The Facebook Marketplace is the Wild West of online shopping. Learn how to get paid on Facebook Marketplace safely and avoid getting scammed.
Are you having difficulties with getting paid on the Facebook Marketplace?
You’re not alone. Many are struggling to navigate their way around the Facebook Marketplace interface and don’t know how to ensure their transactions are secure.
Facebook offers several online payment methods, and you can opt for shipping or local pick-up at your home address.
By reading this article, you’ll learn how to get paid on Facebook Marketplace to make some extra cash, avoid getting scammed, and how to ship items.
If you use the built-in purchase option that Facebook Marketplace offers, the payment is guaranteed.
Your transaction will automatically be eligible for Purchase Protection, which is designed to protect both the seller and the buyer.
Although there’s a 5% selling fee (min. $0.40 depending on price), it’s still worth it, as you can’t always trust an online buyer.
It also counts as seller tax. This works for shipping and checkout.
However, Purchase Protection won’t apply, and payment isn’t guaranteed if you opt for a third-party money transaction service such as Venmo or PayPal.
To guarantee payment and make interested buyers feel comfortable, it’s best to meet in person in a public place.
Meet in a well-lit location with people around to ensure your safety and ensure the buyer looks like the person from their profile photo.
This method has some distinct advantages:
Items that are shipped or bought using the Buy Now option on the Facebook Marketplace listing can be paid online.
You can pay using Meta Pay if it’s available in your location. Facebook also supports credit cards, debit cards, and PayPal.
If you’re meeting in person in a local area, dropping the item off, or having the seller pick it up, the item can be paid for with cash.
You can also use a digital payment option like Cash App or Venmo or receive money through Messenger.
However, Facebook won’t provide Purchase Protection for these types of transactions.
The only official payment methods on Facebook Marketplace are credit or debit cards and PayPal. You can also use Meta Pay if you have registered your card through the service.
Both buyers and sellers must first register their preferred method by following these steps:
If your credit card issuer offers purchase protection, that can be a great advantage to make payments on the Facebook Marketplace even more secure.
Facebook accepts credit cards from the following payment networks:
Like with credit cards, the same payment networks are accepted.
Debit cards connect directly to your bank account, and they typically have lower fees than both credit cards and PayPal.
This makes debit cards an excellent payment method for receiving money from sales.
Meta pays PayPal transaction fees, making PayPal a great option to buy or sell goods, just like on eBay. Transactions using PayPal provide additional purchase protection.
Note that if you use a different currency than the buyer, you’ll have to pay conversion fees to receive money.
The safest payment method on the Facebook Marketplace is through the website itself. Facebook only provides Purchase Protection for these types of transactions.
All messages between you and the buyer should be exchanged through Messenger, as it’ll help you resolve disputes down the line.
Speaking of Messenger, sending and receiving payments through Messenger doesn’t count as buying within the Marketplace.
The same goes for Instagram. These methods aren’t eligible for Purchase Protection.
Receiving cash on collection by selling in person is also safe as long as you’re meeting in a public, well-lit environment during the daytime.
Another relatively safe way to receive payments is online payment methods like Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, etc.
These methods work relatively well, and some of these platforms even provide purchase protection.
You should avoid doing a wire transfer unless you’re doing it in person, possibly with witnesses.
Lastly, avoid cryptocurrencies, as they’re the hardest to trace and provide essentially zero protection.
If you’re using PayPal within the Facebook Marketplace, which means using the Facebook app’s checkout option and shipping the item, then it’s completely safe.
The buyer will pay the money through Facebook. You ship the item, enter the tracking number, and you’ll get the money.
However, if you opt to accept the payment through PayPal itself, then it’s not considered safe.
Also, don’t use the PayPal friends and family option, as you won’t be eligible for any commerce policies.
There are several ways to get paid, but the safest way to get paid is to ship the item and receive money through the Marketplace.
You can also opt for local pick-up and get paid online.
You need a bank account or PayPal to receive payments through Facebook Marketplace.
However, if you’re not selling on Facebook Marketplace and shipping the item directly, you can get paid using alternative methods, such as cash.
If potential buyers agree to meet in person, you can get paid in cash.
If you’re selling high-value items or suspect that the buyer is using fake cash, you could ask them to withdraw cash from an ATM and hand it over to you.
Alternatively, you could ask the buyer to transfer the money to you using a peer-to-peer app but ask them to do that while they’re still with you to ensure you won’t get scammed.
Here’s what the whole procedure looks like:
You’ll receive the payment 15 days after the item has been marked as shipped or 5 days after the item has been received.
It may take a few days for the payment to be processed and added to your bank account.
Facebook Marketplace is notorious for scammers, and it can happen on both ends.
Some sellers receive money without shipping the order, and buyers like to do chargeback scams or lie about the product’s condition.
Luckily, there are ways to prevent it.
As a buyer, it’s not that difficult to avoid getting scammed.
If the seller offers to move the communication off Messenger, stop the communication and report them to Facebook.
The same applies to links that take you off the website. Many of them are actually phishing links to fake websites.
As for payments, don’t use payment apps unless you’re meeting in person and can verify the condition of the product.
Go to a public place and inspect the item thoroughly before handing over cash or paying the seller through an app.
For items you order online, Facebook’s commerce policies will keep you protected from scammers. You’ll get your money back if the item isn’t as described or doesn’t arrive.
Avoiding scams as a seller is slightly more complicated, as there are plenty of different scams, such as:
To avoid getting scammed, keep all communication on a Facebook messenger, take pictures before shipping the item and send them to the buyer, and only accept payments through the Facebook Marketplace.
If you’re selling in person, you can ask the buyer to withdraw from an ATM to avoid counterfeit money.
The Facebook Marketplace makes selling items safe and easy, but you have to keep all the communication on the Facebook app.
Although there’s a 5% selling fee, you’ll benefit from Facebook’s Purchase Protection.
If you decide to sell the item in person, meet the person in a public area and ask for cash.
Have you sold or bought anything on the Facebook Marketplace? How did it go? Let us know in the comments below!
Also, make sure to share this article with your friends that regularly use the Facebook Marketplace.
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