When buying or selling items on Facebook Marketplace, one of the key things buyers and sellers want to know is the reputation and trustworthiness of the other party. This is where buyer and seller ratings can come in very handy. So an important question is: can you see a buyer’s rating on Marketplace?
The short answer
The short answer is: no, there is currently no buyer rating or review system on Facebook Marketplace. While sellers can get reviews and ratings from buyers after transactions, buyers cannot view seller ratings or feedback profiles. So buyers have no easy way to assess the reputation or reliability of a Marketplace seller before purchasing.
Why there are no buyer ratings
There are a few potential reasons why Facebook has not implemented buyer ratings or feedback on Marketplace:
- Buyer anonymity – Facebook likely wants to maintain buyer privacy and anonymity. Requiring buyers to have public profiles in order to view ratings would go against this.
- Difficulty moderating – Facebook may feel it would be difficult to moderate fake or abusive buyer ratings/reviews at scale.
- Seller focus – The rating system is currently focused on giving sellers reputation credentials and proof of good performance.
- Avoid buyer discrimination – Ratings could potentially be used discriminatorily against certain buyers.
So in summary, the lack of buyer ratings helps maintain buyer privacy, reduces moderation headaches, and keeps the focus on seller reputation.
What buyer protections exist
While buyers can’t see seller ratings, there are some other buyer protections built into Facebook Marketplace:
- Reporting system – Buyers can report issues with sellers or transactions to Facebook.
- Purchase protection – Purchases done via checkout on Marketplace are eligible for purchase protection.
- Identity verification – Sellers may need to provide identity verification for certain high-value transactions.
- Payment methods – Using secure payment methods like credit cards or PayPal adds a layer of protection.
So Marketplace does try to create a safe buying environment, though buyer visibility into seller reputation is limited compared to platforms like eBay or Etsy.
How to vet sellers yourself
Since formal seller ratings are not available to buyers on Marketplace, you’ll need to vet sellers yourself if buying high-value or risky items. Here are some tips for researching seller reputation:
- Check their profile – Look for signs they are an established Facebook user with real connections.
- Ask questions – Engage in conversation and ask questions to gauge responsiveness and knowledge.
- Search name – Google their name or username to check for any red flags.
- Request video chat – This gives you a chance to verify identity and build trust.
- Request references – Ask if they can share contact info for previous satisfied buyers.
- Start small – Make a small test purchase first before spending more.
Taking these steps requires more work as a buyer, but can help screen sketchy sellers when rating data is unavailable.
Seller perspective on buyer ratings
While buyers would certainly appreciate the ability to view seller ratings, many sellers are also in favor of adding buyer ratings to Marketplace. Reasons sellers want buyer ratings include:
- Weed out bad buyers – Being able to avoid users with a history of difficult behavior.
- Reward good buyers – Identify thoughtful, courteous buyers to deal with again.
- Reduce risks – Cut down on non-payment, returns, and abuse risks by seeing buyer reputation.
- Drive engagement – Reward engaged buyers who proactively rate sellers.
However, Facebook will also need to consider concerns like rating manipulation by sellers and whether both new and established buyers could be treated unfairly by ratings.
Alternatives to Marketplace buyer ratings
For buyers who want the benefits of seeing seller ratings before purchasing, what are some alternative platforms that do offer this?
eBay
eBay has an extensive buyer and seller rating system. Sellers have star based ratings, percentage of positive ratings, and full review histories visible. Buyers also accumulate ratings over time.
Etsy
Etsy sellers have public reviews and star ratings from buyers. Buyers do not have a rating system, but must have an established Etsy account to make purchases.
Craigslist
Craigslist has no official rating system, but sellers can view how long a buyer has had an account and buyers can view post history when available.
Nextdoor
Nextdoor profiles show user join date and verifications like email and phone number for reputation clues. But no full rating system exists.
So platforms like eBay, Etsy, and Craigslist do give buyers more ability to view seller reputation before buying. Marketplace is more limited in this regard currently.
The future of Marketplace buyer ratings
While Facebook have not given any indication of adding buyer ratings at this time, the feature has been frequently requested by some users. There are valid arguments on both sides of the debate.
On one hand, buyer ratings would increase transparency and give sellers more confidence when dealing with unknown buyers. But on the other hand, it could open the door to discrimination or unfair ratings for certain demographics of buyers.
If Facebook did ever implement buyer ratings, finding the right balance would be crucial. The system would need to prevent abuse while still providing useful reputation signals. Overall buyer privacy and protection would need to remain priorities as well.
So while users shouldn’t expect to see buyer ratings on Marketplace any time soon, the door is still open for Facebook to revisit this decision down the road as the platform continues evolving.
Conclusion
Buyer ratings and reviews are not currently a feature on Facebook Marketplace. While this limits buyer visibility into seller reputation, Facebook likely has valid concerns about factors like privacy and moderation complexity. Buyers still have some protections through reporting and purchase protection. And diligent buyers can take steps like vetting profiles, asking questions, and starting with small purchases when dealing with unknown sellers. But with buyers and sellers both interested in reputation transparency, there’s a chance Facebook may reevaluate buyer ratings for Marketplace in the future.