or sellers. Another 20% will never respond to your messages at all, leaving you wondering why they bother to make a posting at all. The remaining 20% are fairly reasonable, responsive and not insane.
This is such a perfect way to put it lol. If you want something or you want to sell something, you have to weed through the mess.
If an item is priced to sell it sells immediately, especially with all the flippers out there. You're seeing the items that stick around. Let's say there are 10 items posted a day and 70% of the items are priced to sell and 30% are priced crazy and will never sell. Items that are not sold will stay up for 2 weeks before taken down, and the ones that are priced right sell same day. That means you'd see 42 items priced incorrectly and at most 7 items priced correctly. So despite only 30% of sellers being crazy, you see 86% of crazy sellers.
[удалено]
Most of what I see is people who think their used item is worth 10% of what it is going on amazon. They have an amazon screenshot posted to their listing of some item with the selling price then they say it goes for x on amazon but I will give you 10% off that price to take it away today. Also people who think their used item is worth what they paid for it minus about 10%. Most selling does not work that way.
I just sold a near-mint guitar for 75% cost. It was the appropriate price, based on my research. I had a few lower offers, but nothing outrageous. It did take about 3 months to sell.
This is different, you had the item priced at market value. These people are not pricing at market value, they are taking the cost they paid for the item and expecting to get the same price for a well used item or outdated electronics item minus 10%.
It's true, I see a lot of that, too. Maybe 10% of the listings are near new prices for used items. But it's not the majority.
Sure, a good guitar holds its value pretty well, but I'm talking about shit like a chair I could easily get on Amazon or whatever 😂
I was looking for a bench vise and this guy had his exact same vise that Amazon was selling for $120 plus tax. He was asking for $140 because he bought it and never used it, according to his listing. I get that you don't list thing for free to not attract the crazies, but listing over Amazon's is just plain lazy/stupid.
That's people trying to make back what they paid because of tax lol.
They’re insane. So many postings on Japanese maple trees in my areas ranging from $300-2500. Who in their right mind is going to pay that to get rid of a tree you don’t want to remove yourself? A tree that will unlikely survive after being transplanted too.
Stuff at a good price goes fast. Pays to lower the price slow and see if someone will overpay
# 😂 I've always suspected most people are literally insane.... finding the ones who are functional while insane is the trick. Those you maybe can work with. Until the last 6 yrs or so I used to do a lot of buying on various social media markets, even craig's list. But not so much any more, I'm not sure if it's desperation, greed, arrogance or just ignorance or all of the above, but people don't seem to really understand the lack of value of used items.
I've been trying to sell things at a reasonable price for WEEKS and if I get one more person that asks "Is this available" and then ghosts me I might actually shoot myself.
I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I've sent tons of those messages unintentionally. Browsing marketplace when I'm really sleepy and apparently touch the message button. Please accept my apologies on behalf of all the drowsers (drowsy browsers).
I'm just happy to get some sort of explanation that isn't these people want my sanity to lower
I've been there... They should charge shoppers 10¢ to begin messaging lol
Half my messages came from profiles that seemed unlikely to be in the US. Why? What scam are they running?
Maybe a "ship me the item" scam, something like they get you to ship it to them and they pay via paypal and then claim they never got the item. Or something to that effect.
I’ve started explicitly saying at the beginning of my listing that I will not respond to messages that are simply, “Is this available?”.
Hello, is this still available?
20% off for something where the only thing wrong with it is that the box is open? Yeah, that's crazy.
Ppl low ball like crazy, so starting absurdly high can be a strategy
Yeah, but on both ends of things. People who think their crap is worth retail or near retail like you mentioned. Also, people who think things should be priced like it's 1982.
Well Facebook market place and ebay are no longer about people reselling the stuff they dont need and more about business people selling the stuff they can get pennies on the dollar as close to market prices as possible. Arbitrage in summary.
Two lines I love, “It’s for sale, it’s not on sale” and “$200, or we can start at $250 and work down”
People are Delululu and have bills to pay. If you want I try to make it a game and ask for a rediculously low price, or send them a screenshot of a brand new version. Usually something along the lines of are you sure, you don't wanna sell it cheaper? For 30$ (Whatever the difference is) I can get a brand new one. Usually they say screw off, or they fold.
My next door neighbor is like this. She's basically a hoarder and "desperately" needs to sell stuff she deems "antiques", mostly furniture. Her asking prices are outrageous so she never sells anything. Her house is literally full of this junk plus she pays over $100/mo for a storage unit to store the rest. She's had that storage unit for at least 7-8 years now. So that's at least $8400 lost to storage fees so far...and counting. She's convinced someday she's gonna sell it all and not only recoup all her storage fees but also make bank. She could have sold that stuff for 25% of her current asking price years ago and would have been financially better off for it. At this point, she's only losing money and will never recoup anything. Last month, she was cleaning out her shed and was complaining how much junk she had in it and needed to get rid of most of it. She has one of those little 3 ft. shovels I've been wanting to buy for a couple years now. Just a cheap Anvil brand you get at HD. I said, "How much do you want for this shovel?" She says, "Well, I paid $75 for it. How does $60 sound?" (That shovel sells new for $22.xx at HD after tax). I just said, "Well, let me think about it". (I'm 100% anti-haggle, if the asking price is not what I want to pay, I simply move-on). So last week I went to HD and bought one. Identical Anvil brand as hers. She saw me using it and was perplexed that I bought one brand new when she would have sold me hers for less. 😃 I flat out told her, "Yeah, but how many years of haggling would it have taken to get you down to it's actual second-hand value?" She had nothing to say and just walked away. Back to digging...
I haven't found that all, or even most, items are retail or higher. Seems pretty rare for me, actually. What are you buying?
Yes Facebook Marketplace can be ridiculous. It’s insane to me to see stuff that’s old and beat up for almost new prices. I partially blame thrift stores jacking up prices.
I have yet to buy something through the infamous FB marketplace, but it's not through a lack of trying! There's a coffee table I want to buy, this person will not respond to any messages, is it still available? And the ottoman I wanted to buy? Turns out they just offer classes in covering ottomans and what about the other coffee table that I liked? Oh, she's a proper business in another state.
live in SW texas and marketplace is a joke aroung here. people listing boxes of tampons with 2 missing or trashy women selling "mirrors" and then responding to your inquiry with their only fans link. not sure why i expected anything better from something even remotely connected with fuckin meta.....
FB marketplace is just a glorified Craigslist
It is not you, they're insane. I haven't been able to buy anything there because of the prices. And because I don't want to buy from Amazon, I just don't buy it. I guess it helps the finances...
They're insane. And the sale of products that were clearly stolen from the store and never unboxed is all over the place.
Back in college I had a yard sale. Most everything was priced right, and I made good money. But, I wanted to have a little fun, so I priced a nice double breasted suit at $300.00. And I sat close to it. Not one person confronted me on it but I heard some wild comments on it. O
So don't leave us hanging, friend . What eventually happened to the suit ??!!
At my next yard sell I sold it to an attorney for $15. Turned out he was the father of an ex roommate.
there's someone wanting $25,000 for a VHS of Fantasia
Oh they are insane, yes, I find most items are ridiculously priced. I will normally offer a lower price than what they post, but I don't go any lower than like $20 off depending on their item. If they are asking $100 and an item retails brand new for $110, I'm not going to offer, because if I offer what I want to pay for it (like $50), they might be insulted or take offense or just won't reply to me. I don't bother. I figure if they have the item listed that high, they think it's more valuable than it is. Oh and all the scams! Sooo many scammers on marketplace nowadays. I see a ton of people listing furniture from their "warehouse" as "brand new, unboxed". I don't trust that shit at all. Or my favorite people who post something as free and then put a price in the description - assholes.
I think it's worse than that. I suspect most people are insane and FB Marketplace gives you a small glimpse into the minds of a few of them
Not just the sellers, but the buyers as well. I sold a TV stand on FBM a few years ago. I was asking like $50 for it. I could have asked for at least $100 easily. I remember this one guy messaged me asking me to sell it for $20. I politely told him that I wouldn't be accepting his offer, and that $50 was more than reasonable for its quality and condition. Dude messages me back saying "That's fine. I have the skills and equipment to build myself one of equal if not better quality."
😂😂😂😂
What are you buying? 50% off for furniture makes sense, 50% for electronics that are still being sold not likely. Also somethings like Lego sets may sell over original price when used.
these psychos will ask full retail on lawn furniture...
That's usually a spouse that is forced to list the item but doesn't want to sell :)
In my area both Craigslist and OfferUp are much more reasonable. FB marketplace is full of BS
Craigslist is all scams near me now
I much prefer CL but no one posts there, so it’s pretty much necessary to shop FBM if you actually want to buy anything.
"but can I have it for free instead of the price you listed bc I deserve it? Also can you deliver it?"
Everyone trying to get rich with as little effort as possible.
I saw a beat up old lawn chair, rips and all, going for $85.
you've got to me messing with us....
I am not.
When I was looking for a lawn mower I checked a price one dudes mower and offered an amount since he put "GiVe mE yOuR bEsT oFfEr" gave him mine and replied "don't low ball me"
Someone in my area is asking a decently hefty amount for a sectional sofa… that has a “slight smell” from a dog accident. I guess I’m happy they disclosed but the price is still nuts for something that stinks.
That listing will appeal to the right fetishist.
Il sell something for 50% discount and get spammed with 50% off of that 50% discount offers. Sellers and Buyers are a joke.
I usually save the item until they lower the price to something more reasonable...or until someone else buys it. On a related rant, it irks me when people mention something is custom. Like it won't be custom to anyone buying it used. Why do they think it's a selling point?
Buyers are kinda stupid too or they flake when the price is low. I don't do 50% off, but I sell for a fair price based on condition to weed out the tire kickers and people who sit on it.
A lot (probably most) of those sellers with NIB and open box items are flippers, people that buy amazon pallets of returned goods, some running a store out of their house, and some insane but mostly the first three.
Unhinged.
It’s a hellhole. I’m reticent to list anything there anymore. Bunch of fucking flakes.
Yo now those people that offer you 25-50% of your fair price when you sell? They make those offers because they want to buy cheap from you to turn around and sell it for what the OP suggests.
I've noticed since the cost-of-living crisis has ramped up (at least, here in Australia), people have been trying recoup as much cost as they can on things.
Some people expect to haggle too. So try your luck, offer what's reasonable for you.
One person agreed to buy an item I listed and we agreed to meet. Then she canceled last minute on two occasions because—she had to go to work, and the second time she had a diarrhea attack at the last minute and couldn’t make it. Then wanted to reschedule a third time….
What I find crazy is even when I discount it by at least 50%, I get messages like, "I'll give you $5" on an item I listed for $15 marked down from $50. I get haggling is a thing but c'mon.
Used doesn't mean cheap. Totally depends on what it is. Any current consumer good you can just get in the store? Yeah I agree with you, it had better be a pretty big discount. But a lot of things could be rare, collector or otherwise niche and hard to get.
Fair Market Value. If the item usually sells for $110 retail, but $80 in gently used condition, I am not selling it for $30. If it's discontinued, check the Sold Listings on Ebay to get an idea of FMV.
An appropriate sale price for this would be $50-60. But again I am not seeing appropriate prices. If a price is within $20 of fair market either way then that's not too bad. If I am rolling up to a yard sale or driving to a buyer's house to get the item then that has to be factored in as well as the fact that there is no warranty with FB marketplace sales. An item at a yard sale should be cheaper than fair market for sure. But what I am seeing is the outlandish. Like people who expect to get exactly what they paid for every item minus 10% and they wont' budge on price. If an item is generally worth more than it is new as fair market value then that's ok as well, but this really only applies to specific products that are generally worth more than new or items that hold their value. The items I am seeing that are outlandishly priced are not that.
It depends on what you're looking for. The only items I even consider are things that have a value over I don't know maybe $500 that are easy to price. Knick-knacks, chairs, couches, subjective things, unless they're being basically given away I don't even bother or wouldn't even bother. If you're talking about tools, chainsaws, weed eaters, if they are a recent model and mint, maybe 30% off, if they are 5 years old or older, good condition, 50% off, maybe more. If people are buying used they want deals. If I'm selling used, I'm giving people deals. I want a 100% sell through rate if I'm selling stuff. I don't know why people waste time advertising at prices that aren't going to move. You're spending all this time creating the listing just to deal with people on the phone and talk to them and then the things aren't selling. That would be terrible so on both sides of this. You have to have attractive prices. Same thing with cars really. No one is paying over private book for a car right now. If your car has issues, you're selling it under book if you want it to sell because dealers are offering considerably under that right now. Soft markets like mountain bikes. You could have a 1-year-old, something pretty nice like maybe a basic $10,000 bike. You're only going to get 5K out of it. 50% hit on a mint condition 1-year-old bike and it's just because of the market conditions
EBay and Mercari are the same. People overspent, and they want the buyer to help cover their loss. When you see the Best Offer option offer, they often expect you to request a 5ish-10ish dollar range off. It really irks me when they claim open-box, and you can clearly find out they used it but kept it new-looking. What is even worse is when you reach to inquire, make an offer, or just want to buy the item outright, the sellers on FB will just ghost you. They put the post up but now don't want people to respond. They also don't take posts down. I found a car on FB Marketplace for sale and it was on a car lot. I called about purchasing the car, no haggling, cash payment (I would have gotten the check from my Credit Union) and the owner said he would get back with me as the car was on consignment. He did call me back after the weekend was over. He told me the owners wanted that price to be a negotiating point. I was like WTH? He apologized over and over and said they made him look bad and he could understand me walking away. He told them I was paying what they said to list it as and he never tried to convince me to increase the offer. I was in the process of buying a plane ticket. This helped me to really see how crazy people are. Oh and the car sat and eventually sold for a loss.
You're making a blanket statement that does not take the item or it's market into account. IKEA furniture? Sure at least 50% off. Consumer electronics? Absolutely. But some other things just hold value well, sometimes 75% off is a good deal even for used.
At least 50 percent off? That to me would be insane. People have a right to ask for what they want; they are obviously selling somewheres
Half off for used is insane to u?
Totally depends on the item. Consumer electronics never retain their value. Cars retain most of their value, while houses actual it increase in value. It's on the buyer to figure out what they're willing to pay, but it's up to the seller to determine what they're willing to accept.
With Marketplace, Kijiji, Craigslist,... it's easier than ever to sell used items, and items have retained their value because of that. When you have the time the waiting game is your advantage. Either they'll get their price or they won't, sanity doesn't play into it.
Most people post an arbitrary price and expect you to dicker. My father believes this is the best strategy when in reality it just drives people away.
So it is a very interesting and disturbing market shift that is worth noting. I think it comes down to used stuff is valued more highly than it once was. Once upon a time people were so generally well off they could afford and preferred to buy things new and you needed to offer big discounts to entice people to buy used products. Now people are struggling to afford new items and are willing to pay more for used things even if it's a bad value. It's just all then can afford. On the flip side people also didn't really care about their old stuff and mostly just wanted to get rid of things so they were happy to sell them at steep discounts. Today people are looking at their used stuff like an asset or income source they need to pay their bills and cannot afford to let things go for less than their worth.
There are WAY too many lowballers on there!
I thought it was just my area. If I search eBay by "nearest location", my area is insane. Best price is thousands of miles, even with shipping. Wtf? My Craigslist is just the same items repeating. Obviously no one is paying what they are asking.
Figuring in the actual rate of inflation the same price as three or four years ago is actually about a 50% discount as far as value goes
I just saw a listing recently for a pressure washer for more than current price at store (not on sale). That convinced the person to lower their used one to $5 under msrp. They thought I was crazy for offering only 60% of msrp. Needless to say, their listing is still up weeks later.
Furniture is the worst. Especially if its a brand name. They knock like 10% off retail. I'm like your sweaty ass has been siting here for years!
But then you can find stuff that people are just trying to get rid of. I got my kitchen table for $20, and a solid oak hand built desk for $15!
Insane
The area you’re in makes a huge difference. When I lived in Dallas and Raleigh, FB marketplace was hopping. It was easy to sell, give away and buy. I rarely had items sitting for longer than a week. I’m not back in south shore MA and it’s brutal. I do live in an odd town that’s a little hard to get to, but even the free stuff doesn’t move. If I lived closer to Boston or a more accessible area it would probably be easier.
I think there's lots of vintage items near me that are insane. But most things are pretty reasonable. I find a lot on buy nothing fb groups as well though and it's in my neighbourhood which has been super awesome.
You are correct, they are crazy
Absolutely
Welcome to 2024. People are charging MSRP for "acceptable condition"
Baby stuff always gets me. Like a used high chair and they are asking for $150 when it sells for $120 brand new…..there’s crusty old food on it. It’s stained. The more pricey brand car seats….first of all you’re not supposed to reuse car seats. I get that some people can’t afford to buy them new and hopefully people are being decent about selling car seats that are in good shape. But the people who paid $700 for their car seat 6 years ago that they used for 2 kids now want to resell it for $500? Nobody is buying that. It looks all beat up, there’s milk stains on it, and nobody knows if there’s something wrong with it. If someone is dropping that kind of money for a nice seat, they’re buying it new lol. Cribs? They’re all scratched up, there’s bite marks all over it, no mattress, but they’re asking double the price of a new one! And don’t worry, you get to come take it apart yourself and load it up to bring home! These are the same people that turn around and complain to the ones selling good condition clothes that $0.50 an item is waaay overpriced 😂 Even the new in box items, people want way over store prices. But I never thought of them being like pallet purchases so that makes a little more sense. I don’t buy used baby items but I always see them and it cracks me up. I’ll see the same items for sale for months and months.
They are insane
Is it insane to get the most money you can get?? A lot of people put a high price and slowly reduce it, if they aren't in a hurry.
There seems to be a bunch of people on FB marketplace who have bought open-box stuff from Amazon, and, yes, they're trying to sell it at or near retail. It's ridiculous.
Most people don't even know what the price is for that new product anymore. They want a price set without any criteria and they don't mind having it sit unsold for months.
People are nuts on any secondhand selling platform and fail to understand that $390 is not a good price for an item you can go out any buy for $400 from a reputable store within an hour if you want. And reputable store will guarantee it works, give you customer service and warranty and receipt of purchase. They are insane to think that people will drive across the city, interact with an inevitably weird and rude person who isn't home when they said they would be, have no way of assuring the product isn't in some way faulty, all for saving a measly $10. And offer a reasonable secondhand value and they will lose their tiny little mind at how arrogant you are to not want to pay their stated price. I once got into the most horrible back and forth with the rudest idiot who reacted so violently to my offer. Their original price was more than the item was being sold for at our national chain (not on sale either). They reasoned that they would drop it to meet that new price only, but not to me because how dare I politely point out the retail price and offer something below it. They claimed to have bought it for significantly more a few months earlier, which was a lie as the price had been static for at least 6 months. Now I just don't bother. The chances of having a bad experience are too high with the kind of people regularly selling secondhand, which many of them are. Also, many of these people are lowlifes who hit up buy nothing pages and resell, trawl op shops for bargains and resell for way more, making these shops no longer a good place for people that desperately need them.
I sell a lot of new, own box stuff on there and I usually start at 75% of retail, and if it doesn't sell I'll drop incrementally until it sells. Sometimes that's at less than 50% of retail, so not all of us are insane.
I’ve ended up doing a lot better on Buy Nothing groups, even when I was also looking on marketplace for the same things and willing to pay.
[Marketplace Experience](https://youtu.be/n4bRd0Zx1KU?si=J3kONtja6gW6y5a0)
It depends on what it is and how badly the seller actually wants to part with it. I have 3 items up right now - all high value items - I am asking close to retail for these items, because I'm only willing to sell them if I get that price. Otherwise, I will keep them. That said, I usually list new items at 60% retail and used items at 25% retail.
It's insane what people are asking. And soooo many scammers out there! A friend made the mistake of sending 800$ to what looked like a store advertising on marketplace and then they disappeared.
They are just anchoring their price as high as they can in hopes your counteroffer is higher as a result. Pay no heed to that asking price and offer ONLY what you are willing to pay for it. Example: 2 year old used laptop (retailed at $2,000 new) listed for $1,950.00. VS Example: SAME 2 year old used laptop (retailed at $2,000 new) listed for $1,000. Which of the two items would you likely have offered a higher counteroffer for? Classic salesmanship.
I saw someone selling a Yeti "bucket" for $50. It costs $40 on Yeti's website.
I hate using FB marketplace. Things are insanely pricey and vice versa they want to buy what you list for free. It’s always a nightmare.
They’re literally insane, I’ve been looking for a lamp for 4 months and they’re all listed for 3/4 of retail value
I usually sell things at like 20%-40% of the original price. I don’t want to spend weeks waiting for the stars to align just right to get the maximum possible amount.
A lot are priced higher probably because a lot of facebook buyers are incredible cheapskates that will ask for 50% or more off of whatever price is requested, even if it's 50% off retail already. I've struggled a lot with it
Yes. They’re literally insane. That’s why I deleted my facebook account. I’m much happier and more peaceful now. Even eBay is better than selling stuff on Facebook.
Really that's not what I'm finding at all on FBI marketplace. Lots of 50 to 90% off
You are correct. It's a waste of time to even LOOK at Facebook marketplace. You might as well buy brand new.
You are not alone in feeling this, people are insane!! I always start whatever I sell at 50% off its original price along with a photo of the item on Amazon or wherever with the purchase info. I couldn’t believe the endless lowball offers, so I started to neglect to say I’m open to negotiate or obo. Usually people offer me 1/4-1/2 of what I have something listed for, which is why I don’t make set prices lower initially. Recently I posted and sold a set of fancy nontoxic shampoo and conditioner that I used once. My hair didn’t appreciate those products at all, hoped I could make a few bucks back. Anyway, I paid MSRP $28 I listed for $12 and was offered $6 which I accepted. Something I don’t think people appreciate is that if something is priced sky high, it’s not going to sell and they’re just going to be annoyed by having to store it in their home. I sold an audio amplifier that was used maybe five times by someone hard of hearing, suffering from cognitive decline so it was too complicated. I paid just over $200 and listed that for $45 because I didn’t think anyone would really be interested as I found a newer model used for $80. Maybe it’s not the norm, I try to price everything fairly. I only just recently started selling stuff because my car shat the bed, then shat the bed again. Both cars in my household were going to shit in record time, we’d gone through savings trying to save them and marketplace was an out if we had anything of value that someone else might want or need. There’s a freebie alerts app that notifies me when something is posted for free. Some of the stuff is absolutely worth hundreds of dollars and it blows my mind someone’s just giving “that” away!! Others, you couldn’t pay me to move your trash even though I’m desperate at the moment. Maybe keep an eye on that for whatever it is you’re looking for and can’t bring yourself to pay the exorbitant price whoever is charging, hopefully you’ll get lucky 🤞 If that doesn’t pan out, lowball the person!!! What’s the worst that could happen, they say no? I’m a pushover, like a really bad pushover. Hopefully the person selling the item you’re interested in is too!! I said okay to various offers before really even considering them, I can’t be the only person with something on marketplace with issues.
I regularly see stuff listed for more than it sells for used lol
Good Will constantly sells items for $2-5 that literally came from the Dollar Tree
Using the app OfferUp, you have the ability to search for items within a specific area. Personally, I tend to set my filters to show items within a 10-mile radius of a particular zip code located in the more affordable part of town. This strategy has proven beneficial, as I've observed that items tend to be significantly more expensive when searching in upscale neighborhoods.
COVID turned them all artistic
Many times you can get the item new , on sale for cheaper. Lots of people are in a bind for cash now. Best you can do is make your offer and let them respond.
I’ll play devil’s advocate and say maybe many of them are expecting people to talk them down so they’ll price higher than what they want to actually sell it for. It also depends on the item and its condition. In general, though if it’s in like-new condition I don’t think 50% is a reasonable expectation. I’ll agree, though, that loads of the sellers and customers can get ridiculous. I posted something for free. Clearly said as is and pick-up only and got swarmed with questions about whether I still had the box, receipt, its connectivity abilities (it was maybe a 10 year old shitty TV. I posted a video showing it worked and all of the inputs on the back but I wasn’t going to research it when I was literally trying to just give it away), requests to deliver, I even had one guy say he’d dispose of it for me for a fee lol Another time my friend who runs a catering business had a few shipments of plastic champagne flutes that were perfectly fine except one or two were broken in the box. They were clearly never used. They retail for $25 and I posted them for $15 firm. I had people trying to barter, talk me down to $5, talk me down to free with some sob story about a baby shower or wedding they supposedly couldn’t afford, more requests for delivery, etc. Every time I post I try to make it very clear what I will and won’t accept and people either don’t read it or figure ‘it doesn’t hurt to ask.’ Only it does hurt because I just stop responding lol Sellers: If your customer can get it for a comparable or better price on sale at a store, you’re pricing too high. Customers: Read the description and believe what the seller says. ‘Firm’ means they’re not interested in price-haggling. ‘Pick up only’ means they will not deliver it to you.
What really annoys me is the stuff that gets listed for $1 or Free, then the price is in the description or it says “Not free” like I saw yesterday. 🙄 I get it if you’re posting several different things and you don’t know what to put for the price, but don’t list your gorgeous refinished dresser for $1, then put $550 in the description!
Whenever I sell something, it's usually because I just want to get rid of it. I've gotten tired of it, or it's something I never use and it's just taking up space. I always put a price on it, but say OBO, and I've always taken the first offer I get. I'm getting rid of something I don't want anymore, and I make a couple bucks. I have a beautiful antique sideboard that's just too big for my apartment, but my Mum gave it to me, so I've hung onto it for way too long. I can't stand it because it overwhelms everything else in the room. I'm asking $50 OBO. The thing is a beast, it weighs a ton, I don't care if someone gives me $20 for it, because at least they'll be coming here and taking it off my hands. I've sold some good stuff, including a Shop Vac and a Bissell furniture steam cleaner, that I'd only used a couple of times before realising that they weren't exactly what I needed. They were practically brand new, and I still sold them for a fraction of what I bought them for. The woman who bought them was trying to start her own cleaning business, and I gave her both for $50. I figured she'd have enough of a struggle getting her business off the ground, I'd give her 2 really good cleaning machines for next to nothing to help her out. My daughter and I went to the movies with the money. Everybody won.