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Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community

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Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community

#91
post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

3) Way fewer scammers and spammers since you have to use your real name. 4) You know who you are meeting and what they look like (again - real name, single account requirement). 5) Built-in messaging This also means someone can harrass the crap out of you for whatever reason they want regarding the item.

... which is why I also included (6), which you conveniently left off your blockquote. Ending harassment on Facebook is as easy as blocking them. Done.

> Ending harassment on Facebook

Yes but with real information there is the external communication. I can search for names, addresses, phone numbers without FB.

It is naive to assume FB controls are valid in real life when personal info is available.

Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community

#92
post #8

I sold my old motorcycle in 2009 using FB Marketplace. Half the inquiries I got were from scammers, even then... Have they improved anything in that regard? I especially don't want people spamming my Facebook messages now that they're more intrusive.

Almost all of the inquiries on Craigslist are scams no matter what you are selling. I sold a motorcycle recently and the scams were plenty. I usually just ignore every call, text, and email in the first half hour because they are all from robots.

When I used craigslist before moving, I made sure contact was only made over email. It's a lot easier to use a temp email that a temp phone number.

It's funny how many people would email this: "Interested, pls txt 555-5555"

I ended up switching to Close5 and had a lot more luck with that - even near the end where I was just giving stuff away. For some reason people on craigslist were still way too picky about free stuff, one guy even asking if I would pay for it to be delivered.

With all of these services, I've found the biggest problem to be with people not knowing how to read. If you say firm price and pick up only, they'll still try to get you to deliver and go down in price.

Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community

#93
post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

3) Way fewer scammers and spammers since you have to use your real name. 4) You know who you are meeting and what they look like (again - real name, single account requirement). 5) Built-in messaging This also means someone can harrass the crap out of you for whatever reason they want regarding the item.

... which is why I also included (6), which you conveniently left off your blockquote. Ending harassment on Facebook is as easy as blocking them. Done.

But they seem to show your full name and public Facebook picture, which opens you up to all kinds of potential real-world harassment that doesn't exist on the (if you're smart) fully anonymous Craigslist. Such as showing up to your workplace to demand their money back, or finding your contact information via a Google search.

Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community

#94
post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Almost all of the inquiries on Craigslist are scams no matter what you are selling. I sold a motorcycle recently and the scams were plenty. I usually just ignore every call, text, and email in the first half hour because they are all from robots.

When I used craigslist before moving, I made sure contact was only made over email. It's a lot easier to use a temp email that a temp phone number. It's funny how many people would email this: "Interested, pls txt 555-5555" I ended up switching to Close5 and had a lot more luck with that - even near the end where I was just giving stuff away. For some reason people on craigslist were still way too picky about free st…

I also see the opposite: I get texts asking me to email someone. If I email them I get some variant of a 419 scam. With the motorcycle it was "I'm on a secret mission in Afghanistan but I want to buy your motorcycle for my brother who lives in Chicago."

Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community

#95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 5) Built-in messaging allows you an easier way to communicate meeting details privately without having to give your phone number or email address. Your notion of "private" is a little strange. Facebook offers the illusion of private transactions by effectively robbing everyone of their privacy - in other words, that is how they established themselves as the pre-eminent and now possibly only two sided marketplace fo…

The real conflict of interest i see is that FB ads will have a chance to convince you to buy something else whilst viewing the local item. Eg: I'm buying a used bicycle and local bike vendor puts up ads like "DONT BUY USED, NEW SCAM FLOODING THE USA" ...

I actually expect the exact opposite. Local used items will appear next to brick-and-mortar ads. FB might also introduce local/used promoted listings.

Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community

#96

The challenge here, for Facebook team, is to make this tool great at the same time it does not disturb users. I wouldn't like too see photos of old stuff being sell on my timeline. Usually, when a software evolve trying to do everything, at the end it does do nothing well. Let's see what'll happen here.

I would like to understand the down votes, did I say something wrong?

Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community

#97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

3) Way fewer scammers and spammers since you have to use your real name. 4) You know who you are meeting and what they look like (again - real name, single account requirement). 5) Built-in messaging This also means someone can harrass the crap out of you for whatever reason they want regarding the item.

Not really. Dismissing someone from your attention on Facebook is trivial .

But dismissing yourself from someone else's attention isn't.

Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community

#98

I was debating with a friend recently whether offerup.com or letgo.com would win this snap-and-post marketplace battle. I guess fb just rendered that discussion obsolete.

Offerup still remains a bit of a mystery. They have a unicorn valuation but when I go on there I am underwhelmed and they seem to have a lot of old listings. I am in their home market also which I think would be more used.

Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community

#99
post #29

Good for Facebook. My wife has been buying and selling things on individual Facebook groups for years before this official marketplace. Selling on Facebook is hands down a vastly better experience than selling things on Craigslist in every way - especially if you live in a market that is too small for a designated Craigslist area. Our real world experience: 1) Hyperlocal - Our city of 40k-50k is 40 miles from the nea…

3) Way fewer scammers and spammers since you have to use your real name. 4) You know who you are meeting and what they look like (again - real name, single account requirement). 5) Built-in messaging This also means someone can harrass the crap out of you for whatever reason they want regarding the item.

True of most transactions I'd think. You meet in person, they can see your license plate. Communicate via text, they have your number. Selling something larger than can fit in your car? They come to your house. Many people won't buy something of any real value without some degree of accountability.

I think the surface area of a world where transactions are 100% anonymous is quite small.

Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community

#100

I used to buy/sell on Craigslist a lot but now use NextDoor (neighborhood-based, address-verified social network). I never had any safety issues with CL, but ND definitely feels safer/friendlier. Most of the people I meet are local housewives getting rid of stuff. There tends to be less haggling, and because it's neighborhood/town based, you don't have to drive as far to meet (huge plus). I think the reason that peop…

I've used Nextdoor for awhile and have had much better success getting rid of things on it, than Craigslist.

Plus the fact that I know the people on it are geographically close get rid of the flake factor for me.

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