My adventures selling snare drum on Facebook Marketplace

striker

striker

Silver Member
This post is not a complaint on my part. Hopefully this may help prepare someone going on Facebook Marketplace trying to sell for the first time.

I have been trying to sell one of the low cost steel snares that I have. I was able to sell one of my snares at the price that I wanted on the local Craigslist. It was an easy sale. But that Facebook Marketplace platform is really something else. If you are a seller, you may run into all sorts of bizarre situations. I always delete those messages and move on. Here are some samples:

1) Is this still available?
I check the profile and this one lives half the way across the globe!

2) Is this still available? Do you speak this language?
This one thinks that Marketplace is a socializing platform!

3) Is this still available? I am willing to pay X dollars?
This one is only 10 dollars away from the posted price. I say ok, fine. The buyer disappears in thin air, never to be heard again!

4) Is this still available? How about 20 dollars?
Typical low baller.

5) Is this still available? I am interested. Where can I see it?
This one is only 15 minutes drive away, but never follows up.

6) I will pay the posted price if you deliver it.
This one ignores "local pickup only" in the post. Also, wants free delivery 50 minutes drive away!

I have saved the best for last. Compared to all the previous six cases, this last case really shines. Keeps kicking the can down the road. Finally shows his hand. His real intention is to sell stuff and make money off of you instead of buying anything!! So without further ado, here it is. Drum roll please 🥁

Is this still available? I am really interested.
Sorry, I am on a trip I will contact you in a few days.
Hi, I am back. I am still interested but my budget is tight because I had to buy other items that I needed. I will get back to you.
Hi, can you sell this snare for X dollars?
Great, I will be in contact.
I would like to trade this snare for a higher end snare that I have.
 
I've bought and sold a lot through Marketplace, but it's kind of like Craig's List and Facebook had a baby. I've been lucky that I haven't been ripped off, but man have I had my time wasted.
 
Rule #1 for this Facebook Dollar Store
They are testing to see how desperate you are to get that cash.
Prepare to see people asking for 50% discount from the posted price.
 
I’ve bought lots of stuff on FB Marketplace. I bought a 5 piece Yamaha Stage Custom kit circa 2000 for $400. The kicker was the kit was new and unused still packed in original packaging and had never been unpacked. I’ve also bought some snare drums. A Pearl Sensitone, a Gretsch Brooklyn 6.5” and a Pearl brass piccolo. Also bought my entire bedroom set (bed, dresser and armoire with end tables) as well as my living room (leather couch, loveseat and lounge chair). But I agree. You must be diligent about sending scams and have a knack for negotiation.
 
Yes, been there. I sell on marketplace often. Nobody wants to buy anything unless it’s a bargain. I got booted off Facebook so I use my dads account and I just write “price firm” on the listing to save him getting constant low balls, and my prices are very reasonable. You shouldn’t write grouchy things in your listing like “don’t ask if it’s available” etc as much as you sometimes want to.

Today a guy asked to pickup some cymbal stands after he finished work, I gave him my number, he never called. I did a 30 min round trip to get the stands out of storage on my way to a gig, I’m not even mad, I’m used to it.

Also I notice there’s no action right now, everybody must be broke. Great time to buy.
 
You always have to deal with no shows. There was this character who was interested and really wanted to buy. I drove to the meeting place which is only a few minutes drive from our home. Stayed there for over 20 minutes. No show. I send a polite message that he did not show up. I never heard anything back.

I believe I have been very reasonable with my prices. The buyers who are drummers realize this, but not the average low ballers. I sold one low cost steel snare to a drummer. He was so pleased with the purchase that he came back a few days later and bought a second steel snare. I was also surprised to hear from a Pro drummer who was on tour. Although he is a Pro drummer, he told me that one of my low cost steel snares caught his eyes and he is looking for what he called a "beater" snare drum. I did not make a deal with him because he was busy on tour and the snare sold a few days later.

I am glad that I was finally able to sell the last of the low cost steel snare drums on Friday.
 
I've bought on FB Marketplace a few times with great results. I always vet the seller, and, where possible, I meet up to make the transaction.

I haven't tried to sell anything yet, but I guess it's probably more of a crapshoot for a seller.

Verifying the buyer's bona fides as much as possible should yield the best results, no?
 
striker said:
This post is not a complaint on my part. Hopefully this may help prepare someone going on Facebook Marketplace trying to sell for the first time.

I have been trying to sell one of the low cost steel snares that I have. I was able to sell one of my snares at the price that I wanted on the local Craigslist. It was an easy sale. But that Facebook Marketplace platform is really something else. If you are a seller, you may run into all sorts of bizarre situations. I always delete those messages and move on. Here are some samples:

1) Is this still available?
I check the profile and this one lives half the way across the globe!

2) Is this still available? Do you speak this language?
This one thinks that Marketplace is a socializing platform!

3) Is this still available? I am willing to pay X dollars?
This one is only 10 dollars away from the posted price. I say ok, fine. The buyer disappears in thin air, never to be heard again!

4) Is this still available? How about 20 dollars?
Typical low baller.

5) Is this still available? I am interested. Where can I see it?
This one is only 15 minutes drive away, but never follows up.

6) I will pay the posted price if you deliver it.
This one ignores "local pickup only" in the post. Also, wants free delivery 50 minutes drive away!

I have saved the best for last. Compared to all the previous six cases, this last case really shines. Keeps kicking the can down the road. Finally shows his hand. His real intention is to sell stuff and make money off of you instead of buying anything!! So without further ado, here it is. Drum roll please 🥁

Is this still available? I am really interested.
Sorry, I am on a trip I will contact you in a few days.
Hi, I am back. I am still interested but my budget is tight because I had to buy other items that I needed. I will get back to you.
Hi, can you sell this snare for X dollars?
Great, I will be in contact.
I would like to trade this snare for a higher end snare that I have.
Click to expand...
At this point (and I am saying this having sold a few items there) FB market place should be completely avoided, you truly are better off with Craigslist or other selling platforms like offerup or similar.
FB is mostly companies selling you stuff that most of them don't intend on delivering and or all the things you listed on your post.
My wife owns a franchise (completely unrelated to FB) where we sell everything from a customer's house and I mean everything, (except fire arms or alcohol) but is not sold in the traditional way, it is sold on auction and the bidding starts at a dollar (unless itis a high value item which usually gets a reserve price to be met by the bidders). We get all kinds of dumb customers that expect to pickup a large dresser in a VW Bug or smaller, or they ask (after looking at our pictures of the TV screen working) does the TV work? and 99 percent of people never read the item measurements even though they are clearly listed in the description. Or expect us to be shipping items (as large as said chest of drawers) for free to California ( We are in Georgia). I used to tolerate people, I am starting to really hate them now. I guess the saving grace for us is that if someone bids and wins (paypal takes the money from their account immediately and if they don't pickup (or request shipping) they forfeit the items and we can resell them, I have resold some things 3 times already!.
 
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striker said:
Rule #1 for this Facebook Dollar Store
They are testing to see how desperate you are to get that cash.
Prepare to see people asking for 50% discount from the posted price.
Click to expand...
You can put "Price is firm" and they will still ask. you can also put "Local pickup only" Can you ship? "No trades" I have a bike that I want to trade for your $50k truck... No, or the typical (don't sell it, I will be there in 2 hrs, heck I even give you extra $20 for your trouble but please save it for me). and they don't show and when you message them they block you , and by then you lost 3 interested actual buyers...(in all fairness I did that (the save it for me part) because I was almost 2 hrs away, but I did show up and I did got my Gibraltar rack with 14 extra clamps for a total value of about $700 for only $250 so.... I also bought the drums form my picture but I think it was from Craigslist I can't remember, what else? Oh I bought a half stack cabinet and head, I bought a rolling rack case, 5 Roland pads (when I wanted to upgrade my TD11 then I ended up buying the TD27 for half off.
The thing about buying is that you have to shop around a lot and have the $$ ready when the thing you want pops up.
The thing about selling is that you have to put up with a lot of nonsense and seldom you get lucky like when I sold a riding lawn mower for the same price I pay for it when I bought it. (used from a neighbor).
 
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beatdat said:
I've bought on FB Marketplace a few times with great results. I always vet the seller, and, where possible, I meet up to make the transaction.

I haven't tried to sell anything yet, but I guess it's probably more of a crapshoot for a seller.

Verifying the buyer's bona fides as much as possible should yield the best results, no?
Click to expand...
Not really I can make 10 or 12 accounts just to vet my "main" account to be a "great seller" so you can't really trust that at all.
Unless you have purchased several times from this person and have had good experiences.
 
My grandfather always talks about these "great deals" he finds on Facebook marketplace. Every single time he shows me some old junk that doesn't work properly that he paid more then buying the same item new from Walmart or Amazon. He also always gets into some kind of wacky shenanigans. "Hey bud, look at this nice vacuum I got for $60 off the marketplace! (Proceeds to show me an old stinky vacuum missing half its parts and covered in dog hair) While I was there the guy was working on his truck so I ended up giving him a hand then his wife needed help moving some furniture, we ended up making friends and all going out to dinner but then the guy got drunk and got into a fight so I had to drive him back to his house" stuff like that.
 
Interesting that some of you have had good luck on Craig's List. Our CL seems to be dead as dead can be. It's the same people bumping their junk no one wants, a local piano seller spamming like crazy and the "are you high?" prices. I get zero response on any ads there whereas I've had the exact same things sell via Marketplace.
 
Buying and selling used music gear is really weird now.

I NEVER buy any sort of music gear that I don't plan on keeping forever. I don't want to ship anything, and I think I'm one of two drummers in my town that does anything. I'll still try Marketplace from time to time, but I'm much more likely to sell it on consignment at a local store. I sell my gear, the local business makes a little money, and I don't have to deal with no-shows or weird/scary people anymore.
 
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