Facebook Marketplace Is Not a Car Dealer
When you buy a car through Facebook Marketplace, you're buying privately. That means:
- No statutory warranty
- No cooling-off period
- No consumer protections under the Motor Dealers Act
- Facebook takes no responsibility for the transaction
You're on your own. So here's what to check before you even message the seller.
Check 1: The Seller's Profile
Before you look at the car, look at who's selling it.
- How old is the profile? Scammers create new profiles. If it was made in the last few weeks, be cautious.
- Do they have friends, posts, photos? A real person has years of activity. A scammer's profile is empty.
- Are they selling multiple cars? A private seller with 5 cars listed is probably an unlicensed dealer. That's illegal in Queensland and means you have fewer protections than you think.
- Where are they located? If the car is listed in Brisbane but the seller's profile says they're in another state, ask questions.
Check 2: The Listing Itself
Red flags in the ad:
- Price too good to be true — if a car is listed $3,000 below market value with no explanation, something is wrong
- Stock photos or professional photos — real private sellers take phone photos in their driveway, not studio shots
- Vague description — "runs great, must sell" with no details about service history, rego, or known issues
- "Interstate sale" or "can't meet in person" — classic scam setup. Always inspect in person.
- No rego number visible — if the plates are blurred or removed in photos, ask why
- Urgency language — "must sell today", "first to see will buy", "deposit to hold" before you've seen the car
Check 3: Vehicle History
Before you drive across town to see the car, run these checks:
- PPSR check ($2) — finance owing, stolen status, security interests
- Rego check (free) — verify it's currently registered in the seller's name
- Write-off register — has it been written off and repaired?
- Market value check (free) — RedBook or CarsGuide will give you a ballpark
If you want all of this in one go, services like Buying Buddy combine these checks into a single report.
Check 4: Common Facebook Marketplace Scams
The deposit scam
"Send a deposit to hold the car and I'll take the ad down." You send $500. The seller disappears. The ad was fake.
Rule: Never send money before you've seen the car in person and verified the seller's identity.
The interstate shipping scam
"I'm relocating for work, the car is being shipped, pay via bank transfer and it'll be delivered." The car doesn't exist.
Rule: If you can't see the car and meet the seller in person, don't buy it.
The curb-sider
This is an unlicensed dealer pretending to be a private seller. They buy cheap cars at auction, do minimal repairs, and sell them on Facebook at inflated prices. In Queensland, this is illegal — but it's common.
Signs: Multiple cars listed from the same profile, professional-looking photos, vague about the car's history, reluctant to let you do a PPI.
The finance trap
The seller still owes money on the car but sells it to you anyway. The finance company repossesses the car from you. You lose the car and your money.
Protection: Always run a PPSR check before paying. Run it again on the day of settlement.
Check 5: When You Go to See the Car
- Meet in a public place during daylight
- Bring someone with you
- Check the VIN matches the rego papers
- Ask to see the seller's driver's licence (name should match the rego)
- Don't bring cash to the first inspection — inspect first, pay later
- If anything feels off, leave
The Bottom Line
Facebook Marketplace is a great place to find used cars. But it's also a place where $93.5 million was lost to scams in 2023 (ACCC). The difference between a great deal and a disaster is 15 minutes of checking before you message the seller.
Check the seller. Check the listing. Check the car's history. If everything lines up, go see it. If anything doesn't, move on. There's always another car.