Brett Helling
Brett Helling is the founder and owner of Gigworker.com. Having worked in the gig economy for nearly a decade, he has mastered freelance, remote, and app-based work. You can learn more about his journey in his book, "Gigworker: Independent Work and the State of the Gig Economy", now available on Amazon.
Deciding which side to choose in the Facebook Marketplace vs Craigslist debate for your online buying and selling ventures?
While both digital platforms have overcome the limitations of traditional purchasing and made a profound impact, it's worth considering which option is better.
Our article thoroughly analyzes both groundbreaking e-commerce marketplaces and strives to answer all your queries.
Facebook Marketplace vs Craigslist: How Do They Work?
The ideal choice may depend on what you are selling or planning to buy. Before landing on a decision, it is imperative that you, as a potential buyer or customer, explore the workings of both online platforms in detail.
How Does Facebook Marketplace Work?
With its seamless integration with the biggest social network in the world, Facebook Marketplace provides a dependable and user-friendly experience.
The listing process allows sellers to make their posts interactive by adding pictures and product descriptions and setting prices. All the listings are public and are supposed to adhere to Meta's Commerce policies.
FB Marketplace only allows the sale of physical products, limiting options for sellers interested in marketing services or digital products. The sale of animals, before and after-based services, and healthcare items such as first aid kits and thermometers are also not allowed.
Buyers can simply click on the Marketplace tab in their apps and browse a variety of products as per filters based on their location, desired categories, and other preferences.
The built-in Messenger tool facilitates communication between sellers and potential customers, which can aid in negotiations and bridge the communication gap between two parties while simultaneously establishing a personal connection.
To increase trust and familiarity during transactions, FB Marketplace also provides additional features like bookmarked listings, notifications, and the ability to view connections or friends of possible buyers or sellers.
How Does Craigslist Work?
Known as the digital pioneer, Craigslist maintains the essence of online classifieds by providing a no-frills interface and focusing on connecting buyers and sellers.
This veteran site has stood the test of time. Its simplicity provides ease of exploration, helps you fumble upon many hidden gems, and emphasizes direct communication between the buyers and sellers.
Craigslist lets users contact one another immediately to discuss prices, schedule meetups, and complete deals rather than relying on intermediaries or complicated transaction procedures.
Comparing Craigslist to Facebook Marketplace, the listing guidelines for the former are more flexible. It permits the sale of both tangible goods and intangible services, and sellers can make product listings by including product details, photos, and contact details.
Users can access the website designed according to their location and browse through numerous categories, including housing, job postings, items for sale, and services.
Facebook Marketplace vs Craigslist Success Rate
An E-commerce platform's success rate is dependent upon several variables, including user engagement, reliability, usability, features offered, and overall user experience.
What Is the Success Rate of Facebook Marketplace?
The 2.9 billion users of Facebook Marketplace and its social network integration foster familiarity and trust, while the platform's features, like Messenger and in-app listings, improve the user experience.
Even though there may not be precise data on success rates, these elements can increase user engagement, which could lead to more fruitful transactions and greater success for platform sellers.
What Is the Success Rate of Craigslist?
Certain buyers and sellers prefer Craigslist because of its emphasis on in-person transactions and privacy. Still, a wider audience is drawn in by the site's flexible listing options and distinctive categories, making selling specialized goods easier.
These factors contribute to the success rate by drawing in motivated consumers, offering a safer and more private selling environment, and raising the possibility of selling a wider range of goods.
Facebook Marketplace vs Craigslist: How Fast Do Things Sell?
Both platforms have their individuality and offerings to consider when comparing their speed of selling products.
How Fast Do Things Sell on Facebook Marketplace?
According to Statista, 53% of US second-hand luxury shoppers in 2021 used Facebook Marketplace, which highly increases the chance of selling goods on Facebook faster.
Moreover, having your listings boosted with the aid of paid promotions can help you reach 62.6% of Americans over 13 years old. And 37% of Facebook usersare predicted to buy a product from the platform in 2023.
With such recognition, things have a high chance of selling fast on this platform.
Related: How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace
How Fast Do Things Sell on Craigslist?
With around 250 million monthly visits, Craigslist is way behind Facebook when it comes to having a large user base. However, it's listed as one of the most visited sites in America, as 93.53% of Craigslist users are American.
Craigslist also provides a high probability of selling things fast by attracting users from 70 different countries.
Your ad gets listed in 10 to 20 minutes and is then available to the audience for the next 30 days, providing ample time for your product to get sold.
Related: How to Sell on Craigslist
Facebook Marketplace vs Craigslist: How Much Does It Cost?
Asking the right questions can help sellers make educated choices by familiarizing themselves with the basic fee structure of both Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.
What Are the Facebook Marketplace Fees?
Facebook doesn't charge a listing fee for listing an item, but a 5% commission per sale is charged or a standard $0.4 for shipments of $8 or less.
However, according to the new policies, starting from July 1st, 2023, this selling fee for transactions on Facebook and Instagram is waived. Instead, a standard fee will be charged to cover the processing costs.
AndShopifywill impose the processing fee on sellers with Shopify accounts linked to Facebook for their meta onsite orders.
Related: How to Sell on Shopify
How Do You Avoid Facebook Marketplace Fees?
If the fee criteria aren't suited to your liking, there are ways to avoid FB Marketplace Fees, such as:
- Classify products as "Free".
- Offer local pickup to avoid shipping fees.
- Avoid paid promotions on Facebook to avoid additional costs.
- Consider local buy-and-sell organizations.
What Are the Craigslist Fees?
Craigslist postings are free, except for a few categories that have associated fees, such as:
- Jobs on Craigslist can cost between $10 and $75.
- Gigs range between $3 and $10.
- Commercial real estate costs $5.
- Cars and other vehicles cost $5.
- Services cost $5.
Facebook Marketplace vs Craigslist Scams
Due to the increasing anonymity in the online community, both buyers and sellers may still come across fraudulent activity on either platform.
It is important to take action by reporting fraud immediately to the local police department in order to avoid any more mishaps.
Can a Seller Get Scammed on Facebook Marketplace?
It is plausible for sellers to get scammed on the Facebook marketplace. In many instances, scammers may pose as prospective buyers and request sensitive information by promising to buy the product.
This can further lead to false promises of payments, transactions through unauthorized methods, and phishing through form links asking for relevant details.
Examples may include the request to scan a QR code for the remaining payment from the buyer or accidentally overpaying and then requesting a refund using forged receipts.
Can a Seller Get Scammed on Craigslist?
Sellers on Craigslist are also vulnerable to various scams.
Prevalent scams involve fake checks and money orders. For example, scammers may sell a counterfeit payment above the agreed price and ask the seller to wire back the excess payment leaving them responsible when the bank detects fraud.
Similarly, they can pose as international buyers and request a wire transfer, canceling the payment after receiving the item.
Facebook Marketplace vs Craigslist Pros and Cons
Online marketplaces have revolutionized how we shop; however, everything in this world comes with its own pros and cons.
Below we analyze the advantages and disadvantages of both these selling platforms to ease the process of selection for you.
What Are the Pros of Selling on Facebook Marketplace?
- A highly popular platform with a huge number of monthly users who log in various times for different reasons throughout the day.
- It is user-friendly thanks to its seamless integration with the Facebook app itself.
- Listing items are free.
- Easy communication between the buying and selling parties thanks to the messenger feature.
- FB marketplace is linked to user accounts; hence there is less anonymity and more reliability.
What Are the Cons of Selling on Facebook Marketplace?
- Limits to the products you can sell. For e.g., it doesn't allow the sale of services and digital products.
- It doesn't target a specific niche, which may cause your product to get lost among the overwhelming number of buyers and product categories.
What Are the Pros of Selling on Craigslist?
- Emphasizes local transactions, making it perfect for users who prefer in-person exchanges.
- More flexible with the variety of products that can be listed.
- Large user base.
- Allows users to maintain anonymity to protect their personal information.
What Are the Cons of Selling on Craigslist?
- Certain categories on Craigslist have a listing fee.
- Unlike some of its competitors, Craigslist lacks integration of built-in features such as an in-app messenger.
- Craigslist allows complete anonymity on the platform making it more prone to scams.
Facebook Marketplace vs Craigslist: Which Is Better?
In today's digital environment, Facebook has risen to prominence as one of the most popular and user-friendly online selling places.
Facebook's success is powered by the growing influence of social media, which provides users with unmatched comfort and familiarity. In competition, Craigslist released the CPlus app, which is the only app authorized to use Craigslist's API.
Despite falling behind in functionality, Craigslist maintains an upper foot in certain categories as its ideal for selling and trading specific items and services. This has led it to still maintain the reputation of a renowned online selling platform.
Which platform is best for you ultimately relies on your unique objectives, the category of the goods you're selling, and the type of user interface you want.
