How To Stop Lowball Offers on Facebook Marketplace

I recently posted a pretty expensive item on Facebook Marketplace and immediately got messages lowballing me and offering less than half of what I was asking (and it was already posted at a great price!). Unfortunately, lowballers happen every single time I post an item for sale on Facebook Marketplace. I hate confrontation, but I’ve learned that business is business. If you’ve done the research to know your items are priced correctly, here’s seven ways to deal with lowball offers:

1. Negotiate. If you’re willing to drop your price at all, consider negotiating. Something as simple as, “The lowest I can go is X” will start a productive conversation. If they continue to offer below your lowest, reiterate that you will not go below the amount you stated.

2. Leave the conversation. This is my new favorite go-to method when I don’t want to engage the person. You can leave a conversation at any time on Facebook Marketplace. To do this, tap the group conversation, then tap the title or photo of the chat. You’ll see the names of everyone in the conversation pop up. Tap on your name, and then press “leave group.

3. Just be firm. It might be uncomfortable, but it’s ok to say no. If you’ve priced properly, don’t undersell yourself (especially on the first offer!).

4. Accept if desperate. We’ve all been there. Sometimes you just need to sell as soon as possible. There’s nothing wrong with accepting a low offer if you’re comfortable with it. Make sure you require them to pick it up same day - most of the lowballers end up no-showing anyway (and you don’t want to waste your time missing out on real sales!).

5. Block. I’ve had potential buyers be relentless with constant messages after I’ve tried all of the above options. If anyone makes you uncomfortable online, block them. You can follow the same steps above under “leave the conversation,” but press “block.”

6. Reason with them on why it’s worth what you’re asking. Some people genuinely don’t understand why something costs as much as you priced it at (people are also known for not reading the descriptions you post). Explaining the value might help someone be willing to spend more.

7. Let them know you’ll reach back out later if needed. Something as simple as, “I actually have others interested at my full asking price, but I’ll reach back out if something falls through!” - it’s not a no, and it leaves the door open if something actually does fall through.

If you’re selling your flipped furniture on Facebook Marketplace, check out my Flip It! ecourse for more tips. It has everything you could possibly need to know, from finding furniture, flipping it, staging it, and more. I show you how to clean brushes, where I find my furniture, how I treat it for potential bugs, how to fix chips, how to avoid brush strokes, how to seal, what paint to get, and everything else you might need to know! You can also purchase individual lessons within the course if you’re not ready to take the plunge!

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