Facebook Marketplace – Why is it so bad? Pet peeves and frustration.

If you are looking to sell something locally, chances are you have experience with Facebook Marketplace. It is one of the most popular platforms for buying and selling items and it is run by one of the biggest companies in the world, so why is it so bad?

Is it the software itself, the people who are using it, or a combination of both? I would say it is a mix of both. 

One of the biggest issues is poor communication. Most people start by sending a generic “Is this still available?” message. I will usually reply immediately with something like, “Yes, can you pick it up today?” Then most of the time they will not even read the reply or if they do read it, they don’t reply.

My theory is that since Facebook has those quick message send options, I think a lot of people are accidentally tapping those messages even when they don’t mean to send a message. For the others, they are clearly not serious about buying the item so they don’t even reply. 

It doesn’t help that Facebook’s app is not reliable at all when it comes to functionality and communication. I just had a scheduled meet up with a buyer. I was waiting like 10 minutes and so was he, when we were both there because the messages did not go through. I was there with the app open to the chat and there was nothing. It was not until I force closed the app and then re-opened it that I saw their messages show up. 

Another thing is that people do not even read the details of the listing before they start sending messages. There have been so many times where people have said they were interested and we went back and forth discussing the item. Then finally when they agree to buy it they realize the distance is too far. I always have the location listed and still they do not pay attention. 

The rating system could be better also. I always rate after a good transaction. If it was not a good transaction I will just not rate them. I don’t like the idea that your identity is shown on the ratings because it could cause conflict or retaliation for giving a bad review. 

Overall the app could use a lot of improvement. Considering how popular it is and how big the company is, you would think they would be able to make some of these fixes to improve the product. 

What is your experience using Facebook Marketplace? Feel free to leave a comment below.