Facebook Marketplace: Weird and Wonderful

Mark Zuckerberg has had several terrific ideas, but introducing Facebook Marketplace — a mobile buy, sell and trade forum available to the masses — is not one of them.

The internet was sketchy enough with creepy Craigslist and the dark web. Adding the Facebook Marketplace icon to our Android/IOS devices has done nothing more than publicise the World’s junk drawer.

It turns out that there is a market for everything. I myself was shocked at the sheer amount of trash that is for sale online, specifically on Facebook Marketplace. But one person’s trash is another’s treasure. You might find the next aspiring Van Gogh selling his wares, but you are more likely to find some actual nightmare fuel.

Much like a solar eclipse, looking directly at Facebook Marketplace can be damaging to your retinas and, in this case, your soul. I have now trawled through the aforementioned marketplace attempting to find the wackiest buys. Sadly, there is a clear winner for weirdest marketplace, you just can’t get stuff like this anywhere but Facebook marketplace.

Ten limes for ￡1 is a terrific deal, but something seems off about this. Why, with the introduction of Facebook Marketplace, can I suddenly find the greatest deal on the world’s worst citrus fruit? If I disregard my time and gas money and make the 40-minute roundtrip drive for some acidic juice vesicles, then there are two plausible outcomes:

• It’s a bait and switch from a used car dealership as a ploy to get me in a 1998 Vauxhall Corsa.
• There will be no limes, and my family and friends will never see me again.

Imagine being robbed and actually ending up with more than you had pre-robbery. In this person’s case it was a huge win. Especially if you consider that an original iPhone has sold for upwards of $50,000. Obviously, this isn’t in the best condition but nonetheless beggars can’t be choosers. Sure, he lost some rhubarb along the way, but he has ended up with something far more valuable: a piece tech history. ??

Or what about a destroyed iPhone 6 that is also locked to a network? That definitely seems worth it, no? The real issue is that you’d have to go to Bromley to get it which immediately makes it not worth it. Only joking Bromley, we love you really.

This one hits a little too close to home, but I can confirm its not this easy to fool us. Although at first, I really did think it was an iPhone 11 pro, not. The drawn on ‘camera lenses’ aren’t even the worst part. The fact that this could potentially sell for more than a brand new iPhone 14 Pro is the real crime. Not even Music Magpie would do that. At least, I hope.?

Facebook marketplace is, quite frankly, a dangerous place. There is no form of protection in place to protect the people that use it. Although it might be a fun place to scroll and see what odd listings there are for a laugh there are numerous instances of people being scammed. How about we just sell on Secnd.