Is It Safe to Use Facebook Marketplace? What About Poshmark?

With all the cleaning out and purging that we’re doing while stuck at home, many of us are sitting around lamenting the absence of Goodwill in the current climate and wondering, “is it safe to use Facebook Marketplace right now?” Should we be selling items? Buying items? And, what about selling or buying through Poshmark? Is that safe?

There are so many questions and there’s no one right answer. It all comes down to what you are comfortable with. But, I’m going to share my humble opinion with you today.

IS IT SAFE TO USE FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE?

To be 100% honest, I’ve been selling up a storm through Facebook Marketplace. It started when I decided I wanted to redo our outdoor space. I sold a few candles and pillows that weren’t going to work anymore. Then, I decided I’m not thrilled with how our guest bedroom doesn’t flow with the rest of our condo — it needs to be black, not blue, so I needed to sell the roman shade, a ghost chair, a lamp, and the rug (the rug is practically unused and still for sale if you want it!). Eventually, I started listing everything from plastic Lilly Pulitzer cups I no longer use to a faux fur blanket.

It takes less than a minute or two to list something, so why not make a few bucks if it’s otherwise going to the trash or to sit in a closet waiting (weeks? months?) to be donated.

So, how have I been doing it? 100% contactless. I’m only selling items that I can safely leave out in our front yard right before the buyer arrives. They Venmo me the amount as they pick it up. Easy peasy. Would I sell something worth hundreds of dollars? No. But, I can also literally wave to them out the window, so I feel good that most people will be honest.

So far, everyone has been totally on board and thankful that I bring it up before they do. As soon as they message me, I tell them the rundown of how this will go: I give them my phone number. I tell them to text me 10 minutes before they arrive and that I will leave it out for contactless pickup. I then give them my Venmo ahead of time so that everything flows quickly once they arrive.

Again, I’m only selling items that are realistic to just leave sitting out in my front yard. Do I wish I could sell the sofa in our guest bedroom right now? Sure. But, I’m also not going to have people coming into my house.

If I was buying something, I would do the same thing. I’d ask that they leave the item on their front stoop and I’d Venmo them the amount.

Side note: you should be following my friend Sarah for a peek at all sorts of amazing Facebook Marketplace finds!

OKAY, BUT WHAT ABOUT POSHMARK?

I’m saying Facebook Marketplace is safe to use, but what does that mean for Poshmark? I don’t typically buy from Poshmark (I’ve bought one item, ever — I’m more of an in-person secondhand shopper), but I do sell a lot. In fact, I checked the other day and I’ve sold over $2,000 of clothing in the 2 years I’ve been on the app.

How am I handing selling right now? I had taken a break, to be honest, but, this weekend, I re-upped my activity. They’re doing a longer shipping period: you now have 10 days to ship. So, my plan is to go to the UPS store down the street once every 10 days to print labels (we don’t have a printer), package them up at home (I have a stockpile of envelopes), then drop them off at the bin at USPS without having to interact with anyone. I already have a few sales in the queue and, next week, I’ll go through this routine to safely drop them off.

All this is to say, I listed no less than 20 items yesterday between Facebook Marketplace and Poshmark, so fingers crossed people are buying! And, if you’re in the same boat, as a seller or a buyer, what are you doing right now? Are people taking a break from it? Or getting back into the swing of things?

OUTFIT DETAILS: GINGHAM SHIRT SIMILAR / ANOTHER SIMILAR GINGHAM SHIRT / MEJURI EDITOR HOOPS