Before you rush to sign up for a Facebook store or jump to list on the Facebook Marketplace here’s some very disturbing details that are surfacing. MUST READ!:

1. FACEBOOK STORE MANDATORY RETURN POLICY: At first we thought this was a setting that we could adjust within the Facebook Store, but it appears this is no mistake; every seller is required to accept returns on pretty much everything for 45 - 60 DAYS or more. This means that even if your website or your listing states that the return policy is “3 days after delivery” or a super generous “14 days”, it doesn’t matter. Facebook will force you to accept a return a month or more later.  This is directly from Facebook.com Terms:

2. CHARGEBACKS ARE ENCOURAGED!!! Here’s an actual quote that will make you sick to your stomach:

“Even if the item you want to buy is second hand, you have the same rights as you do when buying new….If you bought something with a value between $100 and $30,000 using a credit card you can get your money back through your card company...Chargebacks let you ask your bank to reverse a transaction on your credit or debit card.”

3. BUYER (or scammer) IS ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS RIGHT: The buyer does not need to have any legitimate reason to return anything. They can process their return directly through Facebook. The seller is completely removed from the process.  Although FB does suggest the buyer attempt to work with the seller, there appears to be absolutely NO requirement because the Return Process is very simplistic for the buyer.  Here it is:

4. EVERYTHING IS ALL ABOUT “REPORTING SELLERS”:

• Buyers remorse? Just report the seller by clicking the report icon that is on every page.
• Don’t like the item? Report the seller!
• Problem with shipping? Report!
• Bought the wrong thing? Report! Report! Report!

But wait, it gets even crazier….

5. FACEBOOK ENCOURAGES BUYERS TO CONTACT POLICE TO REPORT BROKEN ITEMS: Seriously, WTF? No, I am NOT joking. I wish I was:

6. FACEBOOK REPORT(S) = PERMANENTLY SCRUBBED FROM THE PLATFORM.... FOREVER. One mistake or a report and you LOSE YOUR ACCOUNT. This doesn’t just mean you lose the ability to sell on FB, it means your entire PERSONAL account is gone forever. When you try to login to find out what exactly you did wrong you will get this message instead:

We removed or disabled access to your profile because content you posted on Facebook violated the Facebook Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.

This means a stupid or evil buyer or even an ex or a competitor can easily destroy your business in a couple clicks… and you have no way of actually speaking to anyone at FB to clear up the bogus reports. Don’t believe me? Read about our YouTube nightmare that is this exact issue. Even after hiring a lawyer and spending a fortune we got nowhere. Never even obtained an actual contact at YouTube that my lawyer could speak to.

7. FACEBOOK SELLER PAYMENTS REPORTED AS TAKING 21+ DAYS: We follow a lot of online sellers on Instagram and it seems that everyone is raging about FB taking damn-near a month to put the payment into their bank account.

8. ENDLESS REPORTS OF SELLERS HAVING THEIR TIME AND ENERGY WASTED: From buyers who insist on local pickup and never show to people who just want to chat and never actually planned to buy it in the first place; sellers are getting really upset. I believe these reports to be 100% true and here’s why:

eBay, Poshmark and Amazon have 1 purpose: You go to the site to buy stuff. Whereas Facebook is a “social network”, right? People use FB to socialize. Now throw some on-platform shopping into the mix and what do you end up with?: Bored people who want to socialize looking at products they never planned to buy. Make sense? 

9. SELLERS MUST LITERALLY RUSH TO "RESOLVE THE ISSUE":  Get this.... once the buyer complains, a seller has 24 HOURS to "make it right":

If you can't read the screenshot above it says, "The seller has 1 day (24 hours) to respond to you and attempt to resolve your issue."

10. ZERO "SELLER PROTECTION" BUT ENDLESS "PURCHASE PROTECTION".  We tried so hard to find "Sellers Rights", "Sellers Protection", etc and all we could locate was endless Facebook articles about BUYER Rights, Safety, Protections and Refunds.  Here's a very small example:

• Seller has 24 hours to respond AND fix the complaint
• How to Contact the Seller to Complain
• How to Contact Facebook to Complain about Seller
• How to Report the Seller
• How to Report Fraud / Unauthorized Charges
• How to Report the Seller to Police 
• How to File a Dispute
• How to Report Items in General
• How to Flag Listings
• Facebook Buyer "Rights"
• Buyer "Purchase Protection"
• How to Appeal a denied refund claim
• and more.  

11.  LET'S TIE THIS ALL TOGETHER AND PUT A BOW ON IT... If you make Facebook your basket and you put all your eggs in it, you are unknowingly giving FB 100% control over your company.  At any moment FB can rip money out of your bank for a return.  Any day FB can permanently delete you and your company with a single click.  You will forever be under the control of the Facebook "seller guidelines" which put the buyer and Facebook staff in the drivers seat of your future. Again, please read our YouTube story because it foreshadows what the future holds for you IF you decide to make a FREE platform a key essential of your business.  I cannot caution sellers enough to proceed with caution.  If you don't mind gambling with your facebook account and if you just plan to list a couple things; ok.  I would strongly advise against making FB your core selling platform.