Are you a Facebook addict?

Whilst Facebook is not for everyone, there are some people who seem to spend their lives browsing Facebook.  It is a seriously sticky site!

When I first heard the term ‘sticky website’ I thought someone had spilled Coke over their keyboard.  Whereas it actually refers to how long the average person stays on a particular webpage or website in general.

In short: the more interesting the content, the longer browsers ‘stick around’.  And when it comes to Facebook it is the ultimate sticky site because that’s where many of your family, friends and acquaintances are also hanging out.  As a result, as this is such a social site, there are a LOT of people on Facebook at any one time.

Now say, for example, that you want to sell or buy something…like a bicycle for instance, but you want to keep it local and avoid all those postage and PayPal fees.  Then where do you go?

Well you could open a new browser window and then try to remember the website for selling locally – Gumtree.  And no doubt Gumtree could probably help you with your quest.

Or, you could stay on Facebook and try your luck there!

Although I’m far from an addict, I am aware that there are private and public groups dotted all over Facebook, dedicated to almost every topic under the sun.   So it came as no surprise to me that there are local groups whose sole purpose is to help you to ‘Sell or Swap’ your personal possessions.

These groups are all grouped by local town or county.  As the screen shot above shows, to find a group close to where you live simply type your location followed by the words ‘sell, swap ‘ into the search box at the very top of the Facebook page, and up will come a selection of groups which you can join.

Looking at the screenshot once more, the very first group I see has 4,915 members just from my local town!  Some of the groups will show their status as ‘open’ i.e. they are free for anyone to join, though most of them will display a ‘closed’ status.  In that case simply click through to that specific group page, where you will find a big green button marked ‘Join Group’.  A group moderator will then approve your membership very quickly and you will receive a Facebook message to that effect.

Once you are accepted into a group you can post any item that you want to sell / swap or give away for free.  Make sure that you take a couple of decent pictures and upload them along with your description.

Here’s an important bit:  Be sure to keep your contact details PRIVATE i.e. do not freely post your email / postal address or telephone number on the public Facebook page for all to see.

Instead, if you get a post from someone saying they are interested in your item, click on the enquirer’s link to visit their own Facebook page, then click on the top right-hand corner and send them a personal message.  Then go back to the main group page and reply to them saying that you have ‘messaged’ them directly.

Some friends of mine use this system all the time, ever since they had trouble shifting a few lots at a local car boot fair.  In their words, “You can sell literally anything using Facebook Sell / Swap”!

I hope you find this to be a useful service.

Have a great week.

Richard

P.S.  If you are a member of my website www.theProfitBox.co.uk keep an eye open for a new great little ‘business in a box’ blueprint, due to be published this Thursday 18th September.  It’s a real cracker of an idea that’s easy and enjoyable to operate.  I’ve tested it thoroughly, and the feedback has been so good that I plan to add it as one of my own regular business income streams.