Here’s Why Social Networking Platforms Are Better Than Dedicated Online Selling Portals

Social Networking platforms like Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and others have certainly helped the world get closer. But these portals are now increasingly expanding their scope to allow users to actually sell their pre-owned products online, while saving a lot too.

People are strongly urging others to just forget eBay, Gumtree, Amazon Marketplace, and other dedicated online selling portals that allow users to sell their used products. They are now turning to Facebook to sell cars, furniture, collector’s items. However, recently a couple sold a large house in Northampton, England. Not only did they had a great experience, the couple also managed to save a ton on middle-man fees.

Social portal Facebook has community-based “Pages” popping up. These hyper-local pages offer tons of information about local areas and communities. They are increasingly replacing the old noticeboards found in shops and supermarkets as a way to buy and sell items locally. Users have traditionally sold small items like second-hand clothes and children’s toys for quite some time, but recently users have started putting up bigger items like cars and houses “on the market” via Facebook.

The couple, John Hayes, 52, and his wife, Mandy, 50, managed to sell their five-bedroom, three-story house in the village for a hefty sum of £366,000 ($623,465). But what’s even better is the fact that they managed to completely cut-off the middle-man and saved a cool £8,800 ($15,000), reported the Telegraph. This sum would otherwise have had to be paid to estate agents for helping them put their house on the market and then assisting them to sell it.

Instead of putting up the house for sale via the traditional route or even the newer online dedicated platforms, John opted for social media. Interestingly, he didn’t need to be proactive too. They were members of their local Facebook page “Grange Park, Northampton,” which operates as an online message board for the community. One of the members asked if anyone was looking to sell a five-bedroom house in the area.

Mr. Hayes responded by putting up the information, which got a lot of responses. But what made the whole experience much better was the fact that many of the interested buyers resided nearby and were looking to “move up the ladder.” Mr. Hayes met many potential buyers and eventually managed to sell his house, all the while completely avoiding estate agents. An estate agent had initially quoted 2 percent plus VAT to sell the house. To sell the house, the couple would have had to fork out £8,784 ($14,963) to sell their house. Apparently lingering on social media portals does have its benefits

[Image Credit | Northern Pride, The Telegraph]