If you have stuff sitting around your house that you no longer use or are tired of looking at, listing your items on Facebook Auction Pages might be a great option for you. Facebook Auction Pages are different from Facebook Yard Sale Pages in that you list your item and then people bid on them instead of listing for a set price and choosing someone to sell to. The highest bidder {by the end of the auction} wins. I have used Facebook Auction Pages for a couple of years now, so I am going to share with you my experience and that of friends to give you an idea of what to expect.

Pros & Cons Of Using Facebook Auction Pages

Pros…

Auction pages are more convenient than yard sale pages – With yard sale pages, you set a price and then meet up at an agreed upon spot and time with whomever agrees to buy your item. Most auction pages have a set place and time to meet for everyone’s convenience.

You have more chance of winning – In my experience, when someone lists an item on a yard sale page, if it is a good price it gets bombarded with people who want it. So, the seller can then choose who they want to sell to {usually the first person} which lowers your odds of winning dramatically. If you are a person who isn’t often on the computer, your chances of being the first respondent are close to zero.

Auction pages run a clean up weekly – I have inquired about items I liked on yard sale pages only to be told that it was already sold – sometimes weeks earlier. So why is it still listed? With the auction pages I have dealt with, you have a certain amount of time after the auction is over to remove all of your items from the page {sold or not} and then the listings start all over after that, on a clean page.

A lot of pages have one meetup place – Several of the auction pages that I have been on have one main meeting spot. This is really convenient as you don’t have to drive all over the place meeting various people in various spots like you do on yard sale pages. Also, a lot of businesses will no longer let you meet in their parking lots. I have also heard about cops approaching people asking why they are hanging out in parking lots. With auction pages, you don’t have to try to figure out where you actually can meet that is safe and public. The meeting spot is a place that the land owner has already agreed can be used for the Facebook Auction Page.

You don’t have to watch the page 24/7 to get what you want – In auction pages, you typically have several days to look at an item and think about whether you want to bid on it. It’s not a first come/first serve thing like on the yard sale pages. You also can bid on items that might have been listed while you were away from the computer and otherwise would have lost on a yard sale page.

Less chance of buyer’s remorse – Since you can think about whether you want to bid on the item in question instead of making a super fast decision like on a yard sale page, you are less likely to get stuck with something you bought impulsively and don’t really want after all.

It’s easy to list items – It takes like seriously maybe a minute to list your item on an auction page. You snap a pic, add it to the group along with a short description, starting bid or whether there is a reserve and where you are going to meet and you are done. Voila!

Rules – I like when groups have rules that are clear and easy to follow. Most groups have rules that tell when auctions are over and what types of items you can list. They also list what the repercussions are for no shows or people who generally behave badly in groups. Thus, these groups should be a safe environment in which to buy and sell.

Admins call auctions with lots of bids near closing time – Sometimes several people really want an item. So, there can be a bidding war at the end of an auction. If you are the seller, you don’t have to try to figure out who won – just tag an admin and they will do it for you. Thus, if the potential buyers do not agree with the call, the admin can deal with it, not you.

You can buy really cool and/or unusual items at great prices – I have bought some really cool stuff on Facebook Auction Pages. Some of my favorite items are a Sentry Safe that I now keep car titles, my passport and other important documents in. You can buy a similar Sentry Safe here. I have purchased various coffee and wine signs to go over my coffee bar and I also got a really nice, antique style globe that I love and used in my Global Travel Bag post, if you want to check it out. I am pretty sure I paid $8 for it. 🙂

You can make more money on an auction page than on a yard sale page – I have used both yard sale and auction pages extensively. In my experience, I generally make more on the auction pages. I think the reason is that you aren’t setting your own price. I tend to set prices low and I get talked down a lot. On the auction pages, your items are seriously going for whatever that pages demand is. So, I have sold items that I would have listed for $5-$10 for $15-$20. I also find that small, cheap items are easier to sell on auction pages. I think this is because people are more willing to buy something cheap when they are already going to be in that spot, than if they had to drive out specifically just for that small item. This isn’t always the case but, overall, I have made more more with Facebook Auction Pages.

Cons…

No shows – These are people that bid on your items and then don’t show up to get them at the agreed upon time. So, you are stuck with the item and you are out both the gas and time you spent to meet them.

He said/she said – If you have a conflict with someone on the page, in my experience, they don’t always get resolved fairly. Example: I recently bought an item that was listed as new. When we opened the box, {a razor} it was not {it had hair in it! Think of all the blood born pathogens!}. I mentioned this and provided picture proof to the thread of the item I purchased. The seller became irate and started cursing me via private message and called me names on the thread on the page. I did not message her back or answer her on the thread in the group, but instead took the situation to the admins {I had tagged them when I posted the proof in the thread – and they had not yet responded}. One of them asked me to message the seller back and ask for a refund {which I did} and another admin kicked the seller out of the group {because of the name calling on the page} but mentioned that they either knew each other or were friends {I can’t recall the exact wording now}. The admins then asked for the item in question and said they would get the refund for me {I had blocked the seller at that point as it was a few hours later and it was the only way I could get her to stop messaging me}. In the end, it took almost a month to get the refund back after several promises to return it from the admin and they also let this girl back in the group without consulting me or letting me know or giving me my refund first. And I definitely did not get an apology. When I asked the admins why they did this {as I understood the rules to mean there was no tolerance for behavior like this}, one admin told me they “gave her a warning” and another admin still {there are 3 that I dealt with in this scenario} asked me how I “found out” that the seller was back in the group instead of explaining the decision to me. So I just decided to leave that group.

Uneven enforcement of rules – All of the Facebook Auction Pages that I have been part of have a list of rules that all members must abide by. However, almost all of the groups that I have been in seem to enforce them in a “pick and choose” fashion. Example: In one group, a no-show would get you a warning and a second no-show would get you banned. I had two different people who no-showed me twice in a row but neither was removed from the group. An admin told me “he’s a nice guy” for the first one and “he has a lot of problems” for the 2nd. I think we all have a lot of problems, people no-showing would be one of them.

Items not as described – I have purchased several items that either did not work when I got them home {they were not listed as “as-is” or “non working”} or were something that needed to go to the trash. I have also purchased several items that I asked specific questions about and got home and these items did not match up with the answer I was given. Example: I bought what I thought was a Rex {Toy Story} plush based on my specifically asking if it was and being told yes. I paid for it only to find out that the head was hard plastic. I have also bought 3 clocks on auction pages. Not a single one of them kept correct time. Because of this, I highly advise against buying items that are electronic on auction pages.

Some people list items for the price that they bought them – I have seen many people list stuff that they obviously purchased from Dollar stores for the same starting prices that these same items can be bought brand new. Example: People often list those M&Ms and Skittles candles that you can get for $1 each at Dollar Tree. I saw just today a set of 3 with a starting bid of $3. Seriously. So, that seller could potentially make more for these candles than what the buyer could get them for brand new. So, you need to be careful when buying to make sure that you are actually getting a good deal. Another Example: I once bought a clothes hamper for $4.50 and when I got it home I found a $2 price tag from Dollar General on the bottom.

These pages are not endorsed by Facebook – These are groups run by individuals. So, if you have a problem, you wouldn’t contact Facebook for mediation. It’s up to you, the person you have the conflict with, and the admins to sort it out.

Want To Sell Items On Facebook Auction Pages?

After reading this and taking into account the pros and cons of Facebook Auction Pages, if you decide that you want to participate in these pages, you need just a few supplies.

You will need…

Notebook – You will need this to keep a list of what you bought and sold.

Pen – You will need this to mark these items off as you pick up and/or deliver them.

Camping Chair – Amber and I used to take one so that we could sit while we waited for people to pick up their items.

Sign – You need a sign with your name on it so that buyers can find you to pick up their items at the meeting spot. There can be a lot of cars there so this cuts down on confusion.

Table or car with large trunk – You need somewhere to organize your items for the buyers to pick them up, after all.

Caculator – Sometimes one person might buy several items off of you. I am no math whiz. If you are like me, grab yourself a calculator.

Small bills and change – Be sure you bring lots of change and small bills as you will have to be able to break big bills if people pay with them. You don’t want to lose a sale because you didn’t have change.

Something to sort your bills and change in – I highly recommend keeping your money sorted out in a Master Lock Locking Cash Box. This box has a combination lock so you can open it quickly and you do not have to worry about keeping up with a key. It also keeps your money sorted, so you get to the bills and coins you need quickly. I recommend keeping your pen in the long slot in the tray and you can keep your list and calculator {I recommend one of those silicone bendy type ones} under the cash. You can also set the combination numbers yourself, so you can set them to something that you will easily remember. Also, you will probably be distracted at some point. It’s harder for someone to quickly grab your cash unnoticed if it’s in a decently sized, locked box.

Get Social With Master Lock

Have You Bought Or Sold Items On Facebook Auction Pages?

I would love to hear about your experience in the comments below.