Facebook Marketplace moves fast. Good deals get snapped up within hours, sometimes minutes. Here’s how to find them before everyone else.

Know What Things Are Worth

You can’t spot a deal if you don’t know the going rate. Before you start looking:

  • Check what similar items sell for on eBay (filter by “sold” listings)
  • Note the retail price for new items
  • Factor in condition—a year-old item in good shape might be worth 60-70% of retail

This baseline helps you instantly recognize when something is underpriced.

Warning Signs to Watch For

Not every cheap listing is a good deal. Some are scams, some are hiding problems. Red flags to watch:

Too good to be true pricing. A $2,000 item for $200 usually means something’s wrong—stolen, broken, or the seller won’t actually deliver.

Stock photos instead of real pictures. Legitimate sellers photograph their actual items. Generic images often mean the seller doesn’t have the item or it looks nothing like the photo.

Vague descriptions. “Works great” with no details often hides issues. Good sellers mention specific conditions, included accessories, and any flaws.

Pressure to pay immediately. Scammers create urgency. Real sellers give you time to inspect items.

Timing Matters

New listings appear throughout the day, but there are patterns. Many people post in the morning before work or in the evening after dinner. Checking during these windows means seeing fresh listings.

The real advantage is getting notifications. Instead of manually refreshing searches, let the app tell you when something new appears.

Be Ready to Move

When you find something good, message immediately. Have your questions ready:

  • Is the price firm?
  • When can I pick up?
  • Does it have any issues I should know about?

Being the first to respond and being easy to deal with often wins the item over higher offers from flaky buyers.

Using Spottable

This is what we built the app for. Set up saved searches with your criteria, and Spottable monitors Marketplace for you. When something matches, you get a notification.

The AI analysis helps with the evaluation part—checking if the price is actually good and flagging potential problems. Instead of doing that research yourself, you get a summary and can decide in seconds whether to message.

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