ROXIE, MS - Do you have ‘things” you don’t need or want or want to find an item to purchase? Many people have turned to Facebook to get good deals on buying, selling or swapping items. Some even pick up a few things to resell for a profit. Using the most popular social networking to earn cash or clear unwanted clutter is growing in Miss-Lou area.
First you must find a group. Most Facebook selling and buying groups are local or at least limited to a geographic area. You do not want to waste time or effort dealing with an area to far away from your home. Some people even know the people they are dealing with because they live in the area.
To find such a group, use the search field in Facebook and enter your geographic local area plus the word(s) ‘buy’ or ‘sell’ plus you may want to narrow your search by the type of item you are looking to sell or buy (used baby cloths or used cars, for example)
Listed below is just a few membership 'groups' that some of our staff have experienced as members both selling, buying or swapping items.
Join a group. Many groups are closed which means you will have to ask permission to join. If you have a valid Facebook account and have friends that may be in the group, the chances of you being able to join the group is expected.
Read the groups rules. Most all Facebook groups have a set of rules which is normally found under the ‘notes’ tab or is in a ‘pinned post’ at the top of the posting page or called 'main page'. These rules may only be available to you once your have been accepted into the group. The rules should include details on how to post items for sale, how to deal with potential buyers, and what to do when your item has been sold. If you are given permission to 'bump' your item please do so under the rules. Bumping simply means that you 'bump' your item to the top of the listed items by placing the word 'bump' in the comments section. Read the rules.
Other rules may include:
- The number of items per day you can list
- The number of photos that can accompany each listing
- Types of items that can be sold
- How to contact a buyer to coordinate the sale
List your first item. Decide what item you’d like to sell first, and use it as a test to make sure you understand the rules. If done correctly, your listing will remain up and you should get comments from those interested in buying. Be sure that you are prompt about answering questions or arranging the details of the sale. If you don’t feel comfortable selling to a particular person, for whatever reason, don’t feel compelled to sell to them.
Whatever you do you must follow through. Once there is an agreement, make sure you follow up. Most groups have no accountability system, and it is possible for deals to go wrong.
Pick a public place. You should make the exchange, deal with cash or money order, and set expectations of what you expect as a seller. Use good safety rules and maybe get to know the person on Facebook or only deal with those you may know or who are an acquaintance of those you know. (Facebook makes it easy to see who knows who; use that feature to qualify deals)
Lots of people have purchased items in their local community that they could not have gotten without this unique forum found on Facebook. Selling through Facebook is a fast growing trend that will grow and become even more popular.
Jump on the band wagon if you need to clear the closet, raise some cash or build your reputation and your skills in buying or selling for profit.
Source: FC News Staff research
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