Is selling in a Facebook group the same as Marketplace?

Does a group post have checkout?

No. Facebook’s UK help page says: Purchase Protection isn't available in your location right now.

A post in a buy-and-sell group, paid by bank transfer in the comments, is not a checkout on Facebook. Read the Facebook Marketplace comparison and do marketplaces protect sellers.

What can the group admins do?

They can publish their own rules, remove a post, or remove a member. Read the rules in that group before you post. Those rules are not a refund, and they are not a payment service.

Do not assume an admin can reverse a bank transfer. If the thread is about a pram, use selling a pram in a Facebook mum group.

Facebook’s UK help page, “How Purchase Protection works on Facebook Marketplace”, says: Purchase Protection isn't available in your location right now. Source

How should I take payment in a group?

Agree the item and the price, then meet and look before money moves. A comment is not someone holding my money for you until collection.

Which? reported identical clear-out posts in local groups that asked for a deposit. Pay.UK says a Faster Payment cannot be cancelled once it has been sent. "Is this still available" is not proof the item exists. Read the wrong sofa on delivery and marketplace scams.

In February 2025 Which? reported ten identical posts, from different accounts, in local and community groups. Each offered a late parent’s vanity table as a family clear-out, priced between £65 and £85, and each linked to a Marketplace post. One buyer was told there was lots of interest, was asked for a deposit, and the item was not at the address. Which? says that if you lose money you should call your bank on the number on your card and report it to Action Fraud, or call 101 in Scotland. Source

Pay.UK says that once a Faster Payment has been sent it cannot be cancelled. Where money was sent by mistake, banks follow the Credit Payment Recovery process. Source

What if I want a checkout instead of a comment?

SilentSale® is a UK marketplace with an order, not a group thread. It is free to list. The buyer pays in the app, Stripe holds the funds until completion, and the buyer shares a 6-digit PIN only after inspecting. There is no dispute window after the PIN.

Both sides contribute £0.30 + 3% of the item price to SilentCover® (£0.60 each on a £10 item), a discretionary protection service. If you sell in groups often, check your own situation with HMRC. This is not personal tax advice.

SilentSale® Terms section 3.1.1: both the buyer and the seller contribute to SilentCover®. Section 3.2.2: it is free to list, and the seller’s contribution is taken only after a successful sale. Section 3.3: SilentCover® is described as a discretionary platform service. Buyer and seller each contribute £0.30 + 3% of the item price (£0.60 each on a £10 item); the app shows the amount in pounds. Source

SilentSale® Terms: payment is processed through Stripe when the buyer confirms checkout (section 10A.2.1). Stripe holds the funds until the item is delivered or collected (section 10A.2.2). SilentSale® does not directly hold the funds (section 4.1.4). Funds are not released to the seller until pickup is completed (section 10A.2.4). After checkout the buyer is issued a 6-digit PIN (section 7.5.2). The buyer must inspect the item before handing that PIN to the seller (section 7.5.3). The seller enters it in the app (section 7.5.4). Entering the PIN is acceptance, the order is then complete, and no dispute window applies (sections 7.5.5, 7.5.6, 15.2.3 and 10A.7.3). Source

GOV.UK says you are likely to be trading if you sell items on a regular basis, including online, at car boot sales or through classified adverts. If you only sell occasionally, check whether you need to tell HMRC. Contact HMRC if you are not sure whether you are trading. Source