Pros and Cons of Selling On Facebook Market

I love finding furniture for free or really cheap on Facebook Marketplace. Then giving it a makeover and then selling it for a little more. It has been a fun hobby, but it has its pros and cons just, like everything else.

Pros of Selling on Facebook Market

1. New stuff in your house for a minimal cost. I am buying and selling used items all of the time. Most of my friends comment on how my home is always different because it is. I love change, and if you do too this, maybe something you should consider doing.
2. You can make money off items that you might be trashed or donate by selling them. I am not a professional, but I still make a little extra cash to help pay for living costs. I just find something that looks like it holds more value than it is being sold for, buy it, fix it, sell it, and repeat. 
3. Reducing waste by reusing items another family would have thrown out. A friend mentioned that she had to take a trip to the dump the other day. She said it was sad to see how much waste there were especially large, things like couches that could have been reused before being thrown out. 
4. Meeting new people that might become good friends. I am not saying be super personal and such with strangers! I am saying, I have had some good conversations with families that have picked items that I have sold. It is really refreshing to know that there are good people in the world. (I would strongly recommend not meeting the person at your home. Public places are safest!) 
5. Use your imagination to create and design. Do you like transforming things? I have taken dozens of ugly dressers, end tables, and mirrors and given them makeovers. Something that used to be throw-up green is now charcoal black with an antique look. You name it, and it is possible. It is fun to see how many people enjoy what you have redone!

Cons of Selling on Facebook Market

1. It takes time to find, improve, ship, and repeat. Sometimes it will take me a few weeks before I find furniture that I would enjoy redoing. There is also a lot of time spent refinishing, posting items, and waiting for pick up. In calculating, it can take me anywhere from 1 hour to 15 hours for this process.
2. Some of the people you sell to can be sketchy! I stopped selling furniture for a while after meeting a man that gave me the heebie-jeebies! He contacted me through a different selling platform that I was using, and all I had was his phone number. Facebook Marketplace you can search their profile after they message you, that way you know who to expect. 
3. It takes a while to learn what will sell fast. After about 2 years of flipping things to sell, I finally know a handful of things that are in high demand. Often I am surprised at what people are looking for. For example, I picked up some baskets that I thought were cute but not outstanding. Within 15 minutes of posting them, I had at least 10 messages begging me for these baskets. Mind blown! 
4. You can lose money if you aren't keeping track of expenses. When I first started selling furniture, the cost of supplies outweighed the value. I sometimes would lose as much as $30. After keeping track of expenses, it helped with balancing profit and loss. Make sure to include the time spent finding, fixing, and selling on your profit and loss. 
5. You have to have enough space to store items while in the process of selling them. As a general rule, I don't have more than a handful of things to sell at a time. So I am not storing mounds of things that are waiting to be sold.

"Our goal is to help the world make decisions with a list of Pros and Cons. We invite all to add to our lists to help others make the most educated decision possible. We are all in this world together to help each other and learn from what others have learned from their lives journey." - Pros and Cons Team

Written By: Sarah

Tips for selling on Facebook Marketplace:

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/learn-more/selling/

How many items can you post on Facebook Marketplace

https://www.facebook.com/help/community/question/?id=10206535713471365

How to find amazing deals on Facebook Marketplace:

https://www.coveringbases.com/2020/12/tips-for-finding-buying-items-on-facebook-marketplace.html

How you can save the planet by second hand shopping:

https://greenwithless.com/second-hand-shopping-planet/

Tips to avoid scammers and Scary people:

https://www.makeuseof.com/safety-tips-facebook-marketplace/

What sells on Facebook Marketplace:

https://afinancebroker.com/index.php/2020/10/23/5-best-things-to-sell-on-facebook-marketplace/

How not to get scammed on Facebook Marketplace:

https://www.wymt.com/2020/11/13/police-beware-of-new-facebook-marketplace-scam/