Finding a buyer on Facebook Marketplace can feel a bit like fishing. It can be a frustrating process that doesn’t seem to catch you anything, and other times can seem wonderfully easy.
We recently had a winter beach getaway. It was too cold to swim, so we opted for digging sandcastles and playing frisbee on the sand. We saw dolphins out of our bay window and went for bike rides along the coast. We hiked along a nature trail and took photos at a lookout. We went fishing off the local jetty.
My Father-in-law loves fishing so gave us a hand. He kindly spent time getting everything organised for us so we didn’t have to worry about it. He taught my eldest son to fish and was proud to witness him reeling in two little tommies.

The process made me reflect on the similarities between going fishing and finding a buyer online.
1. Preparation
You prepare the line with hooks and sinkers or floaters. You purchase bait or dig for cockles or worms.
When selling, you spend time cleaning up the item ready for sale. You make sure everything is ready to photograph and in order for the buyer.
2. Bait
Hook up the bait and put some berley into the water. You do whatever you can to attract the fish to your line.
As a seller, you take the photos and write the description. You do what you can to make it an attractive deal to the buyer.
3. Casting
Cast the line. You throw it into the water where you want the hook to land and tighten the line.
You list your item and post it. The ad goes live.
4. Waiting game
Now it’s time to wait for a fish. Depending on your technique, what you are fishing for and your location, you may passively sit there and wait, or you may cast often and reel it in. You may set up some other rods or hand reels while you wait.
You wait for a buyer. You might list some other items at the same time or wait to see what happens with your listing.
5. Action
You feel a little nibble. You feel excited. Something is happening. You might get one! You have a choice. Do you leave the rod where it is, do you give a little tug or give a big pull on the line? You don’t want to scare the fish, but you also don’t want it to take your bait and not the hook.
The fish bites again. You hold still and wait. The fish swims away to find different food.
The buyer asks, “is this available?” You respond that yes it is and wait to see if they respond.
They message, “will you take $20? You hold firm, the price is as is. The buyer moves on to a different ad.
6. Success
You give a little tug. The fish is hooked on the line. You successfully reel it in and land it on the jetty. It’s a good size. A keeper. You remove the hook and throw it in your bucket. Dinner tonight.
You negotiate with the buyer. “Sold.” The buyer arranges a time for pick up. They come when they say they will and hand you the money. You look down and smile. Cash in place of clutter.

Sometimes you throw a line in and you barely get a nibble. You could be sitting out in the cold for hours without so much as a bite. Other times, before you’ve barely cast off, there is a heavy tug, and you wind in a fish. Double header if you’re lucky. Pick the right location, time, tide and bait and you can be bringing home enough for tea and even stock up the freezer.
Selling on Marketplace can feel the same way. Sometimes you’ll do a big clean-out and list a bunch of stuff to sell online. You feel excited at the prospect of getting rid of this gear while earning a pretty penny too. You start to think about what you’ll spend the money on. It always feels more when it’s in cash, at least to me anyway.
You take the time to list, and sit back and wait for the ding of your phone, alerting you to a new message. it is strangely quiet. When an alert pops up, it’s just for your annoying group. The kind where one person posts every single thing that pops into their head, whether or not it holds any relevance to the rest of the group. Where they will get twelve people opening up the app to look at a message that should have been sent to one person in the group. Special times.
Back to the selling. There is not one message. You’d be grateful for anything, even just the old ‘is this available’ type. Even if they never respond back afterwards. But no, not a peep.
Other times, you get replies almost instantly. People want your stuff, and it’s exciting! You can’t reply fast enough. You don’t need to negotiate on price and the buyer can come right away. Brilliant. This is what selling dreams are made of. You list, they message, they pick up. The excess is gone and you have cash in your hand.
The more success you have, the more you want to continue.
No bites and it’s freezing outside? Makes you want to pack up and head home.
No hits on your ad? Makes you want to reduce the price or just take the darn thing to the op shop.
Yet when the fish are biting, it’s exciting. You almost don’t notice the cold. You keep throwing out the line and lose track of the time. It’s nice being rewarded for your efforts.
When your listings are getting noticed and you get messages from buyers, it motivates you to find more things to sell. It’s a good feeling. The effort required to take photos and write descriptions no longer seems so hard.

Tips to reel in a buyer:
Hunt around in your house and garage for some items that you no longer use. Look at what is gathering dust and could be given a new life. Look through your wardrobe to discover clothing and shoes that you don’t fit into or wear.
Sometimes our ideal self is different to our actual self. You might love the idea of crafting and sewing but just don’t have time right now. You might love playing music but you haven’t picked up your instrument in years. You might love cycling but have arthritis in your knee.
It can be hard to admit when we no longer need some of our possessions. It can be a grieving process when life doesn’t look how we imagined it would. If you are struggling to let them go or accept that you are finished with them, put them aside for now. Put a reminder in your phone to come back and look at them again once you’ve had some time.
Photos
Take some time to capture quality photos to help attract your buyer. Consider lighting and location. Crop out distractions.
Be detailed
Write a long title and detailed description. Include dimensions for furniture. Put in your location. It’s surprising the amount of sellers who don’t bother to do this. This will reduce the amount of annoying questions from potential buyers you receive and the time it takes to reply.
Do your research
Research how much your item costs new. If it is no longer in stock, look up eBay. These items can get big bucks if they are only available online. Gauge how much other sellers are listing similar products for. Come up with a price that you are happy with. You can always reduce the price or delete the listing with a lower price later.
List to more places
If you are selling on Facebook Marketplace, join some local groups to list your item. Just be aware that your friends and family members may see what you are posting. Copy and paste your listing description onto sites like Gumtree. This widens the reach you have for your items, especially those not on social media.
Offer delivery or shipping
Consider offering delivery nearby for a small fee. This can be attractive for buyers who aren’t able to drive to pick it up. Offer to post for those further away. This is cheaper than petrol in some cases especially if the buyer is on the other side of town.
Learn from the best
Teaching Brave talks about her experience with selling the excess from her home. Not only does she sell her items, but she finds things to flip from hard waste and op shops. On one occasion, she flipped a $3 Louis Vuitton scarf for over $400 online.
Likewise, Captain Fi regularly buys second-hand and sells excess from his home. This reduces his spending, keeps items out of landfill and enables him to live minimally. He writes about his experience and tips on his extensive blog.
Canna Campbell writes about her hustles to save money fast in her book, The $1000 Project. One of her many talents is selling her excess stuff online. This frees up money to invest in shares and to achieve her financial goals sooner.
If the fish aren’t biting, consider adding more photos or changing the main image, trying a different title, listing elsewhere or lowering your price. Trying deleting your listing and posting at a different time of day.
In my experience, you can have the right price but just not the right buyer. I’ve had some listings on for weeks or even months and out of the blue, I’ll get a message. I normally don’t have the patience to wait this long though so I’ll do whatever I can to hook a buyer fast.
It can be a frustrating process and one that takes time and energy. When you have success, it feels good to both declutter and get cash in your hand.
Now that you have gone through your house for the excess you can part with and listed your items, it’s time to cast your line into the water and catch yourself a buyer!

I’d love to connect with you over on Instagram or Facebook. Come and say hi!
Melanie Wegener