Trade Me vs Facebook Marketplace: Where Should New Zealand Sellers List?
How payment, fees, buyer protection and consumer law differ, which items suit each, and how to list on both with FLUF.
- Trade Me handles payment for you. Buyers pay through Ping or Afterpay, and bank transfers are gone.
- Facebook Marketplace leaves the deal to you and the buyer, which is quick for local pickups and riskier for anything you post.
- Trade Me no longer charges casual sellers a success fee. Sellers who are in trade still pay one, by category.
- FLUF can publish to both. It ends the Facebook listing when you mark an item sold, but Trade Me listings you withdraw yourself.
The short answer for Kiwi sellers
Use Facebook Marketplace for bulky things people collect: furniture, whiteware, garden gear, kids’ bikes. The buyer turns up, looks, pays and leaves. Use Trade Me for anything you want to post, anything worth more than you would hand over on a doorstep, and anything that benefits from an auction. Most sellers who clear a lot of stock end up using both.
How you get paid
This is the biggest difference. Trade Me removed bank transfer as a payment option, so buyers now pay through Ping, Trade Me’s own payment service, or Afterpay, and cash is still fine on pickup. Payments through Ping come with Trade Me’s buyer protection, and you book courier pickup inside Trade Me with Book a Courier. The buyer pays a small service fee on some purchases.
On Facebook Marketplace, you and the buyer agree price, pickup and payment in Messenger. That is quick and free of paperwork. It also means you carry the risk of fake payment screenshots and buyers who vanish. Meta’s own safety advice is to check your account to confirm a payment has arrived, even if the buyer sends a screenshot, and never to share card or banking details.
What each costs you
For a household clearing out, Trade Me is now close to free. Trade Me said goodbye to success fees for casual selling in 2026, and listing a general item costs nothing unless you pay for extras such as a bold title or a featured spot.
If you sell regularly, buy to resell, or make things to sell, you are probably in trade. In-trade sellers still pay a success fee that varies by category, so check the rate for what you sell before you choose where to list.
Being in trade changes the rules on both
New Zealand consumer law draws its line at the seller, not the website. The Consumer Protection guidance says private sales, including those on Trade Me or Facebook, are not covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act or the Fair Trading Act. Sales by a business are. So a reseller who treats Facebook Marketplace as an informal channel owes buyers the same guarantees there as on Trade Me, and should say they are in trade on both.
Who you reach
Trade Me is New Zealand’s own marketplace, and buyers search it on purpose, often by exact model or brand. Items can sell to anyone in the country because shipping is built in. Facebook Marketplace shows listings to people browsing near you, often without a search in mind. That is ideal for impulse buys and big items, and weak for niche things that need the right buyer, who may be in another city.
Using both with FLUF
| Trade Me | Facebook Marketplace | |
|---|---|---|
| How you connect | FLUF browser extension | FLUF browser extension or mobile app |
| Publish listings from FLUF | Yes | Yes |
| FLUF sees a sale here | No, mark it sold in FLUF | No, mark it sold in FLUF |
| FLUF ends the listing here when it sells elsewhere | No, withdraw it on Trade Me yourself | Yes |
| Relisting and offers | No | No |
Neither site tells FLUF about a sale, so marking items sold is your job. When something sells on Trade Me, mark it sold in FLUF and the Facebook listing comes down. When a Facebook buyer collects, mark it sold in FLUF and then withdraw the Trade Me listing yourself, because FLUF cannot end Trade Me listings. The saving is in listing: write the item once in FLUF and publish it to both.
Which to choose
Pick Facebook Marketplace if you sell big, local, cash-on-collection items and are comfortable screening buyers. Pick Trade Me if you post items, sell anything valuable, or want payment and protection handled for you. If you have a mix, list both and let each site do the job it is good at.
What FLUF costs
Crosslisting and inventory sync are on every plan. Start with 7 days for £1, then from £9/month, then plans from £9/month.
| Plan | Monthly | Crosslisted products |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | £9/month | Unlimited |
| Pro | £29/month | Unlimited |
| Priority | Custom pricing — tell us what you need | Unlimited |
Sources
- Trade Me: success fees removed for casual selling
- Trade Me: Marketplace fees
- Meta: Marketplace safety
- Consumer Protection NZ: private sales and second-hand goods
Sources checked September 2026.
Related guides
Frequently Asked Questions
For casual sellers, mostly. Trade Me removed success fees for casual selling in 2026, and basic listings are free. Sellers who are in trade still pay a success fee by category.
With Ping, Trade Me's own payment service, or with Afterpay. Cash still works when the buyer collects, but bank transfer is no longer offered.
It can be, if you take care. Meta advises checking your own account to confirm a payment has arrived rather than trusting a screenshot, and never sharing card or banking details.
Only if you are in trade. Private sales on Trade Me or Facebook are not covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act or the Fair Trading Act, but sales by a business are, on either site.
Usually Facebook Marketplace, because buyers nearby see it and collect in person. Trade Me works well for furniture too if you offer courier delivery or pickup.
Yes. FLUF publishes the same item to both. Neither site reports sales to FLUF, so mark items sold in FLUF; it then ends the Facebook listing, and you withdraw the Trade Me listing yourself.
Trade Me connects through the FLUF browser extension. Facebook Marketplace connects through the browser extension or the FLUF mobile app.
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