Many of us use Buy & Sell Groups on Facebook to shop for and sell used items in addition to Marketplace. Facebook makes it easy to post Marketplace listings to Buy/Sell groups you belong to and vice versa. Usually, people tend to use Buy & Sell groups for the subsequent reasons:
Groups require membership: Because members of groups must actively join, it acts as a bit of a filter. First off, you have administrators doing their best filtering members, also most Buy & Sell Groups tend to specific neighborhoods, regions or cities. This usually keeps the buyer and seller honest.
Groups can get quite specific: Buy & Sell groups often limit themselves to very specific categories of items, such as outdoor gear, children’s gear, and housing. This can make your browsing more targeted.
Groups often have a trade element: In addition to selling more locally and in a more community-based way, many Buy & Sell groups offer an option to trade items. If you are short on cash or hoping to get rid of a few of your own possessions, the barter system might be what you’re looking for. Beyond this, keep an eye out for local “Trade” groups.
Using Buy & Sell groups is very similar to any other group you would use. Members publish the post, comment on posts, and message other members in the group.
You can find Buy & Sell groups near you by clicking groups, - Buy & Sell Groups link in the left-side menu. This brings you to a Buy and Sell Groups home page, which displays a few of the local groups you might be interested in. Click the Join Group button next to any of the groups that look appealing to you. You may also want to search for which groups your friends use.
Browsing and buying in a Buy & Sell Facebook group
Once you're accepted into a Buy & Sell group, you should familiarise your self with the group rules. usually, an Admin will have the rules posted at the top of the group, on the left-hand side or in the drop-down boxes depending on which device you're using
In general, people don’t use comment threads to perform the final negotiations for buying and picking up an item. Instead, when they’re ready to make an offer, most people message the seller directly (and there is a handy Message Seller button in the lower-right corner of the post).
If you are really on the hunt for something, you can try using the search bar in the left menu to search for that item within the group’s posts. You can also click on the Items for Sale link in the left-hand menu to view a condensed list of all the items currently for sale within the group.
Selling items in a Buy/Sell Facebook group
If you want to list something for sale in a Buy/Sell group, click in the Publisher. This is the little text box near the top of the group (under the cover photo). When you click in it, the "Sell Something" box opens.
You’ll need to fill out the following fields:
What are you Selling: Your answer to this question becomes the title of your post, so be descriptive.
Price: Let people know how much you are looking for them to pay for the item.
Location: Facebook may automatically fill in your postal/zip code. Delete this info to use a different postal/ ip code.
Description: Add any details about your item that may be relevant—condition, measurements, and so on.
Photos: Add any photos of the item you are selling. In general, I’ve found that more than one photo is usually helpful to people. you can add up to 80 photos in an album
At the bottom of the Sell Something box, next to the blue Post button, is a menu for deciding whether you want to add your listing to Marketplace in addition to whichever group you are about to post to. By default, Facebook assumes you will want to list it in both places. If you only want to list it in the group, click this menu and deselect Marketplace. If you are a member of more than one Buy & Sell group, you also have the option here to create a listing that gets posted to those groups as well.
When you’ve added all the info you need to your listing, click the blue Post button. You’ll be notified about any comments on the listing, as well as any incoming messages from people who are interested in buying it.
Using Buy & Sell groups on your phone
Much like using Marketplace, using Buy/Sell groups on your phone — particularly for selling items — can be even easier because you can take pictures directly from your phone and include them in your listing. If you are sitting at your computer trying to create a listing, you will inevitably need to make about ten trips back to the garage to check your measurements, take a new photo, and so on. Make your life easier and create the listing from where the item is.
To navigate to the Buy & Sell group you are interested in using for your sale, type its name into the search bar at the top of the app. You can also tap on the "More" button in the bottom right corner of the app to view a menu of all the shortcuts, features, and destinations you can go to within Facebook. You can click on your desired Buy & Sell group there, or tap on Buy & Sell Groups to view a preview of all items listed in all the Buy & Sell groups you are a member of.
