AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
Facebook Marketplace lets you list items for free and talk to buyers through Messenger, but it does not hold or guarantee payment for most Nigerian sellers, so the safety of each sale rests on you. Confirm money has landed in your own bank app before handing anything over, meet in busy public places, and never act on a screenshot or an SMS alert alone.
How Marketplace works for a Nigerian seller
Marketplace is the buy-and-sell section inside the Facebook app. You post a listing with photos, a price, a category and a rough location, and people nearby can browse, save it and message you. Posting a listing from a personal profile does not ask you to pay, and when you collect payment yourself the money never passes through Facebook at all. In practice the deal, the payment and the handover all happen between you and the buyer, outside Facebook.
That has two consequences. First, Marketplace is a lead source, not a shop: it brings enquiries, and you still have to answer them quickly and close the sale. Second, there is no referee. If a buyer pays with a fake transfer or a seller ships to someone who never pays, there is no Facebook escrow to recover the money from. Treat every conversation as a stranger until the money is in your account.
Listing so that serious buyers find you
Buyers scroll fast and filter by distance, so the first photo and the first line do most of the work. A few habits help across categories, from phones and furniture to fashion and baby items.
- Photograph in daylight against a plain background. Show the item from several angles, any label or serial plate, and any scratch or fault. A hidden flaw found at handover kills the sale and wastes a trip.
- Put the real price in the price field. Listings marked ₦1 or ₦100 to attract clicks annoy buyers and can be reported. If you will negotiate, say "slightly negotiable".
- Write the essentials in the title: brand, model, size or capacity, condition. "Samsung A15 128GB, 6 months used, with box" beats "Clean phone for sale".
- Set the location accurately to the area you will meet in, such as a district or estate, not your street address.
- State terms in the description: pickup area, whether you deliver, and that payment must reflect before release.
Reply to enquiries within the hour where you can. Marketplace buyers often message several sellers of the same item, and the first clear answer usually wins.
Getting paid without being scammed
Most Marketplace losses in Nigeria come from payment tricks rather than violence. Learn the common patterns before your first sale.
| Trick | How it looks | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Fake transfer alert | An SMS or a screenshot showing a credit, sometimes with your correct account name | Open your own bank app and check the balance and the transaction history. Ignore SMS and screenshots. |
| Overpayment | Buyer "mistakenly" sends more and asks you to refund the difference | Refund nothing until the full amount shows in your app. Often the original transfer is fake or later reversed. |
| Courier pickup | Buyer is "out of town" and sends a rider to collect after showing proof of payment | Treat it like any other sale: no release until the money reflects in your app. |
| Pending transfer | "It is showing pending on my side, release the item" | Wait. A pending transfer is not money you have. |
| Card payment reversed | Buyer pays by card through a link, then disputes the charge | Keep delivery evidence and the buyer's messages; card payments can be disputed after the fact. |
A bank transfer to your own account is the most common way to be paid, and it is the easiest to confirm: either the money is in your balance or it is not. Since 1 January 2026, the ₦50 stamp duty on electronic transfers of ₦10,000 or more is charged to the sender, not the person receiving, according to Kuda's help centre and TechCabal's reporting on the Nigeria Tax Act 2025. So you should receive the full price you agreed.
If you would rather accept cards, a payment link from a gateway is an option. Paystack's published Nigerian rate for local card and USSD payments is 1.5% plus ₦100, capped at ₦2,000, with the ₦100 waived on payments under ₦2,500 (Paystack pricing page, as at October 2026). Card payments can be refunded or disputed later, so keep records of every handover.
Meeting buyers safely
Physical safety matters as much as payment. A few rules cover most situations.
- Meet in a busy public place with CCTV where possible: a mall forecourt, a bank's car park during opening hours, a filling station or a police station front desk if the item is valuable.
- Go in daylight and take someone with you. Tell a friend where you are going and who you are meeting.
- Never invite a stranger to your home or go into theirs for a high-value item such as a phone, laptop or generator.
- Bring the item already charged or working so the buyer can test it quickly and the meeting stays short.
- Let the buyer inspect, then let them transfer while you stand there, and check your own bank app before you hand over.
For phones and laptops, remove your accounts and factory reset in front of the buyer only after payment has landed, so a buyer cannot leave with an unlocked device and a fake receipt.
What to check first before you list
- Your Facebook profile looks real: a profile photo, some history and no recent name changes. Buyers check sellers too.
- The item is yours to sell, with a receipt or box if you have one. Buyers of phones in particular ask for proof of ownership.
- You know the lowest price you will take, so you are not talked down in the car park.
- You have a receipt you can send after the sale; it makes repeat buyers and referrals more likely.
If you sell often, you may find yourself running a small business. Our guides on checking payments as a vendor and proof of payment for online sellers go deeper on confirming money, and cash on delivery through logistics firms covers sending items to buyers in other cities.
Where Pryme fits
A Pryme Personal or Business Account gives you a clear transaction history to confirm a transfer has landed before you release an item, with sign-in protected by an authenticator app and a transaction PIN (security). Through Pryme's partnership with VerifyDoc.ai you can also send a buyer a verifiable receipt that anyone can check is genuine and unaltered (receipts).
Questions people ask
Is Facebook Marketplace free to use in Nigeria?
Posting a listing from a personal profile does not ask for payment, and when the buyer pays you directly the money does not pass through Facebook. Boosting a listing is a paid advert, billed separately.
How do I know a Facebook buyer has really paid?
Open your own bank app and check that the credit appears in your balance and transaction history. Do not rely on an SMS alert, a screenshot or a forwarded receipt.
Who pays the ₦50 transfer charge when a buyer pays me?
Since 1 January 2026 the ₦50 stamp duty on transfers of ₦10,000 or more is charged to the sender, so the buyer pays it and you receive the full amount.
Where is the safest place to meet a Marketplace buyer in Lagos or Abuja?
A busy public place in daylight, ideally with CCTV, such as a mall forecourt or a bank car park during opening hours. Take someone with you and avoid meeting at either person's home.
Sources
- Kuda Help: An important update about stamp duty · accessed Oct 2026
- TechCabal: Why your ₦50,000 transfer will cost ₦100 from 2026 (22 Dec 2025) · accessed Oct 2026
- Paystack: Pricing (Nigeria) · accessed Oct 2026
- Paystack Docs: Refunds · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.