How to message sellers so they pick you (and stay safe)

On a real deal, the seller gets twenty messages. One of them gets the item. The difference is almost never price. It's who sounded easiest to deal with, fastest.

What sellers actually want

Someone who shows up, pays what they said, and doesn't waste their evening. Every message you send should make it obvious you're that person. Sellers skip messages that are vague, that haggle before seeing the item, or that ask questions already answered in the listing.

The message that wins

Three parts: confirm you want it, say what you'll pay, propose a time. Under 25 words.

Compare that with “Is this available?” The second one is the default button Facebook offers, which means half the inbox looks exactly like it. SnagSonar's one-tap templates send the first kind: “Is it available?”, a smart offer based on the typical price, or “I'll take it” with a pickup line, with the item name filled in.

When to make an offer

If the listing is already well under typical price, don't lowball; you'll just lose it to someone who didn't. Offer below asking when the price is fair rather than cheap, when the item has been listed a while, or when the listing says “OBO.” Make the offer specific and give a reason that isn't an insult: “Would you take $400? Similar ones nearby have been going for about $450 and I can come get it today.”

Keep the conversation moving

• Ask one or two real questions: exact model, does it power on, any issues. Not ten.
• Confirm the meeting place and time in one message, then stop messaging.
• If they go quiet for an hour, send one friendly follow-up. Then move on.
• Show up on time. If you're running late, say so early.

Stay safe

• Meet in public, in daylight, when you can. Many police stations have marked “safe exchange” spots. For large items you have to pick up at a home, bring someone with you.
• Never send a deposit or “hold” payment. This is the most common Marketplace scam. Real sellers don't need one.
• Don't share codes or click links. A “verification code” request is always a scam.
• Test before you pay. Power it on, check the serial on a phone, plug in the drive. Bring what you need.
• Pay in a way you can't reverse only when you've got the item in hand: cash, or an in-person payment app transfer after testing.
• Trust the feeling. If the price, the story and the photos don't add up, it isn't worth finding out why.

Be the buyer sellers remember

Pay what you said, don't renegotiate at the door over nothing, and say thanks. Flipping is local and small. Sellers list again, and some of the best deals come from people who message you first next time.