Has anyone else noticed this behavior by FB Marketplace?
Disappearing ADs:
Yesterday, Ann told me about her recent experiences with FB Marketplace. While I have only posted one item to FB Marketplace (a car that sold in a day), she has posted multiple items (furniture from the old house). She said that her listing will appear for a day or two, then seems to disappear to the point that it’s hard to find using FB’s search mechanism. A week or two later, she receives a notice informing her that for $3, she can make her ad more visible.
So, basically, you can list for free, but then you need to pay money to make it easier for potential buyers to spot your ad. (other folks have reported their ads can be difficult to locate, such as here and here and here).
This better explains issues I’ve had with FB Marketplace. While doing searches, I occasionally find jeeps that I see for the first time, but have actually been available on FB for weeks. Knowing that I’d already searched in the region previously, sometimes multiple times, it has puzzled me as to why I haven’t seen some ads on a more timely basis.
Example: I regularly (at least semi-weekly) search FB ads in California, yet sometimes jeeps pop up that have been listed for a couple weeks that I have yet to see.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m not a fan of FB Marketplace (the search function sucks and I don’t like that you have to sign up with FB to view ads), but there are so many jeeps (and jeep groups) on FB that it’s hard to run eWillys and not follow FB. If my wife’s experience is accurate, then FB is manipulating (no surprise) ads far more than I realized.
Users Using Free & $1 ads to get priority:
Additionally, this user claims that ads listed for $1 (but with a price listed within the description) actually get higher billing than a similar ad with the price correctly listed in the price field. I couldn’t find much discussion about this on the internet. It’s worth examining closer.
David, I also am not a fan of FB Marketplace. It strikes me as a very shady place.
Money, money, money, it’s all about making money taking over the “FREE internet” of yesterday, including “video interrupting ads” on YouTube videos now. Commercialization!
I posted a 1990 Mustang, $5 a post, about 50 days ago, and I posted in 4 areas, paid 5 bucks per listing- 30 days not even a scammer- reposted the listing ( not renewed as I added more info) Before I finished posting in all 4 areas I all ready had, messages/email/request to call asap- with offers _legit ones – one was from the guy who did show up with cash two days later.
On the first posting I check the add in all 4 areas and the add was there in search,
Thought something was fishy that for 30 days not even a scammer, the I get flooded with responses after I pay a second time to post
Not a fan of FB Market
Facebook along with google got most of their startup funds from our very own CIA. Ha Ha. Why would anyone want to do business let alone be interconnected with these outlets is beyond me. They surveil you for your money. They track you. They deplatform truth and censor real time news. They are socialist/communist companies for which take their orders from China and other nations. Throw your radiating phones away. Get real. Know the truth. I won’t have a smart phone, a smart car, anything with the term “smart” connected to it, and possibly won’t knowingly associate with “smart” people. We are owned. Now this missive will be scrutinized by the NSA in Colorado and determined if either you or I are a threat. The real threats sit in Washington DC and even our own statehouses. Zuckerberg and all the rest are traitors and should be arrested. S.
Facebook’s business model is designed to capitalize on weak humans’ need for acceptance and validation. Hence the emphasis on being “liked on Facebook,” as if that’s something we should all aspire to achieve. The company is in the pocket of China, and routinely censors posts that are critical of the Beijing government. They also attempt to censor Christian, pro-life, and pro-second amendment groups. And Facebook is by no means the only company doing this. I for one will never be a part of Facebook, Twitter, and most other “social media” groups.
David,
Well said and so very true, all the more reason not to take part in this material world.
Facebook monetizes everything. It’s also quite shady about how and why it does things. Privacy doesn’t matter there. Facebook sees each user as a set of eyes to sell things to. And, it doesn’t particularly care who is paying them, or what the content shown to their users.
It’s not surprising that Facebook manipulates ads. They’re going to put those ads that generate money first, and everything else below that. The more that people pay, the higher the ranking. You can see the same effect on Google ads (Mesothelioma is reportedly at $200+ per click there).
Hopefully FB will become just a distant memory as people worldwide wake up and realize just how poorly the site is run and how dangerous it is to share personal info.