20 Marketplace Secrets I Live By (If You’re Here, You Probably Do Too)
Marketplace really isn’t Marketplace anymore. It’s a fight for your life type game to get the good stuff. You’re refreshing listings every five minutes, offering cash and same day pickup, maybe even considering naming your next kid after the seller if it means locking down that dresser. Sometimes you score, but most of the time you don’t if it’s something good.
Everyone has their own tips and tricks, but these are the ones that have worked time and time again for me.
Save everything you like. I mean everything, even if it’s way out of your price range.
Open your searches to the max, I always set it to 250 miles. Like things as you scroll, it helps train your algorithm to show you better stuff.
Choose a new city to search and do the same thing. Even if you aren’t buying from there, it helps train your algorithm to pull the style and type of listings you actually want to see.
If a seller has something good, immediately check their other listings. They’re probably clearing out more.
If they have good things, ask if they have more, especially if you missed out on something. A lot of times they’ll show you other stuff or give you first dibs before listing it.
Search local rummage sales, yard sales, and events happening near you. It’s an easy way to find new sellers or listings before they hit Marketplace.
Check yard sale and rummage sale photos closely. Look for quilts, dressers, or anything you’re after buried in the background.
Storage units are hidden gems too. I’ve searched “clean out sale” or “storage unit” before and lucked out with a day full of rummaging through antiques or boxes full of goods.
Refresh a lot if you want to snag the low priced goods. The underpriced stuff goes instantly. If it says “Just Listed” you’ve got a shot, but it’s slim.
Be super nice, never pushy. Some sellers will creep your profile and pick who they want to sell to. It happened to me once, they saw I had a mutual friend and sold to me even with a hundred messages coming in.
Don’t offer Venmo too fast and if you do, offer cash at pickup too. Some sellers think Venmo is sketchy and it can scare them off.
Pending doesn’t always mean sold. Tell them you’ll take it and keep following up. I scored a free cabinet that way recently.
Search the design styles you like. If you’re stuck, look on Pinterest for new styles to search. Then like the listings that pop up and interest you, but don’t go overboard. The algorithm keeps adjusting based on what you interact with.
I don’t really use the saved search alerts. I find saving listings outside my area and only clicking on the stuff I actually want helps train the algorithm best. It pulls from images more than text so it’s honestly the fastest way to get your feed looking good.
If they have something sitting in the background of their listings but it’s not posted yet, always ask if they’d sell it. Usually the answer is no, but I’ve scored this way before.
Old people don’t list well but have the best stuff. Profiles with no photo, blurry listing, no details? Click anyway. It’s often grandma’s untouched vintage furniture, wool blankets or quilts buried in there.
If you really need something, get your spouse or partner on the hunt too. Sometimes having both of you watching has helped me score things I would’ve missed.
Follow any seller you like. Huge for scoring more. If they have good taste, odds are more good stuff will pop up from them later.
Visiting a new town? Always search there ahead of time so you can grab things when you arrive.
Be open to traveling for the goods. Some cities just seem to have more. If you know that, be open to making a weekend trip to pick up something great.
It definitely takes some patience, but when you do finally score, it’s worth it. The good stuff always feels a little more satisfying when you had to work for it.