Facebook creeps can now track women on Marketplace in a terrifying new trend that has left many afraid to advertise their beloved goods online.
The trend follows Marketplace’s disturbing “dating tactics,” in which men used the popular buyer/seller platform to “pick up” young women or ask for photos of them, with many admitting it helps them fulfill niche fantasies.
There is a wave of women complaining about unwanted attention from men on the platform. The most common problem is the request to send photos of them wearing the items for sale.
Other women have been offered extra money for items if they “smell a certain way” or have asked men if they sell lingerie once they arrive at the designated location to buy something unrelated.
But the new trend of men “following” women on Marketplace and being notified every time they post is even more disturbing to some.
A woman found a list of men following her listings on the Marketplace. They are notified every time she posts something for sale
This is especially the case for women who only sell clothes on the platform, something that the men who follow them would not be interested in.
Users can choose not to allow people to track their activity on Marketplace, but this will be enabled automatically.
One woman expressed concern about the follower feature when she realized that half a dozen men had signed up for notifications about her store.
The woman was selling bodysuits and found the ‘mostly married’ men lurking on her profile after someone asked to ‘see the outfit in action’.
She replied with a laughing emoji and said no, but the man didn’t seem to get the hint.
‘Can pay for a photo if it’s not too much. If you’re open to it,” he said.
Another man replied to a post for a leather strapless top.
He tried to start a conversation about how she had too many clothes, and how it was easy with so many good brands. She gave short, terse answers, but he continued:
‘Do you have any favorites?
“Anything that looks good, huh?
‘Do you like tops, dresses or sets?’
Cheyenne Skye, from Melbourne, posted a pair of black Doc Martins on the platform, hoping to score $200 for a nose job
People were shocked by the messages the young woman received – especially from the man who wanted to see her in the bodysuits.
“Not to mention that most of the men who message have wives/girlfriends/kids. It actually surprises me,” she said.
Most agreed that it was “gross” to have so many men sitting at home in the “creeping Marketplace.”
“It’s their fetish, they like to talk about it and ask for pictures, and that’s okay,” one woman said.
“They’re laughing while they’re talking to you. I wouldn’t even answer unless you got paid.’
Others shared their own experiences on Marktplaats.
“My partner listed his car on Marktplaats and he got a man’s message saying, ‘Your car looks like a condom, I like that, I saved it just for me and me, nice condom,'” one woman said.
“I was selling clothes to this guy and when he picked them up he asked if I had any lingerie to sell,” one woman said.
“I was trying to sell my formal dress and someone asked me if I came with the dress,” said another.
And it’s not just men who encounter DMs from women on the virtual retail space.
“I put on a lace bodysuit and too many guys asked for a photo of me wearing it!” And then a woman asked questions and then sent me a picture of her vagina, saying bodysuits usually give her a rash,” one woman complained.
A handful admitted to accepting cash for photos, while some had even made a habit of selling cheap clothes to desperate men for money.
‘My friend had such a message about a dress. She said yes just as a joke and he ended up paying her $1,000 for just pictures of her wearing clothes (PG content) and she didn’t even show her face,” said another.
“Some weird guy paid me $200 for an old pair of leather boots that I posted and had never worn, but I don’t think he knew that,” said another.
“I buy cheap shoes from Kmart and sell them to boys – I have to run around these streets,” a third added.
Other women said the stories made them never want to use Marketplace, while others urged people to take a screenshot of the offensive messages and send them to the user’s wife or girlfriend.
This isn’t the first time women have had a hard time on Marketplace. Many previously told FEMAIL they felt men were using it as they would on OnlyFans or a dating app.
Cheyenne Skye, from Melbourne posted a pair of black Doc Martins on the platform in hopes of scoring $200 for a nose job.
Instead, she was given the chance to “earn” $200 without parting with the shoes.
“It turns out you can sell your shoes on Marktplaats without actually selling them and still make money,” she said on TikTok.
‘This person messaged me and said, “Hey, this might sound a little weird, but if I paid you $50 on the spot, could you meet me at a park or something and let me lick the soles of the boots?” ?Completely strange, but I will do it if you really pay for it,” she said.
When she didn’t respond, he upped the offer to $100.
And he wasn’t the only one who liked to lick the shoes.
The woman (left) was selling the jeans she bought less than a year ago. At that point, she wasn’t sure if the man was wasting her time or not, but he kept messaging her asking when the jeans could be shipped or picked up.
“Exhibit two: ‘It may be a little strange, but can I lick your boots while you wear them?'” she said.
She added that one of the men asked her to dirty the shoes and offered to pay her more per lick.
She thought it was hilarious when she cleaned them before posting them online.
She then asked if she should consider the lucrative offers and people appeared on board and urged her to “do it, but be safe.”
The woman assumed the man was buying the jeans for his girlfriend or to take apart, but something didn’t seem quite right. The man felt uncomfortable and offered an explanation, as long as there was “no judgment” on her behalf
The woman said she was curious why he was so interested in the zippers, but she didn’t want to be rude and ask. In response, the man said, “I love YKK zippers on women’s jeans so much. I hope it’s okay’ (photo: message from the man)
“$50??!! At least $200 for the traumatic experience,” one woman wrote.
Another young woman, 26, received a message from a man about his zipper fetish.
The Sydney woman was selling a pair of Abrand wide leg jeans that no longer fit and was curious as to why a man would be interested in buying a pair of women’s pants.
Alarm bells went off when the man asked about the zipper on the jeans and offered to pay more money.
He also asked if she was interested in selling more old jeans with the same zipper for “a high price.”
‘Can you send me a photo of the zipper if possible? I’m happy to pay what you want if you want more for it,” the man wrote with two smiley face emojis, later adding, “The metal zipper itself has letters stamped on it.”
The zipper was marked with the letters ‘YKK’ on the metal – the most common type of zipper used worldwide.
A young woman felt very confused after receiving messages from men on the Facebook marketplace where she was trying to sell bodysuits
Another man tried desperately to keep a conversation going
The woman assumed the man was buying the jeans for his girlfriend or to take apart, but something didn’t seem quite right.
At that point, she wasn’t sure if the man was wasting her time or not, but he kept messaging her asking when the jeans could be shipped or picked up.
The man felt uncomfortable and offered an explanation, as long as there was “no judgment” on her behalf.
“I’m assuming you’re curious about the reason for the zipper, I hope there’s no judgment,” the man wrote.
The woman was curious, but “didn’t want to be rude and ask” because it was “none of her business.”
In response, the man said, “I love YKK zippers on women’s jeans so much. I hope that’s okay.’