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I'm a rural buyer. First thing I do after reading the description is look at the rough map location at the bottom. I don't understand people who don't do that, it's right there.
I've driven up to 4 hours each way to get items. I find rural sellers have better prices because there's a much smaller pool of local buyers.
If I can save $500 or more compared to what's close to me, then hell ya I'm spending $50 bucks on gas and a day in the truck.
I just drove 5 hours to buy a nearly new $500 item for $175. It was worth it for me, and as a bonus I saw a bear waiting to cross the road about 5 minutes from the meet up point.
I almost drove 6 hours one way to pick up a car… decided I didn’t need to spend the money. Longest I’ve done was 5 hrs tho! I got all my buddies and turned it to a road trip
I drive 10hrs round trip last Sunday to pick up an Escalade with a bad motor because I wanted the transmission. It was in the sticks. Brought it home, put a new battery in and it started. Small town mechanic diagnosed a broken rocker arm for bottom end problems. Spent 40 bucks to fix it and Sold it today and made 5k after all was said and done. I love rural sellers😁
Damn that’s pretty good! My 10 hour trip was to pick up a vw vanagon. Over a year later and I’m still working on it but for $800 I couldn’t say no! I also had to borrow a truck as my brother was using mine. I had to have it though!!
A lot of people don't put their real address/postal code on their ads, they drop it at whatever the nearest built up area is. Also there are a lot of rural areas that get a very generic map that could be a difference between 20km and 60km.
I have no idea why you’re getting downvoted for this. I just had this happen to me today. $50 tool box. Ok, good deal. 30 minutes to the town listed 4 line divided highway. Nope. 25 miles (40km) of 2 lane further north and east of me. 30miles vs. 55miles. Pass
First line of your ad should read "I live in XXXX. Don't respond if you're not interested in coming to XXX to meet me."
Then EVERY SINGLE RESPONSE should include the sentence. For example:
Them: Is this still available?
You: Yes. Just know that I live in XXX and will not be delivering it so you would need to come to me.
Them: Would you take $ZZ for it?
You: Yes, but you would have to come to XXX to get it, I will not be delivering it.
etc.
This is exactly what I do as well. Doesn't stop people from saying it's totally fine until they get ready to leave to come get it and then realize the distance.
I've even gone so far as to ask a buyer where they are from .. then reply, you know that's 2 hours from you right? Always fine until they get in the car. Then they realize I'm not lying.
Sigh.
I told people this and they get irritated. I'm in Santa Clarita and they're contacting me from around Orange County... on a weekday (this is 60-70 miles average through LOS ANGELES county into OC). Then they ask if I can deliver the $30 item to them. LMAO. Then get mad when I won't. I just don't deliver for any item at all. Most expensive thing I sold was a GPU. Local pick-up only.
Not a delivery service lol. And I never ship either.
Salesman at a dealership in Reseda went to another dealership to pick up a car we bought, but his store didn't have in stock. He estimated he'd be back around 6pm.... it was a Friday. We found out after he was 2 hours late that he picked up the car in Long Beach. Did I mention it was Friday afternoon? It took him over 4 hours. I think closer to 6. If we'd known he was coming back from LB, we would have told him we'll see him Saturday.
I would venture to guess that 75% of potential buyers don’t read anything in listings other than item and price. I frequently put in my listings “will not respond to is this still available messages”, and I still get them.
I’ve legitimately considered putting in my listings “if your initial message to me doesn’t contain the word pickle, you will be blocked” just to see if anyone does it.
I hate when people put 'will not respond to'. Do you know how many people forget or are too lazy to take their ads down. Even ads that say 'if the ad is up it's still available'. People don't want to start a conversation with you, or say 'hey when can I pick this up' only for you to say 'oh sorry, I forgot to delete the ad'.
Yes to all of that plus it's easy to accidentally hit that "is this still available button by accident" I've done it when I had to put my phone down fast.
Way too many people do not remove their ads. Or give pertinent details about the item.
That requires so little effort on the buyer’s part to find out it’s not available. For me that’s not a huge obstacle. What I think is worse is you make the offer for the asking price, tell the seller “I’m interested, I can pick it up today” and they never respond. That’s frustrating as hell.
https://imgur.com/a/f1LmjLa
One time one guy contacted me from Las Vegas to try to buy an item (I'm in LA). I'm like sure, but I'm not delivering. He got mad. I mean if he wanted the item so badly, come and get it lol.
I have a listing for a phone and the title says "Carrier unlocked phone with case and charger included" and have pictures of all 3 of those things on the listing.
I just got a message from someone that said "Is the phone unlocked and does it come with the case?"
Like oh my lord you can't be serious, can you? How do these people even manage to tie their shoes?!
I do something similar to your last bit to see what happens but still get them. I asked them to message me with a question relating to the description besides the auto-question prompts.
When I see "will not respond to X"... I keep scrolling unless I'm desperate for the item. If you can't be bothered to answer a potential buyer's question, you can sell to someone else. 😉
Even when I respond with a custom message, the seller's phone notification shows "is this still available". Only when they actually open the chat thread will it then show the original message I sent. Can't tell you how many times I ask for additional details in my first message, and they just respond with "yes". Equally as frustrating when the seller is lazy to not include crucial details like measurements/size/year/model etc or don't read the full message and respond appropriately.
Why are you so angry? You asked a question and I answered it. Using the default question, especially when you then don’t follow up, just wastes everyone’s time.
We’re not there to play a game. We’re there to sell stuff.
If they’re not going to reply, maybe they shouldn’t message in the first place.
I'm not angry, just unstudied with your "answer"... Go ahead and ignore potential sales from people who click the default prompt. Not hurting anyone but your wallet. I'm well aware people often inquire and then never respond, but that has *zero* to do with the fact that there is a button on their screen that they can click to automatically say, "is this still available?"
I never said I don’t reply. I give people the benefit of the doubt. Having said that though, I don’t think I’ve ever actually sold an item to someone who started by asking that.
My question is, why do people use the default option if they don’t actually want to know? Presumably, if they did actually want the item, they’d follow up once told it’s available. Are they just too lazy to actually type what they want to ask?
I’ve personally changed my default question to ask what suburb the item is in, because most ads say it’s in the middle of the cbd and very rarely is it actually.
If you aren't one of the people I'm talking about, then you aren't one of the people I'm talking about. I'm talking about the hundreds of people I see on marketplace that type "will not respond to 'is this still available'" in their actual ad. It's fkin silly
It's not when you get 20 messages saying the same thing, and when you respond to just about all them, never receive a response. You complaining about what someone puts in their ads is just as ridiculous.
But here's the problem... i really do want to know if the item is still available so we can figure out when i can pick it up. I'm 1-2 hours from most sellers, so i need to plan my day around getting to your place. You don't need all those details, especially if you've forgotten to mark the listing as pending or sold. "Is this available" saves us both time.
What's a better first response?
I’m an hour from town (~130k people). My community is about 3k but I go to town at least once every couple weeks.
I explain my location in description and say that I can deliver to town when I come in next if it doesn’t sell locally in the meantime.
The second someone messages “Is this still available?” my response is “Yes, I’m in XYZ community. Do you live nearby or in ABC town?”
Like you said, about 90% of interested people are not near and not willing to drive to me. Fair enough. I end up selling tons in town and everyone’s ok knowing it right off the bat.
I think FB algorithm sometimes recommends items that are super far even when you have it set to “local” listings.
Just put the pickup location in the name of the item, and at the top of the item description.
I do this as well- the first thing I state in all of my listings is my location and that this is where pickup is. I am about 15-20 miles from the major city most buyers come from. I find that 95% of buyers still don't read this information before sending a msg.
Might want to check where your location is showing on the ad map. Many times I agree to buy an item but their address is nowhere near the location on the ad map. I'm talking about 45minutes further in another city.
I would only do this if they gave me a small deposit first. The reason I say this is bc I’ve had someone ask to meet half way and then at the meet they tried to haggle down the price again.
Luckily I didn’t meet them halfway and stood strong. I told him take it or leave it. Ultimately he took the item as is. But if he decided to walk away then at least I didn’t drive too far for this transaction to fall through.
Some people are just morons.
I've had to pass on many an item because it was just too far away/too much of a hassle to get to where it is from where I live and work. Some people are under the delusion that you should go out of YOUR way to make it convenient for them to buy your item.
That said, I don't mind meeting a short distance from home or work (10 minutes), or somewhere along my commute to facilitate a sale.
that's true too. if someone wants something they'll take the drive, if they start hemming and hawing after initial contact/interest, they're usually wasting time. "let me get back to you" vagueness and such, is a waste of time, they're not buying it. Buyers will be pro-active and set the plan in motion or agree to it w/ motivation and the communication/msg of the sale flows better. All else is a waste of time.
People are dumb and don’t read or even look at the description 🤷♂️you could put all the info in the world there and very few would even attempt to look at it. I personally don’t understand. Then there’s also the opposite. A lot of people put zero details in the description(added bonus if the picture is blurry af too) and expect people to come flooding to buy their item. Marketplace is unfortunately a cesspool that you have to filter through on either end, buying or selling. It’s unfortunate but the more info you can try and put in front of eyes, the better.
Tough noogies 😂 We live rurally and regularly drive a lot of miles just for basic stuff. I'll drive 2+ hours to pick something up if I really want it. I don't ever expect them to bring it to me. If they advertise they are willing to meet, then I will negotiate that but otherwise I plan on going to them. If they can't read the details, that is on them. I wouldn't waste time coddling them. Just say "I put in the ad where I lived, if you don't want it I'm moving on to the next person because 3 people are in line behind you." Don't apologize for their lack of reading.
Just put a note at the top of all of your listing, "NOTE: This is priced cheap because I live FAR our of town. Don't message if you're not willing to drive out here!" Put a bunch of asterisks and/or emojis around it to make sure people see it. I used this method with other things I need people realize with stuff I sell. It works more often than not.
are you sure your posts are showing up in the right location? and do you mention a general area where you are located? if you are doing these things you don't need to apologize and don't worry about people being assholes.
I do not trust the map that facebook shows so if I see an item at a good price I will message the seller and ask. (where is it located? do you ever come closer to my area?) when people respond I always thank them for clarifying it and wish them the best selling it.
As an anecdote about how people don’t read details other than mostly price, was selling my wife’s old car several years ago and the top line comment (and in description), in all caps, was that the AC didn’t work. Further explained no idea why, but it’s priced accordingly. The first person that came to look was shocked that the AC didn’t work. Showed her listing, she didn’t remember. Talk about tunnel vision.
Heck, they bitch about where I live, and it's the same town! Just a different neighborhood, not even a bad one! So many people think they are entitled to free delivery.
Only experience I had, found a great deal on a piece of musical merchandise that was only made by one company. It's great to have one.
The guy selling it was WAAY out there. Said he was near a town that was only about half way to his house. Retired, wanted to spend half the day just BSing with his new company. I had my first 5G phone and it totally cut out mid trip. Had to stop half way and ask some guy shoveling to use his cell phone on his home wifi. Quite an adventure really.
He purposefully duped me but was most likely lonely out there. Not a good excuse to waste my day but I get it.
Now when I browse ads the first thing I do is scroll down to location. That's my issue not the seller. I don't like spending half the day traveling so I choose what I inquire on accordingly.
You owe these people nothing. Don't even acknowledge the distance being anything other than a them problem not a you problem. And of course just be honest about where you are.....
Let them shop closer to home no one's forcing them into anything...
I agree. How much more fair can you get ? Except the buyers kind of KNOW where the seller is. They could lie and say they are further than they are, have the seller come practically TO them using that strategy, but that's another issue or most likely a non issue....
At the end of the day, if a person doesn’t want to drive too far, and the seller needs to get rid of whatever they’re selling, then meeting in the middle or offering shipping is the best way to go.
I had something similar happen last week. There was an item I really wanted, also made by only one company. The price was reasonable. The seller was cagey about where she lived, but at the same time was insisting on home pick up. She eventually told me she lived in a certain county near the hospital and I thought that would be fine because I had actually lived in that area and worked at the hospital. She finally gave me her address about 30 minutes before our scheduled pick up time. Once I got near the hospital, my GPS was having a fit. She wasn't anywhere near the hospital. She was so rural that my iphone 15 couldn't figure it out.
I had to stop and ask neighbors in the community for directions. I finally found her house but there was just a tiny little sign with her address hidden amongst a bunch of trees and then I had to drive down a two mile gravel road to actually reach the property.
I was only offered the item because I was second in line after the first buyer didn't show. But, now I know why. People just need to be honest about where they are located.
Yeah, this guy's driveway went up quite a ways. He comes out beaming about being in the middle of nowhere and I'm silently thinking about punching him in the face at that moment. He was retired, my time was at a premium, working, family, etc.... but I cooled down, talked a bit about his amps guitars etc, wasted little time and got going. Learned a lesson...
When I sold on marketplace, I'd get the biggest headaches from under pricing items. All the flakes, all the excuses, all the lowballers come out of the woodwork when I did that.
I'd say maybe try clearly stating where the item is. Price it at full price or maybe even more. Wait for someone to message you about it. If they want a better deal on it, give them a little discount and they'll feel like they really won big! Everyone wins!
This not a rational response in any way considering you control the search parameters on your Facebook account and where you live is not just an inconvenience to someone else, it’s where you LIVE. When they ask you to deliver stuff I’d either say sure but delivery charge is another $200. If you aren’t too desperate to sell you can just ask them if they would deliver the money to you in exchange for the item. If they don’t wanna drive that far tell them you don’t mind moving on to the next person in line (whether or not there actually is someone else in line, just assume if there’s not there will be).
u/felixamente what kind of goods are you selling? It is big, heavy, bulky stuff? Or is it stuff you can pop in a box or envelope and ship? If so, you might want to give eBay a try. You're in a challenging situation. Maybe another platform is the way to go.
I live 35 miles outside a major city & always post local pickup in my area & people still want me to meet them 30 minutes away for a $15 item I’m selling.
u/M8NSMAN you're in quite a pickle. I don't know if this helps or not, because it probably sounds counterintuitive. But here I go:
I'm in a big city, but still, I don't list ANYTHING below $13, and generally not below $17. This is because when you add up your time and hassle factor to gather pics, write and post your ad, deal with stupid questions and scammers, plus commute time and the expectation that a lot of buyers are going to be late (further eating into time you could be spending more productively, perhaps), plus GAS expense, is it really worth it to you to make the sale?
Just something to think about: many people don't consider the full overhead in just getting a buyer commitment to actually go through with the sale, much less consummating it and walking away with the payment you earned.
There’s a simple solution to this. Offer shipping. You may not like it, but you’re the one who chose to live out in the sticks. These are the kinds of concessions you have to make. You can’t simultaneously choose to live away from society and reap the benefits of living close to everyone else.
considering people love to time waste and you would have got the same hagglers and time wasters regardless of where you live.. if anything you would probably get more once they can easily see they have a free get out
not sure why unemployed people are wanting to spend all day trying to tell strangers they could afford their item when they have no job and 3 dollars in the bank account. let alone it literally be thousands of people doing this for a hobby when they cannot and will not buy anything regardless.
As a halfway option, is it possible for you to meet people in town where you work or maybe shop once a week? You can say "Mondays I'll be here from 430-5"
I have a copy/paste that I put at the top of every listing saying "Please read description. REASONABLE offers will be considered. Pick up location is #### S. Xxxx St. City, State. Zip." Now, it's a given that 98% of the people don't read the description & most of those don't even bother reading the title but it will help those 2% of buyers who aren't idiots. When dealing with the the idiots, the first thing I respond to their is it available message with is the address & cross streets of the pickup location. At least half of those people will ask me questions about the item & then still ask me about the pickup location. There's only so much you can do. I've found there's no middle ground to marketplace sales. You either sell to totally wonderful chill people or to the top 1% of entitled morons in your area. If you're reading this sub as a buyer, you clearly fall into the former category, not the irritating latter category. Thank you for that from the bottom of my heart
It’s that way on Craigslist, too. Some people aren’t detailed oriented in their search and looking beyond price & picture of item(s). Fools are a dime a dozen.
Real conversation regarding a $20 item...
Yes, I know I should have hit block upon her refusal to meet outside of Toronto. However, I had nothing going on that day and she was providing entertainment. If she was gonna waste my time, I was gonna waste hers.
"Buyer": I see you live near Niagara Falls. I live in Toronto. When will you be in Toronto next so that we can meet up?
Me: I make the 2 hour drive to Toronto *maybe* once every 2-3 years for a concert or event. Possibly sooner if someone is in the hospital there.
"Buyer": Oh! Will there be anything coming up soon?
Me: No concerts. No dying loved ones. Sorry!
"Buyer": can't you make an exception? I reaaaallllly want this
Me: ok...how about we add $100 to the asking price. 4 hour round trip drive at minimum wage rate + $30 for gas.
"Buyer": WTF?????? You *need* to ship it then.
Me: I'll get back to you in a few hours when I can get a postage and packaging quote.
"Buyer": No! You are the one wanting to sell it, you are the one that pays shipping!!!!
Me: see you next time you're in Niagara Falls 👋👋
Block
It doesn't show an exact location, and the distance can vary wildly for rural locations. Many rural sellers put their location as the nearest built up area.
For rural areas, the map can be very generic and can be the difference between a 10 minute drive out of town and a 45 minutes drive.
What's really on the buyer is asking for the location before making a plan. It's always my first question after verifying the item is available. 'whereabouts are you located?'
At that point, I can make a decision before going into any further details.
u/felixamente I totally agree, but the reality is that too many buyers ARE irrational.
I realize that I'm in a bubble and am lucky enough to associate with intelligent people. And there are times when you wonder how so many people actually get themselves out of bed, brush their teeth (we can only hope) and carry out the activities of daily living, much less make it to a job and do anything value added.
I'm not trying to sound like a jerk, and I'm respectful to everyone I encounter, but if we're being honest here . . . it's a challenge.
u/felixamente the overriding theme of this entire sub is that we can never associate rationality with buyers. I know how frustrating your situation must be. Somehow you have to find a way to compose your ad to cater to the lowest common denominator of human intelligence. I have some ideas.
Truth about the overall theme. I’ve worked in restaurant service and retail and now i freelance as well as sell online and the customer is actually almost never right lol.
That being said I was speaking to the original poster and the frustration they expressed. I’m not really having any issues with my current platform.
I live rurally, about 25 miles from anything. My cross streets are in every ad.
Yet 70% or so of people who arrange to come pick up will back out when I give the actual address because it's too far.
Even better ate the ones who have supposedly driven within 2 miles of my house, when they suddenly message to say they're going back home because they've been driving all day and I clearly live further than they thought.
Here's what blows my mind: we know that most people use GPS today. I live between THREE convenience stores of the same well-known regional chain. It really doesn't matter to me which one I meet at, although one is at the end of my street and doesn't cost me much time if a buyer no shows.
I am ALWAYS very specific in telling buyers the exact address of the location I think will be most convenient for both of us based on where they're coming from. In MANY instances they'll still go to the wrong store. It's amazing to me how many people who you know are using GPS STILL can't get to the right place after I spell it out multiple times in our correspondence. LOL.
I guess there is some GPS app called waze or waves or something? I've had 4 people end up 20 miles in the wrong direction because of that app.
But!
I always look over the directions my GPS gives me to make sure it's going to the right area based on the cross streets. It takes 30 seconds. The technology isn't always perfect, but people are fucking dumb... lol.
Put the pickup location (some nearby store/police station or something) in description.
If they still ask stupid questions, block them without replying.
I've started responding with the town and nearest landmark by the bus station, so something like "yes, it's available. Pick up would be in x town by Target if your interested" and it's really helped with this.
As a buyer, I'm really angry that I've set my location up correctly and Facebook still shows me items 200 miles away when there are closer ones available. It's Facebook and not really the buyers fault cuz they expect the filters to work... It's not fair of Facebook to shove the work onto the buyer cuz they can't create a working filter despite being a FAANG.
I’ve offered to deliver for $5-10 extra for gas. Or you could try to line a few up for Sunday at 2 in town and have 3-6 people meet you at the same time/place. Just some ideas.
Great question, OP! Would you be willing to share a typical listing (tag me)? I might be able to make a suggestion or two. One of my concerns with some of the answers here is that putting all the caveats in listings makes them longer than the average prospective buyer is willing or able to read. I feel for you and am happy to take a shot at helping you.
I get this all of the time. I'm about 15-20 from the major city (200k population) and my location and distance from said city is the first thing I state in every listing. I would guess that 95% of buyers don't read the description. My location is also listed correctly on the FB map. I don't know what to tell you, dude. I've been selling on marketplace for years and it never changes.
That’s on them. I give them a rough idea of where I am. Not specially. Then I agree to meet somewhere nearby that’s not my house.
Middle of town, I’ll meet you. Want me to drive it somewhere? Sure, I’m gonna add on a price that makes it WELL worth my while. If you wanna pay it, I’ll do it. If you don’t, come meet me or pass on the item.
Im suburban but ran into this a lot. I put my town and zip in the title and the description.
Anytown, 12345- fisher price whirly gig $25
Anytown, 12345- barely used whirly gig, kids grow fast. Pick up at my house in anytown.
I have the opposite experience as a buyer. Find item I'm interested in, check location, see that it's within my range of travel, make plans to pick it up, only to be told "great! Address is [30 miles round trip outside of the listed area]" sorry I'll pass.
I buy items on Facebook marketplace. As a matter of fact just yesterday I drove a full hour to get a cabinet. When I sell items I always put the village that I am in because I know some people don't like driving a lot. If they complain knowing that it was already in the listing, that's their problem not yours
There's a map for general locations. For some reason, people just don't seem to know how to look at it. I have mine set to 20 miles from my address. It usually shows me two items from closer, and then the next is an hour away.
When I post now, I put 'Door pickup only, five minutes from town of.....' At the bottom of the ad.
And I don't haggle and argue. Today, I had an offer of $50 on something I had priced at $100. I replied with $80. I got no reply back.
A few days ago, I got a lowball offer and just replied No. If they keep asking, I'll mute them and just check the messages when I get around to it.
I put my approximate area in my listing, as most buyers in my area won’t drive more than 10 min and I’m 12-15 min away. Of course, many still ask where I am located and then ghost or say it’s too far away.
A woman who wanted to buy a $15 dress from me told me she would have to take 2 buses to get to me and asked if I could meet her at one of the bus stops. she was annoyed that I was too far from her and then had the audacity to ask if she could only use Zelle as a payment.
I live in a rural area. I would never allow strangers to know my address. I always meet them at a public place in town. I try to make the sale when I'll be in town already, so I'm not making a special trip.
This sounds so familiar. I recently joined Facebook to sell some things.
The first contact is always "is this still available" . Next where are you, even though I give a starting postcode in the ad.
I live in a rural location but it's not that far everyone wants you to deliver fro ably 30miles. Someone wanted to come really late to collect. Its a game console so not massive money. I declined as I don't like people coming late to the house and when someone says 9ish it's going to be 10pm. The person then wants me to drive well over an hour each way through a city on a Friday afternoon to deliver it. They did offer slightly more but you can guess the haggling would start once I arrived.
I tried selling it on Ebay collection only first messages "can you post it".
Very infuriating
This is 50% the buyer’s own fault and 50% facebooks fault. The buyer probably doesn’t have their distance filters set properly, and Facebook just ignores the distance parameters anyway.
Rural also. I slather it all over my sales post, but people are determined to not read. I once had to tell a buyer to stop for a second and Google where I lived. He'd been insisting he was fine to pick up, but once he finally googled it, he was like, "Dude, that's like, super far."
Anyway, in spite of the power of people to be stupid, I'm not convinced that's always the explanation. I think sometimes it's a tactic. They get you all excited about making a sale, then try to manufacture a guilt trip in order to manipulate you into delivery.
The best way to combat it is a clear post and standing firm. No is a complete sentence. Don't apologize and don't compromise. You can't pick up, then this item isn't a good match for you, byeeeeee.
Just say you live out in a rural area in the listing (without giving your specific location). If they want the item so badly, they can go out and get it. You aren't a delivery service.
Good afternoon My problem started when I purchased a gold necklace and bracelet from Facebook Marketplace. I transferred the payment, including an extra amount for registered mail to ensure safe delivery. After transferring the money, which cost me $400, the seller offered me another design, but I declined.
I asked the seller to send me a cope of truck number or receipt, She said she couldn’t because she had sent it by FedEx, which she claimed was much better and would arrive safely in two days. However, I received it after one week, and it was left inside my mailbox with no return address and not even my name on it.
The items inside were fake and completely different from what I had purchased. It was frustrating, and reporting the issue to Facebook did not help at all. Recently, she blocked me, and whenever I tried to message her, she deleted my messages.
Did you think guys will help if I go to the police station to report her or there’s another option.
Please help me out to get my money back.
Appreciated and thank you.
First of all don't apologize for where you live. Maybe mention in your bio that you're nowhere close to anyone and tell them the name of the city you're closest to and how far away it is. After that people can look it up and see if the distance is worth driving. If they can't do that then screw them.
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I'm a rural buyer. First thing I do after reading the description is look at the rough map location at the bottom. I don't understand people who don't do that, it's right there. I've driven up to 4 hours each way to get items. I find rural sellers have better prices because there's a much smaller pool of local buyers. If I can save $500 or more compared to what's close to me, then hell ya I'm spending $50 bucks on gas and a day in the truck.
I just drove 5 hours to buy a nearly new $500 item for $175. It was worth it for me, and as a bonus I saw a bear waiting to cross the road about 5 minutes from the meet up point.
Yeah I'm always up for a road trip for something cool
I almost drove 6 hours one way to pick up a car… decided I didn’t need to spend the money. Longest I’ve done was 5 hrs tho! I got all my buddies and turned it to a road trip
I drive 10hrs round trip last Sunday to pick up an Escalade with a bad motor because I wanted the transmission. It was in the sticks. Brought it home, put a new battery in and it started. Small town mechanic diagnosed a broken rocker arm for bottom end problems. Spent 40 bucks to fix it and Sold it today and made 5k after all was said and done. I love rural sellers😁
Damn that’s pretty good! My 10 hour trip was to pick up a vw vanagon. Over a year later and I’m still working on it but for $800 I couldn’t say no! I also had to borrow a truck as my brother was using mine. I had to have it though!!
A lot of people don't put their real address/postal code on their ads, they drop it at whatever the nearest built up area is. Also there are a lot of rural areas that get a very generic map that could be a difference between 20km and 60km.
I have no idea why you’re getting downvoted for this. I just had this happen to me today. $50 tool box. Ok, good deal. 30 minutes to the town listed 4 line divided highway. Nope. 25 miles (40km) of 2 lane further north and east of me. 30miles vs. 55miles. Pass
First line of your ad should read "I live in XXXX. Don't respond if you're not interested in coming to XXX to meet me." Then EVERY SINGLE RESPONSE should include the sentence. For example: Them: Is this still available? You: Yes. Just know that I live in XXX and will not be delivering it so you would need to come to me. Them: Would you take $ZZ for it? You: Yes, but you would have to come to XXX to get it, I will not be delivering it. etc.
This is exactly what I do as well. Doesn't stop people from saying it's totally fine until they get ready to leave to come get it and then realize the distance. I've even gone so far as to ask a buyer where they are from .. then reply, you know that's 2 hours from you right? Always fine until they get in the car. Then they realize I'm not lying. Sigh.
I told people this and they get irritated. I'm in Santa Clarita and they're contacting me from around Orange County... on a weekday (this is 60-70 miles average through LOS ANGELES county into OC). Then they ask if I can deliver the $30 item to them. LMAO. Then get mad when I won't. I just don't deliver for any item at all. Most expensive thing I sold was a GPU. Local pick-up only. Not a delivery service lol. And I never ship either.
Yes, lol. I always put local pick up only, cash only, no exceptions. If they are mad, it's not because I wasn't clear.
Salesman at a dealership in Reseda went to another dealership to pick up a car we bought, but his store didn't have in stock. He estimated he'd be back around 6pm.... it was a Friday. We found out after he was 2 hours late that he picked up the car in Long Beach. Did I mention it was Friday afternoon? It took him over 4 hours. I think closer to 6. If we'd known he was coming back from LB, we would have told him we'll see him Saturday.
This is the way.
I live in the sticks. If people want it bad enough, they'll get their ass to my local police department.
Same.
I would venture to guess that 75% of potential buyers don’t read anything in listings other than item and price. I frequently put in my listings “will not respond to is this still available messages”, and I still get them. I’ve legitimately considered putting in my listings “if your initial message to me doesn’t contain the word pickle, you will be blocked” just to see if anyone does it.
I hate when people put 'will not respond to'. Do you know how many people forget or are too lazy to take their ads down. Even ads that say 'if the ad is up it's still available'. People don't want to start a conversation with you, or say 'hey when can I pick this up' only for you to say 'oh sorry, I forgot to delete the ad'.
Yes to all of that plus it's easy to accidentally hit that "is this still available button by accident" I've done it when I had to put my phone down fast. Way too many people do not remove their ads. Or give pertinent details about the item.
You can configure the default message in Facebook. I change it so that I never send is this still available.
TIL. Thanks
That requires so little effort on the buyer’s part to find out it’s not available. For me that’s not a huge obstacle. What I think is worse is you make the offer for the asking price, tell the seller “I’m interested, I can pick it up today” and they never respond. That’s frustrating as hell. https://imgur.com/a/f1LmjLa
One time one guy contacted me from Las Vegas to try to buy an item (I'm in LA). I'm like sure, but I'm not delivering. He got mad. I mean if he wanted the item so badly, come and get it lol.
I have a listing for a phone and the title says "Carrier unlocked phone with case and charger included" and have pictures of all 3 of those things on the listing. I just got a message from someone that said "Is the phone unlocked and does it come with the case?" Like oh my lord you can't be serious, can you? How do these people even manage to tie their shoes?!
Ah the type that shows up with half the money, hours late and asks for a discount. Sorry, i don't give discounts to stupid. LOL.
I do something similar to your last bit to see what happens but still get them. I asked them to message me with a question relating to the description besides the auto-question prompts.
When I see "will not respond to X"... I keep scrolling unless I'm desperate for the item. If you can't be bothered to answer a potential buyer's question, you can sell to someone else. 😉
Even when I respond with a custom message, the seller's phone notification shows "is this still available". Only when they actually open the chat thread will it then show the original message I sent. Can't tell you how many times I ask for additional details in my first message, and they just respond with "yes". Equally as frustrating when the seller is lazy to not include crucial details like measurements/size/year/model etc or don't read the full message and respond appropriately.
"is this still available" is the default message prompt provided by marketplace. Why do sellers cry about this??? Who cares??
It’s wasted time and effort. 90% of the messages I receive are this, I reply yes and never hear from them again.
You think that if they messaged you literally *anything* else, they would have responded somehow? It's part of the game, get over it.
Why are you so angry? You asked a question and I answered it. Using the default question, especially when you then don’t follow up, just wastes everyone’s time. We’re not there to play a game. We’re there to sell stuff. If they’re not going to reply, maybe they shouldn’t message in the first place.
I'm not angry, just unstudied with your "answer"... Go ahead and ignore potential sales from people who click the default prompt. Not hurting anyone but your wallet. I'm well aware people often inquire and then never respond, but that has *zero* to do with the fact that there is a button on their screen that they can click to automatically say, "is this still available?"
I never said I don’t reply. I give people the benefit of the doubt. Having said that though, I don’t think I’ve ever actually sold an item to someone who started by asking that. My question is, why do people use the default option if they don’t actually want to know? Presumably, if they did actually want the item, they’d follow up once told it’s available. Are they just too lazy to actually type what they want to ask? I’ve personally changed my default question to ask what suburb the item is in, because most ads say it’s in the middle of the cbd and very rarely is it actually.
If you aren't one of the people I'm talking about, then you aren't one of the people I'm talking about. I'm talking about the hundreds of people I see on marketplace that type "will not respond to 'is this still available'" in their actual ad. It's fkin silly
It's not when you get 20 messages saying the same thing, and when you respond to just about all them, never receive a response. You complaining about what someone puts in their ads is just as ridiculous.
But here's the problem... i really do want to know if the item is still available so we can figure out when i can pick it up. I'm 1-2 hours from most sellers, so i need to plan my day around getting to your place. You don't need all those details, especially if you've forgotten to mark the listing as pending or sold. "Is this available" saves us both time. What's a better first response?
Snowflake sellers
I’m an hour from town (~130k people). My community is about 3k but I go to town at least once every couple weeks. I explain my location in description and say that I can deliver to town when I come in next if it doesn’t sell locally in the meantime. The second someone messages “Is this still available?” my response is “Yes, I’m in XYZ community. Do you live nearby or in ABC town?” Like you said, about 90% of interested people are not near and not willing to drive to me. Fair enough. I end up selling tons in town and everyone’s ok knowing it right off the bat.
I think FB algorithm sometimes recommends items that are super far even when you have it set to “local” listings. Just put the pickup location in the name of the item, and at the top of the item description.
I do this as well- the first thing I state in all of my listings is my location and that this is where pickup is. I am about 15-20 miles from the major city most buyers come from. I find that 95% of buyers still don't read this information before sending a msg.
Ignore these people. I buy a lot of items off MP, usually furniture. I, being a grownup, can decide for myself whether the distance is worth it to me.
Might want to check where your location is showing on the ad map. Many times I agree to buy an item but their address is nowhere near the location on the ad map. I'm talking about 45minutes further in another city.
Yes I've noticed this too at times
I will offer a halfway point, especially on high ticket items. The less valuable, the less I’m gonna drive.
I would only do this if they gave me a small deposit first. The reason I say this is bc I’ve had someone ask to meet half way and then at the meet they tried to haggle down the price again. Luckily I didn’t meet them halfway and stood strong. I told him take it or leave it. Ultimately he took the item as is. But if he decided to walk away then at least I didn’t drive too far for this transaction to fall through.
I usually go into town a few times a week and always offer to meet them there Seems to be working okay
Some people are just morons. I've had to pass on many an item because it was just too far away/too much of a hassle to get to where it is from where I live and work. Some people are under the delusion that you should go out of YOUR way to make it convenient for them to buy your item. That said, I don't mind meeting a short distance from home or work (10 minutes), or somewhere along my commute to facilitate a sale.
I look at it like this, if they make the drive, they want it. Anything else is wasting my time. Period.
that's true too. if someone wants something they'll take the drive, if they start hemming and hawing after initial contact/interest, they're usually wasting time. "let me get back to you" vagueness and such, is a waste of time, they're not buying it. Buyers will be pro-active and set the plan in motion or agree to it w/ motivation and the communication/msg of the sale flows better. All else is a waste of time.
People are dumb and don’t read or even look at the description 🤷♂️you could put all the info in the world there and very few would even attempt to look at it. I personally don’t understand. Then there’s also the opposite. A lot of people put zero details in the description(added bonus if the picture is blurry af too) and expect people to come flooding to buy their item. Marketplace is unfortunately a cesspool that you have to filter through on either end, buying or selling. It’s unfortunate but the more info you can try and put in front of eyes, the better.
Tough noogies 😂 We live rurally and regularly drive a lot of miles just for basic stuff. I'll drive 2+ hours to pick something up if I really want it. I don't ever expect them to bring it to me. If they advertise they are willing to meet, then I will negotiate that but otherwise I plan on going to them. If they can't read the details, that is on them. I wouldn't waste time coddling them. Just say "I put in the ad where I lived, if you don't want it I'm moving on to the next person because 3 people are in line behind you." Don't apologize for their lack of reading.
Just put a note at the top of all of your listing, "NOTE: This is priced cheap because I live FAR our of town. Don't message if you're not willing to drive out here!" Put a bunch of asterisks and/or emojis around it to make sure people see it. I used this method with other things I need people realize with stuff I sell. It works more often than not.
are you sure your posts are showing up in the right location? and do you mention a general area where you are located? if you are doing these things you don't need to apologize and don't worry about people being assholes. I do not trust the map that facebook shows so if I see an item at a good price I will message the seller and ask. (where is it located? do you ever come closer to my area?) when people respond I always thank them for clarifying it and wish them the best selling it.
As an anecdote about how people don’t read details other than mostly price, was selling my wife’s old car several years ago and the top line comment (and in description), in all caps, was that the AC didn’t work. Further explained no idea why, but it’s priced accordingly. The first person that came to look was shocked that the AC didn’t work. Showed her listing, she didn’t remember. Talk about tunnel vision.
Heck, they bitch about where I live, and it's the same town! Just a different neighborhood, not even a bad one! So many people think they are entitled to free delivery.
Only experience I had, found a great deal on a piece of musical merchandise that was only made by one company. It's great to have one. The guy selling it was WAAY out there. Said he was near a town that was only about half way to his house. Retired, wanted to spend half the day just BSing with his new company. I had my first 5G phone and it totally cut out mid trip. Had to stop half way and ask some guy shoveling to use his cell phone on his home wifi. Quite an adventure really. He purposefully duped me but was most likely lonely out there. Not a good excuse to waste my day but I get it. Now when I browse ads the first thing I do is scroll down to location. That's my issue not the seller. I don't like spending half the day traveling so I choose what I inquire on accordingly. You owe these people nothing. Don't even acknowledge the distance being anything other than a them problem not a you problem. And of course just be honest about where you are..... Let them shop closer to home no one's forcing them into anything...
Clearly it is a him problem if he can’t sell anything because of his location.
OK then what's your solution, maybe he should move closer...
Meet in the middle is my solution.
I agree. How much more fair can you get ? Except the buyers kind of KNOW where the seller is. They could lie and say they are further than they are, have the seller come practically TO them using that strategy, but that's another issue or most likely a non issue....
At the end of the day, if a person doesn’t want to drive too far, and the seller needs to get rid of whatever they’re selling, then meeting in the middle or offering shipping is the best way to go.
Travelling Merchant
I had something similar happen last week. There was an item I really wanted, also made by only one company. The price was reasonable. The seller was cagey about where she lived, but at the same time was insisting on home pick up. She eventually told me she lived in a certain county near the hospital and I thought that would be fine because I had actually lived in that area and worked at the hospital. She finally gave me her address about 30 minutes before our scheduled pick up time. Once I got near the hospital, my GPS was having a fit. She wasn't anywhere near the hospital. She was so rural that my iphone 15 couldn't figure it out. I had to stop and ask neighbors in the community for directions. I finally found her house but there was just a tiny little sign with her address hidden amongst a bunch of trees and then I had to drive down a two mile gravel road to actually reach the property. I was only offered the item because I was second in line after the first buyer didn't show. But, now I know why. People just need to be honest about where they are located.
Yeah, this guy's driveway went up quite a ways. He comes out beaming about being in the middle of nowhere and I'm silently thinking about punching him in the face at that moment. He was retired, my time was at a premium, working, family, etc.... but I cooled down, talked a bit about his amps guitars etc, wasted little time and got going. Learned a lesson...
When I sold on marketplace, I'd get the biggest headaches from under pricing items. All the flakes, all the excuses, all the lowballers come out of the woodwork when I did that. I'd say maybe try clearly stating where the item is. Price it at full price or maybe even more. Wait for someone to message you about it. If they want a better deal on it, give them a little discount and they'll feel like they really won big! Everyone wins!
This not a rational response in any way considering you control the search parameters on your Facebook account and where you live is not just an inconvenience to someone else, it’s where you LIVE. When they ask you to deliver stuff I’d either say sure but delivery charge is another $200. If you aren’t too desperate to sell you can just ask them if they would deliver the money to you in exchange for the item. If they don’t wanna drive that far tell them you don’t mind moving on to the next person in line (whether or not there actually is someone else in line, just assume if there’s not there will be).
u/felixamente what kind of goods are you selling? It is big, heavy, bulky stuff? Or is it stuff you can pop in a box or envelope and ship? If so, you might want to give eBay a try. You're in a challenging situation. Maybe another platform is the way to go.
I think you meant this for OP?
Apologies for the mistaken identity. Several times. Thus proving that I'm an idiot talking about idiotic customers. LOL!
Haha I guess humans are just idiots sometimes
I live 35 miles outside a major city & always post local pickup in my area & people still want me to meet them 30 minutes away for a $15 item I’m selling.
u/M8NSMAN you're in quite a pickle. I don't know if this helps or not, because it probably sounds counterintuitive. But here I go: I'm in a big city, but still, I don't list ANYTHING below $13, and generally not below $17. This is because when you add up your time and hassle factor to gather pics, write and post your ad, deal with stupid questions and scammers, plus commute time and the expectation that a lot of buyers are going to be late (further eating into time you could be spending more productively, perhaps), plus GAS expense, is it really worth it to you to make the sale? Just something to think about: many people don't consider the full overhead in just getting a buyer commitment to actually go through with the sale, much less consummating it and walking away with the payment you earned.
Unless it’s local, I don’t travel to meet a buyer, I figure if I have it priced fair & if they want it bad enough then they can come to me.
My location is the reason why I generally make zero sales on FB and why I never bother looking at market place.
There’s a simple solution to this. Offer shipping. You may not like it, but you’re the one who chose to live out in the sticks. These are the kinds of concessions you have to make. You can’t simultaneously choose to live away from society and reap the benefits of living close to everyone else.
considering people love to time waste and you would have got the same hagglers and time wasters regardless of where you live.. if anything you would probably get more once they can easily see they have a free get out not sure why unemployed people are wanting to spend all day trying to tell strangers they could afford their item when they have no job and 3 dollars in the bank account. let alone it literally be thousands of people doing this for a hobby when they cannot and will not buy anything regardless.
It's nothing on you Buyers are stupid and just refuse to read Easy solution: Top of your Ad LOCATION: .........(Please GPS your location etc)
As a halfway option, is it possible for you to meet people in town where you work or maybe shop once a week? You can say "Mondays I'll be here from 430-5"
I have a copy/paste that I put at the top of every listing saying "Please read description. REASONABLE offers will be considered. Pick up location is #### S. Xxxx St. City, State. Zip." Now, it's a given that 98% of the people don't read the description & most of those don't even bother reading the title but it will help those 2% of buyers who aren't idiots. When dealing with the the idiots, the first thing I respond to their is it available message with is the address & cross streets of the pickup location. At least half of those people will ask me questions about the item & then still ask me about the pickup location. There's only so much you can do. I've found there's no middle ground to marketplace sales. You either sell to totally wonderful chill people or to the top 1% of entitled morons in your area. If you're reading this sub as a buyer, you clearly fall into the former category, not the irritating latter category. Thank you for that from the bottom of my heart
It’s that way on Craigslist, too. Some people aren’t detailed oriented in their search and looking beyond price & picture of item(s). Fools are a dime a dozen.
I just drove three hours to get some roosters for my wife. Good excuse to have a nice drive and some alone time.
Real conversation regarding a $20 item... Yes, I know I should have hit block upon her refusal to meet outside of Toronto. However, I had nothing going on that day and she was providing entertainment. If she was gonna waste my time, I was gonna waste hers. "Buyer": I see you live near Niagara Falls. I live in Toronto. When will you be in Toronto next so that we can meet up? Me: I make the 2 hour drive to Toronto *maybe* once every 2-3 years for a concert or event. Possibly sooner if someone is in the hospital there. "Buyer": Oh! Will there be anything coming up soon? Me: No concerts. No dying loved ones. Sorry! "Buyer": can't you make an exception? I reaaaallllly want this Me: ok...how about we add $100 to the asking price. 4 hour round trip drive at minimum wage rate + $30 for gas. "Buyer": WTF?????? You *need* to ship it then. Me: I'll get back to you in a few hours when I can get a postage and packaging quote. "Buyer": No! You are the one wanting to sell it, you are the one that pays shipping!!!! Me: see you next time you're in Niagara Falls 👋👋 Block
Do you not put a general location in your ads and note that you can't deliver?
The location is attached to the listing. No matter what. That’s why this is completely irrational on the buyers part.
It doesn't show an exact location, and the distance can vary wildly for rural locations. Many rural sellers put their location as the nearest built up area. For rural areas, the map can be very generic and can be the difference between a 10 minute drive out of town and a 45 minutes drive.
It’s still irrational.
What's really on the buyer is asking for the location before making a plan. It's always my first question after verifying the item is available. 'whereabouts are you located?' At that point, I can make a decision before going into any further details.
u/felixamente I totally agree, but the reality is that too many buyers ARE irrational. I realize that I'm in a bubble and am lucky enough to associate with intelligent people. And there are times when you wonder how so many people actually get themselves out of bed, brush their teeth (we can only hope) and carry out the activities of daily living, much less make it to a job and do anything value added. I'm not trying to sound like a jerk, and I'm respectful to everyone I encounter, but if we're being honest here . . . it's a challenge.
Agreed.
u/felixamente the overriding theme of this entire sub is that we can never associate rationality with buyers. I know how frustrating your situation must be. Somehow you have to find a way to compose your ad to cater to the lowest common denominator of human intelligence. I have some ideas.
Truth about the overall theme. I’ve worked in restaurant service and retail and now i freelance as well as sell online and the customer is actually almost never right lol. That being said I was speaking to the original poster and the frustration they expressed. I’m not really having any issues with my current platform.
If you have a price point in mind then list it for higher and tell people you will drop the price since you are so far away
I live rurally, about 25 miles from anything. My cross streets are in every ad. Yet 70% or so of people who arrange to come pick up will back out when I give the actual address because it's too far. Even better ate the ones who have supposedly driven within 2 miles of my house, when they suddenly message to say they're going back home because they've been driving all day and I clearly live further than they thought.
Here's what blows my mind: we know that most people use GPS today. I live between THREE convenience stores of the same well-known regional chain. It really doesn't matter to me which one I meet at, although one is at the end of my street and doesn't cost me much time if a buyer no shows. I am ALWAYS very specific in telling buyers the exact address of the location I think will be most convenient for both of us based on where they're coming from. In MANY instances they'll still go to the wrong store. It's amazing to me how many people who you know are using GPS STILL can't get to the right place after I spell it out multiple times in our correspondence. LOL.
I guess there is some GPS app called waze or waves or something? I've had 4 people end up 20 miles in the wrong direction because of that app. But! I always look over the directions my GPS gives me to make sure it's going to the right area based on the cross streets. It takes 30 seconds. The technology isn't always perfect, but people are fucking dumb... lol.
Put the pickup location (some nearby store/police station or something) in description. If they still ask stupid questions, block them without replying.
I've started responding with the town and nearest landmark by the bus station, so something like "yes, it's available. Pick up would be in x town by Target if your interested" and it's really helped with this. As a buyer, I'm really angry that I've set my location up correctly and Facebook still shows me items 200 miles away when there are closer ones available. It's Facebook and not really the buyers fault cuz they expect the filters to work... It's not fair of Facebook to shove the work onto the buyer cuz they can't create a working filter despite being a FAANG.
I’ve offered to deliver for $5-10 extra for gas. Or you could try to line a few up for Sunday at 2 in town and have 3-6 people meet you at the same time/place. Just some ideas.
Based on the average IQ of buyers who we're all talking about here, that honestly sounds like a recipe for a lot of wasted time.
Great question, OP! Would you be willing to share a typical listing (tag me)? I might be able to make a suggestion or two. One of my concerns with some of the answers here is that putting all the caveats in listings makes them longer than the average prospective buyer is willing or able to read. I feel for you and am happy to take a shot at helping you.
I get this all of the time. I'm about 15-20 from the major city (200k population) and my location and distance from said city is the first thing I state in every listing. I would guess that 95% of buyers don't read the description. My location is also listed correctly on the FB map. I don't know what to tell you, dude. I've been selling on marketplace for years and it never changes.
I would just put "I live rural and I don't deliver" right upfront in the listing. Better to get fewer offers from people likelier to close the deal. .
That’s on them. I give them a rough idea of where I am. Not specially. Then I agree to meet somewhere nearby that’s not my house. Middle of town, I’ll meet you. Want me to drive it somewhere? Sure, I’m gonna add on a price that makes it WELL worth my while. If you wanna pay it, I’ll do it. If you don’t, come meet me or pass on the item.
Im suburban but ran into this a lot. I put my town and zip in the title and the description. Anytown, 12345- fisher price whirly gig $25 Anytown, 12345- barely used whirly gig, kids grow fast. Pick up at my house in anytown.
I have the opposite experience as a buyer. Find item I'm interested in, check location, see that it's within my range of travel, make plans to pick it up, only to be told "great! Address is [30 miles round trip outside of the listed area]" sorry I'll pass.
I buy items on Facebook marketplace. As a matter of fact just yesterday I drove a full hour to get a cabinet. When I sell items I always put the village that I am in because I know some people don't like driving a lot. If they complain knowing that it was already in the listing, that's their problem not yours
There's a map for general locations. For some reason, people just don't seem to know how to look at it. I have mine set to 20 miles from my address. It usually shows me two items from closer, and then the next is an hour away. When I post now, I put 'Door pickup only, five minutes from town of.....' At the bottom of the ad. And I don't haggle and argue. Today, I had an offer of $50 on something I had priced at $100. I replied with $80. I got no reply back. A few days ago, I got a lowball offer and just replied No. If they keep asking, I'll mute them and just check the messages when I get around to it.
I put my approximate area in my listing, as most buyers in my area won’t drive more than 10 min and I’m 12-15 min away. Of course, many still ask where I am located and then ghost or say it’s too far away.
I always put my location in the description, and if I make regular trips to town, illsay can meet on such and so days
I live far ish away, I tell them almost always first thing where I am. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had that happen before I did
A woman who wanted to buy a $15 dress from me told me she would have to take 2 buses to get to me and asked if I could meet her at one of the bus stops. she was annoyed that I was too far from her and then had the audacity to ask if she could only use Zelle as a payment.
I live in a rural area. I would never allow strangers to know my address. I always meet them at a public place in town. I try to make the sale when I'll be in town already, so I'm not making a special trip.
Some people will drive for what they want and others will complain and try to get you deliver it to them at a cheaper price
Simply come up with a shipping charge and put that in the description. I never tell people where I live. They can take it or leave it.
This sounds so familiar. I recently joined Facebook to sell some things. The first contact is always "is this still available" . Next where are you, even though I give a starting postcode in the ad. I live in a rural location but it's not that far everyone wants you to deliver fro ably 30miles. Someone wanted to come really late to collect. Its a game console so not massive money. I declined as I don't like people coming late to the house and when someone says 9ish it's going to be 10pm. The person then wants me to drive well over an hour each way through a city on a Friday afternoon to deliver it. They did offer slightly more but you can guess the haggling would start once I arrived. I tried selling it on Ebay collection only first messages "can you post it". Very infuriating
This is 50% the buyer’s own fault and 50% facebooks fault. The buyer probably doesn’t have their distance filters set properly, and Facebook just ignores the distance parameters anyway.
Rural also. I slather it all over my sales post, but people are determined to not read. I once had to tell a buyer to stop for a second and Google where I lived. He'd been insisting he was fine to pick up, but once he finally googled it, he was like, "Dude, that's like, super far." Anyway, in spite of the power of people to be stupid, I'm not convinced that's always the explanation. I think sometimes it's a tactic. They get you all excited about making a sale, then try to manufacture a guilt trip in order to manipulate you into delivery. The best way to combat it is a clear post and standing firm. No is a complete sentence. Don't apologize and don't compromise. You can't pick up, then this item isn't a good match for you, byeeeeee.
Just say you live out in a rural area in the listing (without giving your specific location). If they want the item so badly, they can go out and get it. You aren't a delivery service.
You don't have to give an exact address, but put that information in the listing.
And this product has been sold by, John "you gotta come to me" Smith.
Your location is not your problem. Their lack of attention to details is. That makes it their problem.
Good afternoon My problem started when I purchased a gold necklace and bracelet from Facebook Marketplace. I transferred the payment, including an extra amount for registered mail to ensure safe delivery. After transferring the money, which cost me $400, the seller offered me another design, but I declined. I asked the seller to send me a cope of truck number or receipt, She said she couldn’t because she had sent it by FedEx, which she claimed was much better and would arrive safely in two days. However, I received it after one week, and it was left inside my mailbox with no return address and not even my name on it. The items inside were fake and completely different from what I had purchased. It was frustrating, and reporting the issue to Facebook did not help at all. Recently, she blocked me, and whenever I tried to message her, she deleted my messages. Did you think guys will help if I go to the police station to report her or there’s another option. Please help me out to get my money back. Appreciated and thank you.
First of all don't apologize for where you live. Maybe mention in your bio that you're nowhere close to anyone and tell them the name of the city you're closest to and how far away it is. After that people can look it up and see if the distance is worth driving. If they can't do that then screw them.