How to Find Underpriced Items on Facebook Marketplace

Finding underpriced items on Facebook Marketplace is a skill that separates successful resellers from those who struggle to find profitable inventory. While everyone can browse Marketplace, knowing where to look, when to look, and what signals indicate a great deal gives you a significant competitive advantage.

This guide reveals the exact strategies professional resellers use to consistently find underpriced items before the competition.

Understanding What "Underpriced" Actually Means

Before diving into search strategies, you need to know what constitutes a genuinely underpriced item versus a scam or broken product.

An underpriced item is one where the asking price is significantly below market value (typically 40-60% below eBay sold listings) AND the item is in the described condition. The key is verifying both price and condition.

Many items appear underpriced but are actually:

• Broken or non-functional
• Missing critical parts or accessories
• Counterfeit or replica
• Stolen goods
• Mislabeled or misidentified

Your job is to find legitimately underpriced items from motivated sellers who simply don't know the market value or need to sell quickly.

Timing Strategy: When to Search

Timing dramatically impacts what deals you find and whether you're competing with dozens of other resellers.

Early Morning (6-8am)

Many people list items before work. Checking Marketplace during this window means you see these listings before most resellers wake up. Set your alarm 30 minutes earlier and browse over coffee.

This is especially effective on weekends when people list items Saturday and Sunday mornings before garage sales or as they're cleaning.

Late Evening (9-11pm)

The second prime window is late evening. People list items after work and dinner when they finally have time. Competition is lower because many resellers have stopped working for the day.

During Business Hours (Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-2pm)

While this seems counterintuitive, many stay-at-home parents and retirees list items during weekday mornings. Professional resellers often focus on evenings and weekends, leaving weekday daytime with less competition.

Avoid High-Competition Times

Sunday afternoons and weekday evenings (5-8pm) have the most people browsing, including resellers. Deals get snapped up quickly during these times.

Search Strategy: Finding Hidden Deals

Most resellers search for specific brands and items. Using alternative search strategies helps you find deals others miss.

Broad Category Searches

Instead of searching "KitchenAid mixer," search "mixer" or "kitchen appliances." You'll find more results, including items where sellers didn't mention the brand in the title.

Yes, you'll scroll through more listings, but you'll also find deals that others miss because they're not showing up in brand-specific searches.

Misspelling Strategy

Sellers frequently misspell brand names, which means their listings don't show up in normal searches. Search for common misspellings:

• "Kitchenaid" (missing space or capital A)
• "Dewalt" vs "DeWalt"
• "Playstation" vs "PlayStation"
• "Dyson" vs "Dysn" or "Dysen"
• "Canon" vs "Cannon"
• "Nintendo" vs "Nitendo" or "Nintindo"

Items with misspelled titles get far fewer views, so sellers often accept lower offers just to get them sold.

Vague Description Searches

Look for listings with minimal or vague descriptions:

• "Old game console" instead of "PlayStation 4"
• "Kitchen thing" instead of "Instant Pot"
• "Vacuum" instead of "Dyson V11"

Sellers who don't know what they have often don't know what it's worth.

Use the "Just Listed" Filter

Facebook Marketplace has a "just listed" filter that shows the newest items. Check this filter 3-4 times daily to catch new listings before other resellers.

Combine this with saved searches. Save searches for categories you're interested in, then quickly scan the "just listed" results for each saved search multiple times daily.

Check Multiple Locations

Expand your search radius beyond your immediate area. While you'll drive further for pickups, you also compete with fewer local resellers.

Many resellers stick to a 10-15 mile radius. Expanding to 30-40 miles opens up listings in smaller towns or suburbs where there's less reseller competition.

Keyword Indicators of Motivated Sellers

Certain keywords and phrases signal that a seller is motivated to move items quickly, often at below-market prices.

Urgency Keywords

• "Moving sale" - Seller is relocating and can't take items
• "Must sell today" - Immediate need for cash or space
• "Need gone ASAP" - Motivated to accept reasonable offers
• "Priced to sell" - Already priced below market
• "OBO" (or best offer) - Open to negotiation
• "Make an offer" - Will likely accept less than asking

Life Event Keywords

• "Estate sale" - Family selling deceased relative's belongings, often don't know values
• "Downsizing" - Usually older adults moving to smaller homes
• "Divorce sale" - Motivated to liquidate shared items quickly
• "Foreclosure" - Need to sell everything fast
• "Baby on the way" - Making space urgently

Condition Uncertainty Keywords

• "Not sure if working" - Often works fine, seller just doesn't know how to test
• "As-is" - Sometimes just means seller is lazy, item is fine
• "Don't know much about it" - Seller lacks knowledge = often underpriced
• "Belonged to my dad/husband/etc." - Inherited items, unsure of value

These keywords don't guarantee deals, but they're strong indicators worth investigating.

Category-Specific Search Tactics

Different product categories require different search approaches.

Electronics

Search for:

• Older model numbers (people don't realize older tech still has value)
• "Broken" electronics (some are easy fixes or work fine for parts)
• Bundle listings where valuable items are buried with junk
• "Old" + electronics terms (vintage electronics often valuable)

Home Goods

Look for:

• Appliance brands without the brand in title ("stand mixer" vs "KitchenAid")
• "Wedding gifts never used" (usually pristine condition, underpriced)
• Complete sets where seller prices like individual items

Tools

Search:

• Tool bundles (sellers often price bundles way below sum of parts)
• "Grandpa's tools" or "garage cleanout" (heirs don't know tool values)
• "Needs battery" (just needs a cheap battery, otherwise fine)

Collectibles and Vintage

Try:

• "Old toys" instead of specific brands
• "Cleaning out attic/basement"
• "Not sure what this is"
• "Vintage" + category (books, games, records)

Visual Scanning: Quick Evaluation Techniques

When browsing through hundreds of listings, develop quick visual evaluation skills.

Photo Quality Indicators

Poor quality photos often indicate sellers who:

• Don't know what they have
• Aren't targeting resellers (who want perfect photos)
• Haven't invested much effort (might be underpriced)

Ironically, terrible photos can signal deals because other buyers skip past them.

Multiple Items in One Photo

Listings showing multiple items in one photo are often lot sales. Sometimes the valuable item is buried in a photo with junk, and the price reflects the junk value, not the valuable item.

Background Clues

Look at photo backgrounds for context:

• Garage/basement = cleanout, might be priced to move
• Upscale home = quality items, but seller might not need money
• Storage unit = must sell to avoid ongoing fees
• Cluttered spaces = overwhelmed seller, motivated to declutter

Notification Strategy

Set up notifications so you're alerted immediately when good deals appear.

Facebook Marketplace Notifications

Save searches for specific categories or keywords, then enable notifications. Facebook will alert you when new items matching your search are posted.

The downside is you'll get many notifications, so save searches only for your best categories.

Third-Party Alert Tools

Some browser extensions and apps monitor Marketplace and send notifications when specific items are listed. While these help, be aware that other resellers use the same tools, so competition for obvious deals remains high.

Time-Based Checking

If notifications feel overwhelming, simply check Marketplace at the same times each day:

• 7am (before work)
• Noon (lunch break)
• 6pm (after work)
• 10pm (before bed)

This routine catches most new listings while avoiding notification fatigue.

Verification: Confirming Items Are Actually Underpriced

Once you spot a potentially underpriced item, verify it's actually a deal before contacting the seller.

Check eBay Sold Listings

Search for the exact item on eBay and filter by "sold listings." Look at the last 10-20 sales to get an average price. Pay attention to:

• Condition (excellent vs good vs fair)
• Completeness (all accessories vs missing items)
• Seasonal trends (some items sell higher certain times of year)

Calculate True Profit

Use the profit formula: (eBay Sale Price × 0.84) - Purchase Price - Shipping - Packaging

Make sure there's still at least $20-30 profit after all costs. An item priced 50% below eBay value might sound great until you realize shipping eats most of the profit.

Verify Authenticity

For branded items, especially designer goods or electronics, research how to spot fakes:

• Check serial number formats
• Look for quality of construction
• Verify packaging matches authentic items
• Search for common replica indicators

When in doubt, ask for additional photos of specific areas (serial numbers, logos, quality details).

Quick Decision Framework

When you find a potential deal, use this 60-second decision framework:

1. Check eBay sold prices (20 seconds with FlipChecker)
2. Calculate rough profit (15 seconds mental math)
3. Scan listing for red flags (15 seconds)
4. Review seller profile (10 seconds - established account?)

If it passes all four checks, message the seller immediately. In competitive markets, waiting an hour often means losing the deal.

Response Strategy: Being First to Secure Items

Finding underpriced items doesn't matter if you can't secure them. Response speed is critical.

Message Templates

Have pre-written templates ready to send immediately:

"Hi! Is the [item] still available? I can pick up today. Would [offer] work? Thanks!"

This message:

• Asks availability (required)
• Shows you're serious (can pick up today)
• Makes an offer if appropriate
• Is polite and brief

Be Ready to Move Fast

When you message about an item, be genuinely ready to pick up soon. Sellers appreciate buyers who actually follow through. If you say "I can pick up today," be prepared to actually do it.

Offer Immediately

For items with "OBO" or appearing motivated, make a reasonable offer with your first message. Don't lowball (offering 50% of asking price), but offering 70-80% of asking price shows you're serious while potentially saving money.

Using Technology to Find Deals Faster

Manual searching works, but technology accelerates the process significantly.

FlipChecker for Instant Price Verification

Instead of finding an item, opening eBay in another tab, searching, filtering sold listings, and calculating profit, FlipChecker shows eBay sold prices directly on Facebook Marketplace listings.

This turns a 3-5 minute verification process into a 5-second glance. When you're evaluating 20-30 items daily, this saves hours and helps you spot deals before other resellers who are still doing manual research.

Saved Search Collections

Create saved searches for:

• Your best product categories
• Specific brands you understand well
• Price ranges you're targeting
• Keywords indicating motivated sellers

Check each saved search daily using the "just listed" filter.

Building Competitive Advantages

As more people learn about Facebook Marketplace flipping, competition increases. Build advantages that others can't easily copy:

Deep Category Knowledge

Specialize in 2-3 categories where you develop expertise. When you deeply understand vintage video games or power tools, you spot deals that generalist resellers miss.

Seller Relationships

When you buy from a seller, be professional, prompt, and pleasant. Some sellers will contact you directly when they have new items, giving you first pick before listing publicly.

Speed and Systems

The faster you can evaluate, respond, and pick up items, the more deals you secure. Build systems and use tools (like FlipChecker) that increase your speed.

Contrarian Sourcing

When everyone focuses on electronics, focus on home goods. When everyone searches brand names, search generic terms. Going where others aren't reduces competition.

Red Flags That Override "Good Deals"

Some deals that look amazing on paper should be avoided:

Too Good to Be True Pricing

An item priced at 20-30% of market value is suspicious. There's usually a reason: broken, fake, stolen, or scam.

Seller Won't Meet in Public

Legitimate sellers have no problem meeting at a police station, public parking lot, or busy coffee shop. Sellers insisting on home addresses or secluded locations are potential safety risks.

Pressure to Pay Deposits

Scammers ask for deposits or partial payment via Venmo/CashApp to "hold" items. Never pay before seeing the item in person.

Listings with Stock Photos

Sellers using manufacturer photos instead of actual photos of their item might not actually have it. Always request real photos.

Ready to find underpriced items faster and with more confidence? Sign up for FlipChecker free to see eBay sold prices instantly while browsing Facebook Marketplace. The free tier gives you 10 lookups per day with no credit card required. Stop wasting time on manual price checks and start securing deals before other resellers.

For more strategies on evaluating deals once you find them, check out our guide on checking if Facebook Marketplace deals are worth buying. Want to focus on a specific category? Read our deep-dive on flipping electronics from Facebook Marketplace to eBay, or learn about the best items to flip in 2026.