8 Things You Should Not Buy From Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace pretty much replaces all other websites and apps designed for garage sellers. You can sell pretty much anything to anyone. It's not as secure as other sites, but it is far more convenient. Facebook's lackluster privacy settings makes people less likely to scam someone since buyers are granted access to their photos and check-in locations. There are a variety of sellers on Facebook Marketplace. You can find former Etsy sellers like myself due to their unreasonable fees, EBay sellers and other online sellers looking for a streamlined selling platform. You can find local businesses seeking to reach out to a larger consumer base. You can also find a fellow college student just trying to get rid of that $80 biology textbook that the professor never used. With so many things to buy with just a few swipes, you are bound to come across some things you shouldn't.

Make-up

Sealed or unsealed, new or used once. Never buy make-up from Facebook Marketplace. YouTube is the short answer as to why. Do a simple search and you will find ways to "disinfect" or refill make-up containers. There are also videos on how to reseal said make-up so that one can return it to the store without a hassle. This information is available to everyone who searches, including Facebook Marketplace sellers. The potential for contracting E.Coli and herpes is astronomical. There also is no guarantee that the product they claim is actually what's in the container. That NARS palette may be a knockoff refill in a NARS package. The fact that sellers can deceive you also means they too can be deceived. They'll have a friend who works at the drugstore or mall that gets them the inventory under the assumption that it's legitimate, but in reality, that unopened bottle of foundation was refilled and resealed by a customer who watched a YouTube video.

Hair Products

The same precautions listed for buying makeup should be heeded for hair care products. Also, people can be evil. The number of posts circulating from people claiming to put Nair or bodily fluids in these products is terrifying.

Home Cooked Foods

There are no checks or balances in place to prevent contamination or infections. We've all heard the saying "you can't eat everybody's cooking". There's a reason for that. Take the video where a group of white women and one black woman are discussing a new food product. The product boasts that you can dump the raw meat directly into the pan from the package into the pan without touching it. The women are all excited except for the black woman. She asks, "Am I the only one who washes their meat?" Many people understood her disgust and many had never heard of washing the meat before cooking it prior to seeing that video. There is also a video circulating of a woman washing collard greens with bleach, soap, salt, and water. That's death by collard greens. There is a more recent one where a man washes his chicken with soap while preparing to fry it. These hilarious mishaps are taking place in the same kitchens as the ones where the food you're purchasing on Facebook Marketplace is prepared. I don't even want to think about the variations of what is considered to be clean and sanitary compared to what actually is.

Pet products

This one is less of an "ick" factor and is more about animal abilities. Dogs have a keen sense of smell. They also are territorial. Purchasing a kennel, carrier, or other product that another dog has spent a considerable amount of time in may be a waste of money. Dogs don't like to use doghouses, kennels or even dog beds if another dog's scent is still there. Sometimes no matter how well you clean it, they won't use what you purchased because they've already smelled the other dog. Their memories take over and remind them that there was another dog's scent there before. In some cases, the dog may mark the product or the area where you've placed it with urine. That's a whole other problem.

Undergarments

You're probably thinking that no one would buy underwear online. The fact that there are hundreds of listings selling them proves otherwise. You don't usually see listings for panties or boxers unless they're in original packaging. Still, you can't trust that. Usually what you see are bodyshapers, swimsuits and bras. Women falsely believe that these items are more sanitary. There is a reason thrift stores don't carry these clothing items. One reason is that they're unsanitary and another is that they expire. Bras, shape wear and swimsuits lose their support as the materials breakdown over time. Bras and shape wear should be replaced every 3-6 months. There's no way to know how long a bra was worn before it was sold online. Those pristine tags are no indicator if age either as anyone can obtain a tag gun on EBay.

Skincare products

Perfumes are usually expired, refilled bottles. This includes body sprays and perfume rollers. You don't get the real fragrance and if you do, it's less than what you're paying or, even at a discount. Creams and lotions have the same problem. You're paying for Gold Bond Rough and Bumpy skin cream but you're receiving regular Jergens body lotion.

Hygiene products

Imagine buying a bottle of Vagisil feminine wash and winding up with an unidentifiable infection. Or brushing your teeth and tasting something "not right" with the toothpaste or mouthwash. The only safe hygiene products are pads and tampons because they are each individually wrapped. But even then, I'm sure there's a way to tamper with them.

Baby food and care products

The same way a mason jar is sealed at home, a jar of baby food can be resealed. Cans of dry formula are easy to tamper with, as are diapers, body washes, shampoos etc. Better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your baby.

Limit your Facebook Marketplace purchases to furniture, services, crafts, upcycles, toys etc. Stay away from anything ingestible, applied to the skin, or worn over the genitals or in the mouth. The possible negative outcomes ware not worth the savings.