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Are you looking for a good place to sell your stuff online? Are you sick of using Craigslist and eBay? If so, Facebook Yard Sales might be the solution you’re looking for!
I have tried my hand a few times at selling on Craigslist.
I would be bombarded by phone calls and texts the first week. Then I’d have to repeatedly answer a ton of questions. But worst of all, about ninety percent of the people who would call or text weren’t even really interested in what I had to sell.
Recently my brother had a handful of higher dollar items that he wanted to sell and asked me if I’d help him out. Since I knew he had paid much less for these items than what he was asking I told him I would do it for a 15% commission.
Instead of heading to Craigslist I decided to go to the local Facebook Groups – “the county yard sale” and “buy,sell,trade, guns.”
Within moments of posting the items I had two hits. As the day progressed several people had commented on the post or private messaged me. I sold the items the same day.
I ended up selling a gun and the on one of the pages for triple what my brother had paid for it. (He got a good deal.) The other items he sold went at retail prices.
I was amazed at how quick and easy it was to make those sales.
Why Facebook Yard Sales are Better than Craigslist
I don’t plan on heading back to Craigslist any time soon. I see so many more benefits of Facebook Groups, such as yard sales and online garage sales when it comes to selling. Here’s why:
- People get obsessive with Facebook, checking these groups multiple times a day. So it is great exposure.
- When an item is commented on it gets sent back up to the top of the feed.
- You can communicate with people via Private Message rather than getting a ton of phone callsand texts.
- There are thousands of people in these groups.
- When you post something all of your friends in the group are notified.
- If something isn’t selling quickly you can “bump” back up to the top of the feed by commenting on it.
- People often “tag” friends that they think might be interested in the item in the comments section.
- You can scan through all the postings and immediately see what type of items are selling the fastest and for the most. (Easy research)
How to Sell on Facebook Yardsales
- In the search bar on Facebook type “yardsale + your county or city name”
- Click the yard sale, online garage sale or other group page that you want to sell on and click join. An administrator will most likely have to approve your request. This could take up to 24 hours. (See tip below for getting into a closed group.)
- Upload a photo of the item you want to sell, along with price, description, and pick up terms.
- Other members in the group can comment on your post or private message you with their offer.
- Make an agreement and sell it!
- If your item doesn’t sell quickly comment on your post to send it back to the top of the feed. (You’ll often see people commenting bump, next, or simply adding a period to do this.
TIP: If the Facebook yard sale or garage sale group you are interested in says it’s a “closed group” that means you need someone in the group to add you. Post a status update on your Facebook page asking if anyone else is in the group you want to join. Chances are there will be several of your Facebook friends already in that group. They can add you and you’re in!
After having such a smooth experience selling on the Facebook Yard Sale, I don’t think I will ever use Craigslist again. Millions of people log onto Facebook every day, I don’t think that you can get better exposure than that!
Have you ever sold anything in a Facebook Yard Sale? Good Experiences? Bad Experiences? Let me knowin the comments section.
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About Alexa
Alexa Mason is the blogger behind Single Moms Income, a personal finance freelance writer, and an online entrepreneur. Come hang out with her on Facebook and Pinterest.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Canadianbudgetbinder saysFriends of ours sell all their stuff especially clothes and baby clothes on Facebook Marketplace or 24 hour auction. I believe it’s called for each city. My wife bought something from a Facebook Page like you describe in our city. We won an auction and she went and picked it up. The auction though you take what you get but the prices are rock bottom like a garage sale. You are right, many people are on FB, it’s a great place to buy and sell!
- Alexa says
I have just sold a couple times now and loved how it easy it was and how fast it went. I have yet to buy something off the Facebook Sales but Im sure that time will come.
- beth says
how do you cross post on the yard sales?
- Dan says
To cross post means to post it in other groups.
- Tami Novak says
Some groups have an easy option “Post to other groups” where a list of other groups you belong to will come up. Click the box next to whatever group you want to crosspost your item to. I joined a bunch of similar yard sale groups in my immediate area and post to them, but I also post on Facebooks “Marketplace” which will get you people from all over the place. What you may want to do is, in your post say something like, “Crossposted. Pick up in (whatever town you want people to pick up from).” Unless the item is really large, as a rule I’ll meet folks at a well lit public place, like the front of the local Target, for example. Good luck and happy selling!
- Glen @ Monster Piggy Bank says
We bought a heap of our baby stuff through Facebook sale pages. I didn’t even know they existed until my wife kept showing me all these really great deals.
- Alexa says
I always see really good deals on baby stuff and kids clothes. Anyone who is expecting can find everything they need on the cheap!
- Thad says
I had not heard of using FB for a yard sale, but it makes very good sense. And since you know people on FB, as opposed to the anonymity of Craigslist, you have a better sense of who the buying “pool” is.
- Alexa says
Yeah, its a very simple way to sell and things go fast.
- lynette says
How do you start a community online garage sale on Facebook? How do you get the community involved in buying/selling?
- Teres says
- John S @ Frugal Rules says
I never had thought about using FB to do something like that. I can see the benefits of using it though. We usually sell a bunch of stuff several times a year and use CL and generally have good success, but all of the emails can be a bit annoying.
- Alexa says
I am okay with the emails, but when I list my phone number for the bigger items I get sick of people calling and texting me. Especially since a lot of them aren’t really interested in buying anyway. It’s annoying.
- Johnny Moneyseed says
I need more information on how this works. I just tried looking up different yard sale groups on Facebook with no results. Many “Closed Groups” but nothing that seemed like a legitimate place to sell stuff. What exactly do you need to search for?? Thanks! I don’t like selling on Craigslist that much, so this could be a great alternative.
- Alexa says
If the groups you are finding are closed that means you need someone to invite you to join the group. Ask if any of you other FB friends are in the group and they can add you. A lot of your friends are probably already in the group.
- Cristie Jo says
You can request to join any group that is OPEN or CLOSED, usually pending admin approval. You do not have to have a friend already in the group. In an OPEN group, anyone can see the posts but only members of the group can comment or post. In a CLOSED group, only members can see posts made on the group. There are also PRIVATE groups, only another member can add you to the group pending admin approval and you will not be able to find the group or get the group link to work until you are a member. I admin several and have over 40,000 members. 🙂 Most well run groups are a much safer and fun way to buy and sell items. They are a lot of work for the admins but I love my members and love helping. It’s like a little internet family!
- Vivian Le says
See, thanks Christie Go for the post. How can I be added onto your groups?
- Rose says
I have bought and sold a ton on our local FB buy and sell. In my town of 20ooo there are approx. 5000 in the group. The key I think is writing a good ad, having photos, posting to the right photo album, so it’s more searchable, and price…I have several things I have sold within a couple hours including my old car. In our small town there are separate buy and sells for baby stuff, pets, home based business, etc. as well.
- Carrie says
What an awesome idea. I have never heard of Facebook yard sales! Yes you’re right about Craigslist sometimes getting annoying. I’ll check out FB.
- Dana says
If you like using Facebook to buy and sell Check out http://www.yardsey.com – it is an app that let’s a Facebook yard sale group have its own private mini eBay like site and it’s FREE! It lets sellers manage all their items in one place and if they belong to more than one group they can create one listing and post it across multiple groups. The app posts each item created to the groups wall and also automatically deletes items too. You can easily see all items from one seller and search and browse in categories just like eBay. Check it out, too many features to list here!
- ASH says
I’d like to try that. My baby is now 6 months and had so much crochet items .Well she was in Nicu 6 weeks so lots she never got to wear I have so much cute stuff and I don’t know if I should post 3 things at a time or how to go about it…the app sounds great ..But do you have to invite people to it to see your items ? OR if you have it ,it will show all your items automatically on one Page? After you post on the yard sales it will appear on the app is what I’m asking….thanks I’m new to all of it …
- Janice says
Honestly I have had better luck with craigslist and have sold hundreds of items in the past few years with only a few flakes. If the item is priced right it will sell in the first day most within just hours. I have found nothing but flakes on Facebook swaps and more junkies items. Mostly younger moms getting rid of used baby and kids toys. I have got tons that make comment interested yet never show when they are supposed to or want something for nothing. I list at a third of price most times on Craig’s and firm and never have any problems. Too bad more are going to these sites now a ton of different ones and no way to sort through the crap for certain catagories.
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We’ve been selling a ton of books & CDs online so that I can stay home with our baby, but there are some things that are too large/heavy to mail and we don’t really live somewhere that would work for a yard sale. This sounds perfect – I’m so glad I found this post!
- Alexa says
I’m glad you like it! Facebook yard sales are perfect for selling large items.
- Timothy says
Hi Alexa – I wasn’t aware of Facebook Yardsales until now. Looks like a good option as EVERYONE is on Facebook.
We just launched a Classifieds on our site which is focused on buying/selling baby and kid gear. It’s like Craiglist+Etsy but without the scams. https://classifieds.builtbykids.com/
Would love for you to try it out.
- Alexa says
Thanks Timothy. Will definitely check it out!
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This is one of the best tips I have seen in weeks. I have grown so weary of Craigslist. Thanks for this tip. I will use it today!
- Alexa says
Thanks, Nikki.
- Trevor says
My wife and I own a small online business and over 90% of our sales come from Facebook yard sale sites. We actually created a group to host only our items for sale, which has worked wonderfully.
- amber says
Hi Trevor,
I have a ton of baby and house hold items and it gets overwhelming to keep track of all of them across different groups. I was thinking of creating a page but did not know if that would work well. I even started doing #andname so they can click and see all my stuff too. how did you set your page up? Can you share it?
- Cindy says
I would like to try and sell my stuff on a facebook yard sale page.
How do I get started?
Cindy- Chonce says
Hi Cindy, thanks for the comment. To get started you’ll need to have a Facebook profile and search for yard sale groups in your area. Another popular term would be ‘buy, sell, trade + your city name’. Once you find the ideal Facebook group you’ll have to join and start taking quality pictures of the items you want to sell. Good luck!
- Natty says
I have a few extra things around that I want to sell, but they aren’t well suited for an open yard sale, and I really think I could get more for them if I posted them online.
The thing is I only what to sell these things for now, I don’t want to make a hobby out of selling things online at the moment, however looking at most online sellers it seems that their terms only apply to those who are selling things online as a hobby or career. (obsessively following trends, ebays frankly ridculous fees)
So I just wanted to ask if facebook yard sales would be good for a someone like me, who isn’t sure if they’re interested in selling things frequently but who has things to sell and is interested in trying things out on facebook?- Chonce says
Hi Natty, thanks for the comment! I think you should definitely try Facebook yard sale groups considering your situation. Facebook selling groups are very informal and easy to use, You can post your items whenever you want whether it’s once a week, once a month or twice a year. And it’s great that you will only get to deal with local buyers and avoid common fees associated with listing items online and selling them.
- SUSIE says
MY QUESTION IS… WHEN I POST AN ITEM FOR SALE ON THE FACEBOOK YARD SALE PAGE, WILL IT SHOW ON MY PERSONAL FACEBOOK PAGE? I WOULD RATHER IT NOT SHOW ON MINE.
- Chonce says
Hi Susie, it might. You can always create a separate Facebook page for selling your items so people don’t find your personal page.
- Gola Jacoby says
I have some great Items to sell, from the 60’s and newer ones
WHERE CAN I LIST THEM WITH A PICTURE, ALL I SEE ARE ADS NOT HOW TO LIST ITEMS OR HOW TO JOIN?
PLEASE LET ME KNOW
GOLA- Chonce says
Hi Gola, You will need to go Facebook and search for a local buy/trade/sell group to join. Once you are accepted to a local group on Facebook, you can post pictures and descriptions of you items as an update and other people in the group can contact you if they are interested.
- Brandy says
We actually just bought our first item off of a local Facebook Yard Sale group. $40 for an almost brand-new wood shop tool that we almost bought from the hardware store yesterday for $150 (thankfully it was out of stock!). Awesome! We’re planning on making wood crafts to sell on Facebook ourselves with our awesome new bargain tool.
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Do you know if there’s a way to see all your for sale posts across different facebook page? Basically, once compiled link to see everything you have for sale all at once?
- Maxine Pickman says
Thank you for this post! I found some good ideas and your advises are very helpful. I’m moving soon and I definitely need to purge most of my stuff, a yard sale is a good option, donating too. Thanks for sharing this all this useful info!
- Jennifer says
FYI- in parts of the country.. they are called Garage Sales instead. Might help as you search!
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- renee brown says
How long do a group reply to your request to join the yard sale and can you help to do it.
- Alexa says
An admin will have to do it and just depends how often they log on and check requests. It could be anywhere from instantaneously to weeks…
- Doris Ganser says
Over the past few months, I have become more or less educated about the intricacies of Facebook buy-and-sell sites. It’s really easy to post something, including pictures that I have on my PC. And I have not had any difficulty joining some 20 groups. I thought that was a great idea and would provide me lots of exposure. Updating ads by adding comments or simply the words “bump” or “still available” also appeared to be easy. Every few days or so, I discovered another item I’d like to get rid of.
When I post one ad and pictures, eventually I get a message on the bottom of my ad inviting me to place the same ad on other places, including “Marketplace”. That was even easier than placing the ad the first time. All I had to do is place a checkmark next to the group that I had joined, as I said, by now some 20. I expected great things to happen with that much exposure. But not very much happened, a few isolated inquiries for by now a hundred or so items, some posted individually, some in groups. So I started to bump to update the ads.
This is where the difficulty comes in. It’s super-easy to post but all I could find to bring the ad to the top every 3 days is to click each of the ads individually. Plus, the ads don’t show any date unless opened.
So now my question is: Is there an automated way to “bump” all the ads at the same time, instead of having to click the 100 or so ads I have by now individually?
I suspect not, but thought it’s worth asking. This is all on a PC not o a cellphone. Thanks in advance for your replies or suggestions of better ideas.
doris
PS They are asking for a website below — I have a website but it’s for my company a translation service, and really has nothing to do with this personal ad.
- Glenn Weisel says
I just sold my first item advertised on Facebook yard sales online however the sale was from my Craigslist ad. Now how do I cancel this ad ?
- Alexa says
You should be able to go to the group you put the ad on, click on “my posts” and then delete from there.
- Brian says
For garage sales though facebook is not efficient in the slightest compared to craigslist for the person looking for garage sales which equates to less visitors to your sale. For one Facebook does not take advantage of a visual map reference of your sale, if a person is looking to go out garage sailing they want to usually hit several in one area as opposed to bouncing all over town. Craigslist does a wonderful job of showing that even showing heavy concentrations. Secondly facebook does not allow for other sites to “scrape” information for example of one application yard sale treasure map scrapes from several sources (except facebook) and conveniently organizes via preferences and even plots your route… The more people use Facebook only the less effective tools like this become. Third, facebook limits the search radius, if want to search beyond its a time consuming hassle selecting different areas… Again other programs easily can utilize craigslist to conveniently search everywhere. Fourth, facebook Boolean searches (I.e. camper but not truck camper for a simple example) are horrible craigslist is incredible with the options… There are a few more little advantages but those are the biggest. Why is all this important to the person who post? Because you get to reach out beyond your community and attract more potential buyers… The more people who use facebook only the less the other tools are effective. Don’t get me wrong facebook has a wonderful advantage of the quick spur of the moment impulse buy display of items, but for things that take a little more consideration that might appeal to fewer people other tools are better… All in all post as many places as you can to get the most exposure, but if you are limiting for some reason to only one craigslist has more tools for the searcher of your wares.
- Hattie Mcdougald says
Looking for good deals.need a lot of stuff.
- Geri says
A Facebook Buy/Sell group administrator told me that I was selling too many items and that I should sell on Craigslist or VarageSale. For whatever reason unknown to me, my ads on Craigslist were removed. A few regular viewers of a Craigslist help forum suggested that I might have been perceived as a dealer (buys and resells for more $s) and not the owner of my items (many of which are now vintage) that I have accumulated over the last 40+ years. It was also suggested that I’m an eBay seller too. Whatever that means, I don’t know. I don’t sell on eBay (too much hassle), but so what if I did?!? VarageSale has restrictive rules about where one is allowed to buy or sell within a metro city. Poshmark has been great for selling clothing, jewellery, shoes, and accessories but they take a cut of sales. I’m hitting 60 years old and really just want to downsize. Anyway, it seems if one has many items (over a 100), they may have hassles on whatever site. My experiences have been quite discouraging. I’m really wondering if I should just start up my own website.
- HeaTher says
I have a few items posted in the marketplace and in a few separate groups on FB. I have also asked quite a few questions and pm’d people regarding items I’m interested in. But I can’t seem to get back to those items to view them. Do they get “saved” somewhere? Or …?? I can see the replies from people, but I can’t find where to actually go back and look at the item. This may sound REALLY stupid. And I’m not computer illiterate I promise! 🙂
I just have all of these responses and I can’t get back to view the item I inquired about. Any ideas??Thank you!
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