Facebook Marketplace Help: Access, Buying, Scam Safety

Marketplace is Facebook's built-in local buy-and-sell layer: no separate account, no seller verification beyond having a Facebook profile, and mostly local pickup rather than shipping. That combination is what makes it useful and what makes it worth a little caution.

Getting started

New to Marketplace, or the tab is not showing up? Getting access covers the account requirements. Once you are in, how Marketplace actually works explains the local-only default, why some listings ship nationwide anyway, and what protection does and does not apply.

Buying

Set your search radius before anything else — local-only search covers how that setting works and why non-local listings sometimes still appear. Shopping for a vehicle specifically has its own checks; see buying a car on Marketplace. Every buyer should read Marketplace scams to avoid before sending any payment.

Selling

Creating a listing that actually sells covers pricing, photos, and category selection. If a listing says OBO, or you are deciding whether to use it on your own, what OBO means explains the negotiation signal it sends.

Troubleshooting

Tab missing, listings not loading, or messages not sending? Marketplace not working covers symptom-first checks for device or network failures, search location, eligibility, account restrictions, messaging, listings, and wider outages.