Common Facebook Marketplace Scams:
The "Fake Payment" Scam:
How to spot it:
The solution:
The "Shipping" Scam:
How to spot it:
The solution:
The "Fake Check" or "Overpayment" Scam:
How to spot it:
The solution:
Get your FREE copy of “The Marketplace Seller’s Secret Playbook” and unlock the hidden strategies to:
How to Deal with Lowballers and Difficult Buyers?
Handling Lowball Offers:
Setting Boundaries:
Dealing with No-Shows:
Best Practices for a Safe Transaction:
Meet in a Public Place:
Be Clear in Your Listing:
Trust Your Gut:
New Facebook Marketplace Scams to Watch Out for in 2025
The scams on Facebook Marketplace evolve faster than most guides can track. Beyond the classic fake payment and overpayment schemes, these are the patterns that have become common and that sellers and buyers need to recognize.
The "Google Voice Verification" scam
A “buyer” expresses interest and then asks you to verify your identity by sharing a code they sent to your phone. What they’re actually doing is setting up a Google Voice number in your name to use for other scams. Never share verification codes with anyone on Marketplace — no legitimate buyer needs this.
The "I'll send a friend to pick it up" scam
After agreeing on a sale, the buyer says they can’t make it and will send someone else. The “friend” arrives, takes the item, and the original buyer then claims they never authorized the pickup and disputes the payment. Only release items in person to the person you made the deal with, and only after confirming payment has cleared.
The fake listing clone scam
Scammers copy your listing — photos, description, and price — and repost it as their own, often at a slightly lower price to attract buyers away from you. If you notice duplicate listings of your items, report them immediately through Facebook’s reporting tool.
How to Price Your Items to Minimize Lowball Offers
Lowball offers are partly a pricing problem. If your listing price has no room to negotiate, you attract buyers who assume everything has a hidden discount. A few pricing strategies that reduce the volume of low offers:
Price 10-15% above your target: Buyers who want to negotiate get to feel like they won something. You get the price you actually wanted. Both sides leave satisfied.
State “firm price” in the listing: This filters out time-wasters. Some serious buyers will still try to negotiate, but the volume drops significantly.
Bundle items together: Offering a bundle at a slight discount makes the perceived value higher and shifts the conversation from “will you take less for this?” to “what else comes with it?”
Research comparable listings before posting: If your price is noticeably above market, lowball offers are rational. Check what similar items have actually sold for — not just what they’re listed at — using the Marketplace sold listings filter.
