How to find deals on Facebook Marketplace, the method, not the luck

Where the real deals are (mispriced, mislabeled, and new), how to search for each kind, how to tell a deal from a bait price, and how to hear about them first without refreshing all day.

Deals on Facebook Marketplace come from three places: sellers who priced low because they want it gone, sellers who do not know what they have, and listings that are simply new, which are a deal for whoever sees them first. Each one needs a different search, and all three need you to know the typical price so you can tell a deal from a bait listing. Here is the method, from someone who has run it for years and then built an app to run it for him.

1. Know the typical price

Every deal is a comparison. Before you search, look at the last several listings for the item near you; the ones marked sold within a day were priced right, and the ones still up after three weeks were not. That number is the whole game. Deal Scanner measures it for you: once a search has seen a few listings, each new one gets a Deal Score showing how far under the typical asking price near you it sits, and only clear bargains get a score.

2. The three kinds of deal, and the search for each

The motivated seller. Priced under typical, usually with a reason in the listing: moving, divorce, estate, new one on the way. Search: the exact model, sorted by date listed, with your low and high price set. These go within hours, so this is where being early matters most.

The mislabeled item. The Herman Miller Aeron listed as "office chair," the Milwaukee M18 Fuel listed as "drill," priced like the generic thing. Search: the generic name with a low price limit, and scan the photos. Also search the common misspellings; nobody else is.

The stale listing. Up for three weeks, overpriced on day one, with a seller who now wants it gone. Search: the model, sorted oldest, then message with a firm fair offer and a pickup time today.

3. Searches that find them

Model name, not category. "Weber Genesis" beats "grill."
Nicknames and misspellings in separate searches. "Four wheeler," "4 wheeler," "quad," "ATV" are four different sellers.
A low price limit. It removes the accessories and the scam listings. For a $600 item, start the low limit around $150.
A radius you will actually drive. Fifty miles is a wall of listings you will never go get, and the ranking hides the close ones in it.
Sort by date listed on the results page, and check the "listed" time on the item. The home feed is a recommendation feed, not a timeline.
Search without a category first, then within the obvious ones. Sellers file things oddly.

4. Tell a deal from a bait price

A listing far under typical is one of two things: the deal you are looking for, or a scam priced to make you hurry. The checks: real photos (search the image if they look like a catalog), a profile with history, a seller who answers questions about the item, and no request for a deposit, a code, or a payment before you have seen it. Our scams page has every version; our safety page has the habits. A bargain that passes those is a bargain.

5. Be first

The motivated-seller deals go in the first hour. Refreshing all day is not a life, and Facebook's own saved-search notifications arrive hours to days late in our use, which is after the listing sold. Deal Scanner watches Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp and Craigslist for your search, on our servers, around the clock, and buzzes your phone when a listing is posted, with the time we found it on every alert and the Deal Score attached. Three searches, say the chair, the drill and the truck, are $3.99 a month, cancel anytime, no Facebook login. It is built for everyone who checks Marketplace every day, whether flipping is your side thing, your whole job, or not the point at all.

6. Then close it

Message like a buyer ("I can pick it up today at 5 with cash"), pay a fair price without chipping at it, test the item before cash changes hands, and meet in public. How to negotiate and tips for buyers cover the rest, and the buying guides cover the checks for dirt bikes, four-wheelers, motorcycles, trucks and tools.

FAQ

How do you find good deals on Facebook Marketplace?

Know the typical price, search the exact model and its nicknames with a low and high price set, sort by date, and hear about new listings first with an alert instead of refreshing.

What time are the best deals posted on Facebook Marketplace?

Evenings and weekends have the most new listings, but a deal is a deal whenever it is posted, and it is gone within the hour. An alert beats a schedule.

How can I tell if a Facebook Marketplace deal is a scam?

A price far under typical with a reason to hurry, stock photos, a new profile, and any request for money or a code before you see the item.

Is there an app that finds deals on Facebook Marketplace?

Deal Scanner watches Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp and Craigslist for your search and buzzes your phone when a listing is posted, with a Deal Score showing how far under the typical price near you it sits.

How do I see the newest listings on Facebook Marketplace?

Sort search results by date listed. The home feed has no date sort. Our guide covers it.

Sources checked

Our own buying on Marketplace, OfferUp and Craigslist, and Facebook's help pages on search, location and notifications. Checked October 26, 2026.