Facebook Marketplace Bans Dealer Used Car Listings

Estimated read time 2 min read

But it doesn’t really change anything, for now.

A report from Automotive News recently digs into what we heard was in the works: Meta no longer allows dealerships to list used cars for sale through Facebook Marketplace. That might sound weird and to be honest, it is a weird move. But behind it is yet another moneymaking scheme from Meta, which is struggling with relevance now that TikTok is the cool kid on the social media block.

See how someone dropped an oven on a Ferrari here.

We guess dealerships could try selling used cars through TikTok – maybe some already do, but we wouldn’t know since we’re not on there. But we do comb through Facebook Marketplace and other online car listing sites constantly, so we’ve seen the impact this policy has had on dealers.

There are still plenty of used vehicles on Facebook Marketplace which are obviously dealer owned. There’s even a “dealership” option under the “owner” filter still, but we don’t know how much longer that will exist.

While the listings aren’t quite as overt as before and they’re all done through a personal Facebook account, you can still see the signs that you’re not looking at a private party sale even if you don’t filter the results.

According to Automotive News, this policy shift seems to be a move to get dealerships to take out paid advertisements on Facebook. That could be. We know Meta has been pushing hard to get businesses to pay to reach even their own followers on the social media platform, something that can be done for nothing on alternatives like Twitter.

But it seems for now dealers have a workaround and from what we see, they’re using it often and quite effectively. However, Meta might decide to close the “loophole” and force dealers to get craftier. We think ultimately car shoppers will suffer. After all, if you think you’re looking at a private party listing, then when you go to look at the vehicle you arrive and realize it’s at a dealership, you’re going to feel uneasy, or maybe even conclude the whole thing’s a scam. We, like a lot of people, like transparency in car listings, including who’s selling it and why.

Images via Facebook

Steven Symes https://writerstevensymes.com/

Steven Symes is an accomplished automotive journalist with a passion for all things related to cars. His extensive knowledge and love for the automotive world shine through in his writing, which covers a diverse range of topics.

You May Also Like

More From Author

1 Comment

Add yours
  1. 1
    The Auto Wire

    […] men have been indicted for allegedly stealing 86 cars from 26 dealerships across the northeastern Ohio. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley told local media […]

Comments are closed.