Facebook Marketplace Safety Guide

1. Listing Title: Clarity Over Clickbait

A good title is the first and most important cue a buyer receives about the legitimacy and intent of a listing. Clear, honest, and specific titles not only help you find what you're looking for but also act as subtle signals of a seller's professionalism and transparency. Think of a title as the seller's handshake — the more confident and direct it is, the more trustworthy it feels.

A trustworthy title is clear, factual, and descriptive, often containing the product name, condition, and one or two defining characteristics.

Good Example: "Samsung 55″ QLED TV - Like New"

Weak Example: "SUPER SALE!!! CRAZY OFFER!!"

Red Flags: excessive punctuation ("!!!"), unnecessary emojis, and buzzwords like "must go today" or "last chance" which can be used to create false urgency.

Ideal Length: Around 5–10 words. This length allows for detail without overwhelming or hiding the truth.

Tip: Avoid clicking listings that feel like advertisements — legitimate sellers usually aim to inform, not to manipulate.

2. Price: A Deal Too Good Might Be Dangerous

When evaluating a listing, the price is often the first thing that catches your eye. It's essential to remember that while everyone loves a good deal, some offers can be too good to be true. Scammers frequently use low pricing as bait to lure unsuspecting buyers into a trap, hoping to capitalize on their desire to save money.

Always benchmark the asking price against similar items listed in your local area. Use other Facebook Marketplace listings, as well as platforms like Trade Me or eBay, to get a sense of what a typical second-hand item of that type sells for.

As a general rule, second-hand goods tend to be priced between 70% to 90% of their original retail value, depending on condition, age, and brand.

If the item is listed at 40% or less of its typical market value, it should raise a red flag. Sellers with honest intentions rarely undervalue their items without explanation.

Don’t be swayed by urgency tactics like "need gone today" combined with steep discounts. These psychological tricks are often used to reduce your scrutiny.

Ask yourself: Does the price align with the item’s make, model, condition, and accessories? If not, probe further or move on.

Trust your instincts. If it feels like you're about to snag a dream deal, double-check the other details before proceeding.

Remember, a responsible buyer is a curious buyer. Don’t be afraid to ask the seller why the item is priced the way it is.

Benchmark against similar items. Typically, second-hand prices fall between 70% to 90% of the original retail value.

A listing priced at 40% or lower should raise caution.

Ask: Does the price seem realistic based on age, brand, and condition?

3. Description: Look for Transparency and Detail

A product description is the seller’s opportunity to build credibility and convey vital information about the item. A well-crafted description does more than list specs—it tells a story that aligns with the listing’s photos and price.

A quality description will clearly state the item’s condition, age, and functionality.

Look for context around why the item is being sold (e.g., "upgrading to a new model" or "no longer needed").

Sellers should mention any known defects, damage, or missing parts—transparency here signals honesty.

A personal tone often indicates authenticity. It might include a brief anecdote or detail not found in product catalogs.

Red flags include:

• Text that is clearly copied and pasted from manufacturer websites without modification.
• Very short blurbs like "Brand new, never used" without supporting detail.
• Requests to move the conversation to WhatsApp, Telegram, or outside platforms.
• Mentions of "price negotiable" without even describing what the base offering is.

Good Example: "Bought this Dyson vacuum last year, used lightly in a pet-free home. One scuff on the hose, but otherwise works like new. Selling as I’ve moved to a place with built-in central vac."

Poor Example: "Great vacuum, good condition. Message me on WhatsApp for details."

The more informative and sincere a description sounds, the better your chances of dealing with a real person offering a legitimate item.

A quality listing includes:

• Condition and age
• Reason for selling
• Specific defects or limitations

Red Flags:

• Copy-pasted templates
• Short, generic blurbs
• Mentions of external communication platforms like WhatsApp or Telegram

4. Images: Photos Speak Truth (or Lies)

The photos included in a listing can often reveal far more than just the appearance of an item. Authentic, original images help validate the legitimacy of both the item and the seller, while suspicious or recycled images may be the first clue that something isn't right.

Look for signs of authenticity:

• Personal backgrounds, like a home, garage, or recognizable local setting.
• Multiple angles of the item — front, back, sides, and close-ups of any wear or damage.
• Consistency between the lighting, floor, background, and shadows across photos.

Watch for warning signs:

• Stock photos, often with plain white or studio backgrounds.
• Watermarks from retailers or marketplaces — these are rarely used by genuine individuals.
• Overuse of AI-generated or hyper-polished images that seem too perfect.
• Cropped, pixelated, or oddly blurry pictures.

Why this matters: Scammers often reuse the same product images across many listings or steal them from other websites. Their photos often lack real-world context or show inconsistent shadows, mismatched flooring, or digital artifacts.

What you can do:

• Use Google Reverse Image Search or TinEye to check if the photo appears elsewhere on the web.
• If you suspect a reused image, ask the seller for a photo of the item next to a piece of paper with today’s date or another unique identifier.

High-effort listings with consistent, personal, and honest imagery are one of the best indicators that you're dealing with a real seller.

Look for:

• Personal backgrounds
• Multiple angles
• Clear, well-lit photos

Watch out for:

• Stock images or watermarked photos
• Overuse of AI-generated images
• Cropped or blurred photos

Tip: Use Google reverse image search to detect reused photos

5. Seller Profile: Check for Human Signals

The seller’s profile can often reveal subtle but important clues about whether you're dealing with a real person or a potential scammer. While not foolproof, a profile that appears natural and consistent with long-term Facebook usage tends to be more trustworthy.

Look for profiles that were created more than a few years ago (ideally 5+ years) and that have visible friend lists, shared posts, or some kind of personal activity. These details create a sense of accountability.

Badges such as "Highly Rated Seller" or "Very Responsive" are positive indicators, especially if they’re paired with consistent feedback from past transactions.

Publicly available profile pictures, comments, and likes from others may reinforce that this is a real person embedded in a real network.

However, be cautious without becoming paranoid. Some legitimate users choose to keep their profiles private for personal reasons. A locked-down profile doesn’t automatically mean someone is a scammer—it just means you may need to investigate a bit further before committing.

If the seller's profile is new, has no public posts or interactions, or hides their friend list, take extra care before proceeding.

Ask clarifying questions in Messenger and see how they respond. A real seller will often provide additional photos or offer to meet in person.

Avoid anyone who becomes defensive or evasive when asked to verify details about themselves or the product.

Think of the profile as part of the bigger picture—not the whole picture. Combine it with other trust signals to form a complete assessment of the seller's legitimacy.

Established profile (joined 5+ years ago) with many friends is a good sign

Positive seller ratings and badges such as:

• "Highly Rated"
• "Very Responsive"

Beware:

• New accounts
• Locked profiles
• No public posts or friend interactions

6. Payment Method: Choose Security, Not Speed

When it comes to completing your transaction, the method of payment you choose can be the difference between a safe purchase and falling victim to a scam. It's always better to prioritize secure, traceable payment methods over fast or convenient ones. Scammers often exploit unfamiliar or irreversible payment channels that leave buyers with no recourse once money has been sent.

Safe Options: Use PayPal (Goods & Services), Meta Pay, or a bank transfer that offers buyer protection. These platforms provide a degree of dispute resolution and fraud prevention.

Risky Methods: Avoid using gift cards, direct bank deposits, Venmo, Zelle, or Cash App. These offer little to no buyer protection and are frequently exploited by scammers.

Red Flags:

• The seller insists on payment before meeting or letting you view the item in person.
• You're asked to complete payment through a link or website sent via Facebook Messenger or SMS.
• The seller offers a QR code to scan without explaining its purpose.

If a payment method feels too anonymous or fast to be safe, it probably is. Protect your money the same way you'd protect a valuable item — with caution, confirmation, and accountability.

Safe: PayPal (Goods & Services), Meta Pay, or bank transfer with buyer protection

Risky: Gift cards, direct deposit, Venmo, Zelle, Cash App

Avoid:

• Paying before seeing the item
• Payments through links sent outside of Facebook Messenger

7. Pickup/Delivery: Always Meet in Public

Where and how you meet to exchange the item can have a big impact on your personal safety. While Facebook Marketplace is often used for local, face-to-face transactions, not all meetups are created equal. Choosing the right meeting place — and being wary of sketchy delivery-only arrangements — helps reduce risk significantly.

Preferred Approach: Arrange to meet during the day in a busy, public location. Many local police stations offer designated "Safe Exchange Zones" with security cameras. If that's not available, choose a well-lit café, shopping center entrance, or petrol station forecourt. These places offer both visibility and foot traffic.

Avoid Remote or Isolated Locations: Never agree to meet in an empty parking lot, park, or residential alley. If the seller insists on a secluded location or is reluctant to share their whereabouts until the last minute, that’s a major red flag.

Bring a Friend: If possible, go with someone you trust. If going alone, share your location in real-time with a family member or friend.

Video Verification: If you're buying something valuable, ask the seller for a short video call where they can show the item and confirm its existence and condition. It adds a layer of confidence before you commit to meeting.

Delivery Caution: If the seller is located in your same city but insists only on shipping or courier delivery, that could be unusual unless they run a proper online business. For personal sales, most local sellers prefer cash on pickup.

Courier Scams: Avoid arrangements where you are asked to pay for a delivery service the seller claims to arrange. Some scammers create fake courier confirmations to trick buyers into transferring money.

Use your common sense and instincts — if something feels off about where or how the exchange is happening, trust that feeling and don't proceed.

• Preferred: Local pickup in daylight, in a public place (e.g., police station parking lot)
• Bring a friend for added safety
• Avoid listings that insist on courier delivery before payment

Tip: Arrange a short video call to verify item condition and existence

8. Communication: Trust Genuine Conversation

Effective communication is one of the most revealing indicators of a trustworthy transaction. A legitimate seller will typically engage in a calm, informative, and responsive manner. They’ll answer your questions directly, offer flexibility around meeting times, and won’t shy away from clarification.

Stay within Facebook Messenger: Always keep your chats on the Facebook platform. Messenger offers built-in protections like message history and reporting options. If someone tries to move the conversation to WhatsApp, SMS, or email early on, it may be to avoid accountability.

Look for genuine conversation flow: A real seller will use natural phrasing, punctuation, and tone. If a seller's replies feel robotic, repetitive, or evasive, it may be a scam bot or scripted fraud attempt.

Watch out for grammar – but with nuance: While poor grammar can sometimes be a red flag, it’s not a guarantee of fraud. Some people may simply have limited English proficiency or lower levels of formal education. Instead of focusing solely on grammar, assess whether their responses make sense contextually and whether they’re engaging sincerely.

Red flags include:

• High-pressure tactics like “First come, first served!” or “Buy now or it’s gone!”
• Repeated avoidance of questions or ignoring your concerns.
• Refusal to send additional photos or provide item verification.

Genuine sellers typically mirror your tone and are willing to have a normal conversation. If something feels rehearsed, pushy, or vague, proceed with extra caution.

• Stay in Facebook Messenger to preserve chat history
• Good sellers: Respond clearly, offer reasonable flexibility
• Red flags: High-pressure tactics, poor grammar or evasiveness, redirecting you off-platform quickly

9. Deposit & Overpayment Scams

These types of scams rely on creating false financial urgency or manipulating your sense of fairness. They are particularly common on marketplaces where transactions happen between individuals with little recourse once funds are transferred.

Deposit Scams: A seller may ask for a small deposit to "secure" the item, often claiming there are multiple interested buyers. Once you send the deposit, they disappear with your money. Legitimate sellers will rarely, if ever, request a deposit unless they are running a formal online business with clear terms.

Red flag: The seller demands a deposit before you're allowed to view or inspect the item.

Safer alternative: Offer to meet in a public location and bring cash on the day. If they decline, it could be a sign of a scam.

Overpayment Scams: In this variation, the buyer (or scammer posing as a buyer) claims to have overpaid accidentally and asks you to refund the difference. The trick here is that their original payment was made using a stolen card, fake transaction, or a method that will later be reversed. If you send the refund, you'll lose both the refund and the original amount when the transaction is inevitably canceled by the payment platform.

Example: You receive $500 for a $400 item and the buyer asks for $100 back. Later, the $500 is reversed — leaving you out of pocket.

Best Practice: Always keep transactions at the exact agreed amount. Decline any requests to "hold" an item for money in advance. Likewise, never send money back for an overpayment — insist that they contact their payment provider instead.

Remember: If any transaction feels financially complex or introduces unexpected changes in payment logic, it's safer to walk away. Scammers thrive in confusion.

Summary:

• Never send a deposit just to reserve an item.
• Do not refund anyone for an accidental overpayment.
• Keep all transactions at the agreed price.
• If something feels financially convoluted, don’t proceed.
• Never send a deposit to "reserve" an item
• Do not refund a seller for an accidental overpayment – this is a known scam technique
• Keep all transactions at face value. If someone insists on overpaying, walk away.

10. Watch Out for Gift Card or QR Code Scams

Scammers frequently rely on unconventional payment methods that are difficult to trace or reverse — and gift cards are among their favorites. These scams often involve convincing a buyer or seller to share sensitive payment information or complete a transaction through methods that offer no buyer protection.

Gift Card Scams: No legitimate seller should ever ask to be paid using Apple iTunes cards, Google Play cards, Steam cards, or any other type of gift card. If a seller requests payment in gift cards, it's almost certainly a scam. The scammer may instruct you to purchase gift cards and send them the codes, claiming it's faster, more secure, or helps them avoid fees. Once the code is sent, your money is gone, and there's no way to recover it.

QR Code Scams: A newer trend involves sellers sending you QR codes, claiming they’ll help you complete a transaction through a secure payment gateway. In reality, some of these QR codes may lead you to phishing sites, trigger malicious app downloads, or initiate unauthorized payments. Be extremely cautious when scanning QR codes shared via Messenger or email.

Fake Verification Codes: Scammers sometimes ask buyers to share screenshots of their payment method, Facebook login confirmation, or other verification messages. They use this to gain access to your accounts or steal your identity.

Common Scam Pattern:

• The scammer pretends there's urgency, such as "I’m traveling, so gift card is easier for me."
• They may insist that their method is "safe" or "normal," and they often mimic real conversations to sound believable.
• If you hesitate, they may guilt-trip you or say they’ll sell to someone else who is "serious."

Safer Practices:

• Decline any offer that includes unusual payment methods.
• Never scan a QR code unless you trust the source 100% and understand what it does.
• Never send screenshots of your payment app, ID, or confirmation codes.

Remember: Scammers thrive on urgency, secrecy, and confusion. Stay within Facebook’s platform, use normal buyer-protected payment methods, and always take a moment to verify before completing any unusual request.

• No legitimate seller asks to be paid in Apple, Google Play, or other gift cards
• Do not scan suspicious QR codes during transactions
• Never send a screenshot of your payment method or ID

11. Counterfeit & Phishing Tactics

Counterfeit goods and phishing attempts are among the most common and damaging forms of fraud on Facebook Marketplace. Scammers exploit the popularity of designer items, branded electronics, and sought-after gadgets to lure in buyers with deals that appear too good to be true.

Counterfeit Product Listings: Scammers frequently post listings for luxury goods—like designer handbags, watches, sneakers, or AirPods—at suspiciously low prices. These are often low-quality knockoffs or, in some cases, don’t exist at all. If a product that typically retails for $300 is offered at $50 with few questions asked, that’s a huge red flag.

Example: A seller lists “Brand New Apple AirPods Pro for $90 — sealed box, must go!” but refuses to show a receipt, verify the serial number, or provide close-up photos. These listings may also use stock images or stolen product photos.

Tip: Ask the seller for a photo of the item next to a handwritten note with today’s date. Also, ask for the serial number so you can verify it with the manufacturer (Apple, for example, allows this on their website).

Phishing Scams: These scams occur when a scammer sends a link during a chat and tricks you into entering personal information, such as Facebook login credentials, bank info, or payment verification. The link may look like a legitimate checkout page but is designed to harvest your data.

Example: The seller says, “I’ll send you a secure link to complete the payment,” and sends a link that looks like facebook-secure-checkout.net. This is not a real Facebook page, and entering your login details may compromise your account.

What to Do:

• Never click on links sent through Messenger unless you’re absolutely sure of the source.
• Inspect URLs carefully. A minor typo or hyphen in the domain name (like face-book.com) is a common phishing tactic.
• If you receive a message asking you to confirm payment details via a site that doesn’t begin with facebook.com, close the window and report the seller.

Buyer Red Flags:

• Requests to pay using third-party payment platforms through links.
• Refusal to share identifying details about high-ticket items.
• Profiles that appear suspicious or lack selling history.

Counterfeit and phishing scams often rely on your excitement and speed to secure a deal. The best defense is to slow down, verify everything, and stay within the known boundaries of Facebook’s official tools and services.

• Be skeptical of listings for designer items or electronics priced much lower than market
• Do not click suspicious links sent via chat
• Ask for serial numbers and original receipts when applicable