If you still wonder how to do it, we’re here to help
How to get to Facebook Marketplace. Source: unsplash.com
Facebook Marketplace is the most useful zero-fee option for all sellers and buyers registered on FB. Over 1 billion people visit this trading platform each month. However, not anyone is able to access the Marketplace.
Availability
To begin with, if you can’t see the Marketplace icon anywhere, you must make sure it’s available in your region. Most probably it is, since as of June 2021 the social trading platform works in 95 countries and territories. If the feature still hasn’t reached your country, the only thing you can do is wait. However, even the citizens of eligible territories may find themselves unable to enter the FB Marketplace.
This could happen for a few reasons:
- you have recently joined Facebook
- your account doesn’t meet eligibility requirements
- you’re on a trip abroad or have recently come back from one
- you’re less than 18 years old
- you have wrong settings
- you’re banned after violation
Those new to Facebook should be patient and show their trustworthiness before being able to access the Marketplace. FB aims to protect its users from scams, and with new accounts there’s too little information to decide whether the person is worth dealing with. The platform doesn’t exactly specify the term which should pass between your registration and granted access. Therefore, the newbies should periodically check if the new option appeared in their News Feed or in the middle of the app’s button panel.
Even if you’re not a newcomer, you may not be eligible for Marketplace purchases. For instance, you should be at least 18 years old while it’s possible to get a FB profile at 13. Your access may also be removed if you have already used Marketplace in a way that goes against FB Commerce Policies or Community Standards. In this case, someone may report you to admins or block your profile.
Traveling worldwide is good for you but it’s not beneficial for using the Marketplace. Since it’s not available in all the locations, the feature will turn off automatically when you’re in the destination the service doesn’t cover. Moreover, even when you get back, the system may still think you’re located elsewhere for a few days.
On the tech side, you should use the latest version of the Facebook app to access Marketplace. It also isn’t available on iPhone models older than the iPhone 5. Not all the languages you can set on FB will allow you to join the Marketplace crowd as well. The ultimate language list is: Afrikaans, Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French and French Canadian, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian (bahasa), Italian, Malay, Norwegian, Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish. In other languages, FB Marketplace is unavailable.
Where to find it
Facebook Marketplace is represented by a blue storefront icon. It is located in the left menu of your News Feed if you’re using a desktop version. The same icon can be found in the middle of your app screen menu. Look at the bottom of the app on iOS or at the top of the app on Android. Please, mind that Marketplace is just a feature within the official FB app, not a separate app. There may be similar apps from third-party vendors, but they have nothing to do with the genuine FB Marketplace and may even bear potential cyberthreats.
If you use Marketplace infrequently, the link in the desktop left-hand menu may get replaced with another feature you use more often due to AI algorithms that provide users with the most relevant info and personalized experience. That doesn’t mean you can’t access the Marketplace anymore. It just means you won’t see the icon directly on the shortcut menu. Click … in your desktop version and you’ll see the full list of available features including the Marketplace. The same applies for apps. Tap the icon that looks like three horizontal lines to open the secondary menu and then you’ll see Marketplace. If you can’t see the link right away, it may be hidden under the See More link. Tap on it to view all the menu options.
If you don’t want to scroll between the menus or don’t see the icon, you can go directly to Marketplace by typing the link https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/ into your browser.
Technical bugs also happen. Thus, if the link doesn’t work try to do the following:
- Make sure you’re using the most recent version of the app or browser. If not, update it.
- Restart your computer or phone.
- Uninstall and reinstall the app, if you’re using a phone.
- Log out and log back into Facebook and try again.
How to make Marketplace available
If you are new to FB, don’t sit idly. Your activity matters. Don’t expect to create a profile, not use it, and see a Marketplace access granted. Visit your FB page often, add friends, comment posts and publish your own, engage in discussions, etc. When Marketplace finally gets available, use it frequently to keep the icon in the top spot and avoid looking for it all over the menus.
In case of changing the country of residence or stay, set your Facebook profile region accordingly by going to Settings & privacy > Settings > Language and Region. Region settings are only available on your computer, not in-app. They can be found in the top right of the FB desktop interface. This menu will also help you choose one of the languages supported by the trading platform, if you traditionally use one that’s not on the Marketplace list. The language should be updated on all devices separately.
When you create a Facebook account, Facebook automatically appears in the same language as the one you choose in your device’s language settings. When you change your language, your region settings (such as date, time and numbers) automatically update to match the format appropriate for the region where the language is spoken. Click Edit next to Formats for dates, times and numbers, and select another region if the format doesn’t suit you.
Another option to try is to go to your Facebook profile, click About, and use + to add a city or Edit to change your current city. That might help FB to determine your current location correctly.
Using VPN may also help you to access the Marketplace in a region where it’s not technically available. However, remember that the sales are local and sellers are not likely to send out goods internationally, especially since payments and shipments are not generally regulated by FB. Nevertheless, if you are in the supported region and your phone, tablet or PC refuses to show a correct location, VPN will come in handy.
If you got banned from the FB Marketplace for some reason, there’s a way to restore your good reputation. Go to the Marketplace menu, click Request Review and fill out the form to explain your wrongdoing (if any) or report a mistake. The FB team will review your appeal within a week.
Check for updates in your Support Inbox and/or the email associated with your Facebook account. It’s possible that your account was blocked due to member feedback the admin team received or you may have overused a feature. The blocks are temporary, so you may start buying and selling again in a while. Meanwhile, you can use buy-and-sell groups on Facebook and carefully look through the Commerce Policies and Community Standards.
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