Facebook Marketplace Frustrations and the Hidden Power of Groups
Bryk's Bits #8
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I’ve sold more than 1,000 items on eBay in the past year (8.5k all time), earning Top-Rated Seller status and have maintained 100% feedback throughout. As a seller, I am always looking for new platforms to reach buyers with minimal fees (Ebay takes ~13-20% depending on the item). I’ve tried every selling marketplace available, attempted cross posting tools to broaden my reach, and even launched my own Shopify store at one point. I always end up going back to Ebay due to its unmatched number of buyers that have a willingness to pay.
The most promising platform that could potentially take market share from Ebay is Facebook Marketplace. Facebook has the reach that no other platform can compete with. However, each time I list an item there, it feels like I am using a tool that doesn’t know who it’s actually for. It’s just a mishmash of people browsing that have no willingness to actually transact and is full of spammers.
Despite this, Marketplace’s growth has had hockey stick growth, reaching over 1 billion monthly users in 2021 and climbing past 1.1 billion by 2024. Even if the experience sucks and Facebook seems uninterested in improving it, people continue to show up.
eBay also has challenges as it’s battles new competitors such as WhatNot and other streaming seller platforms. These platforms are rapidly gaining traction by turning buying and selling into more dynamic, interactive experiences, resembling a modern QVC. Whatnot is on track to surpass $3 billion in GMV this year and recently raised funding valuing them ~$5 billion (~16% of eBay public valuation of $31 billion).
Nearly three-quarters of people now shop resale globally, and in the US that market was worth about $175B last year, according to the Harvard Business Review
eBay has tried to counter these platforms by adding more interactive features like live shopping and integrating BNPL through Klarna. eBay seems stuck in the past, holding onto users based on the fact that they were the first mover in the industry and have the userbase no one can compete with. However, compared to Facebook Marketplace, eBay remains light-years ahead. My biggest pet peeve about Facebook Marketplace is the constant flood of "Is this still available?" messages immediately after posting an item. Yes, I posted the item 10 minutes ago and haven’t marked it as sold?!?
eBay tackled similar issues by requiring buyers to have verified payment methods before sending offers. Facebook, despite its internal AI labeling capabilities and massive user base, still hasn’t implemented such basic filtering, leaving sellers constantly annoyed by people wasting their time.
Another problem is Marketplace’s weak rating system. Of more than 30 sales on Marketplace, I've gotten only two feedback ratings. eBay actively encourages buyers to leave reviews, building a vital layer of trust that Marketplace currently lacks. Even basic nudges to buyers to leave feedback after transactions would dramatically improve the experience. Ebay still lacks in this area as well. I have 2,827 positive feedback for items when I’ve sold 8.5k total items. A 33% feedback response rate is leaps and bounds better than my facebook marketplace 6% (2/30)
Marketplace also faces serious safety issues, highlighted by WIRED, involving widespread Zelle scams and fraudulent payments. Clearly, there's enormous potential if Meta would put even a fraction of the effort into Marketplace that eBay puts into refining its seller experience.
Additionally, Facebook could leverage its image recognition AI to streamline listings. Imagine snapping a quick photo and instantly getting accurate product details, category suggestions, and even pricing recommendations. Meta clearly has the technology as they use AI in their ad products for similar customization but Marketplace remains frustratingly manual and outdated.
Ebay did announce a new Facebook Marketplace channel integration in January, which looks promising. With no additional effort, my Ebay listings will gain exposure to the Facebook Marketplace.
Starting today, we’re thrilled to announce that we’re adding Facebook Marketplace to the growing roster of channels where your listings can be found. This week kicks off our collaboration, with a pilot of select eBay listings appearing on Facebook Marketplace in the US, Germany, and France.
Increased exposure could boost sales significantly, benefiting both platforms by combining eBay's trusted listings with Facebook's unmatched reach. However, I’m. curious how Facebook Marketplace will manage the weak buyer/seller protections and rampant scams. Additionally, this integration might serve as a test run for Meta to evaluate a potential acquisition of eBay, positioning Facebook to dominate the entire resale market.
Although I find Marketplace frustrating, Facebook Groups are a severely underrated feature of the platform. People who say Facebook is dying simply aren’t plugged into any Groups, where over 1.8 billion active users interact every month. Groups keep millions of people including myself coming back to Facebook every single day.
The Jewish Dads of Atlanta group has genuinely become one of the most valuable resources in my life over the past few years. It’s a network of hundreds of other Jewish Dads I can implicitly trust. Whether it's finding a reliable plumber or handyman for an urgent issue, discovering restaurants, finding babysitters, the collective knowledge is unmatched. With over five years of detailed responses archived, it's like having instant access to personalized recommendations tailored specifically to my life stage and neighborhood.
There are also niche communities I’m involved in, like my private sports card trading groups. Unlike eBay or Marketplace, these groups enable me and other collectors to bypass expensive fees and interact with trusted sellers directly, bypassing all the fees those platforms charge. Facebook Groups has also extended beyond hobbies and into my professional life as well. Airtable focused groups I’m a member of offer support and ideas for new product features.
Many people dismiss Facebook entirely without realizing how many people are actively engaged with Groups. They view Facebook as a product for boomers because their feeds aren't interesting anymore and filled with slop. However, they are overlooking the groups product that is flourishing.
Top 5 Sports Documentaries
Top Content:
One of my favorite series I’ve watched so far this year. After a global search on Zwift for the best cycling talent, eight riders were selected to compete for two professional contracts. I’ve become invested in the riders and can’t wait for the finale to see who gets the contracts.
The Delirious, Violent, Impossible True Story of the Zizians
I've always been fascinated by cults, trying to understand why people join them and why they don’t leave (see all the podcasts I’ve listened to about them). We aren't paying enough attention to the growing threat of modern, digital first cults.
The Zizians are an AI-driven cult gaining followers through sophisticated online manipulation, which is both terrifying and unsurprising as it’s just an evolution of how cults have targeted individuals for generations.
In Good Company with David Ricks CEO of Eli Lilly
Nicolai Tangen always has top notch interviews and one part of this interview that stood out was the discussion of the role of AI in drug discovery in potentially predicting outcomes and optimizing different processes.
NLU Special Projects - Calvin Peete
I love these narrative episodes from KVV at No Laying Up and this be my favorite. After reading “Game of Privilege: An African American History of Golf,” it was clear that golf media has ignored top African Americans for over a century. It is a travesty that Calvin Peete is not in the Golf Hall of Fame. KVV does a great job highlighting the incredible life and career of Calvin Peete, who is the second most winning black player behind Tiger Woods
How Agents Impact Coaching Searches, and Why The NFL Cares
Everyone knows NFL coaching hires are full of nepotism, self-dealing and package deals and I’m glad I finally read this piece highlighting the “package deals” that agents push to place multiple clients into a team’s coaching and front-office roles. I’m doubtful the NFL will take much action but at least they are paying attention to it.
A fun entertaining movie to watch while exercising. It got a bit repetitive and predictable on the zombie front but it was the perfect fast paced action and thriller to keep my adrenaline up while on the Zwift
See ya on the Flipside,
Andrew “A Daily Facebook User” Bryk