Ok guys.
I love Facebook Marketplace.
Im chronically on facebook marketplace.
I love getting good deals on parts I otherwise wouldn't be able to afford.
I love being able to buy older things and make them new/ work again.
I love being able to sell things I no longer need to people who are genuinely excited to get them.
I love hearing, and sharing stories from facebook marketplace. It gives each component a cool story about how I had to drive to X to meet up with X, and "they had all this other cool stuff also" etc. Ive met alot of really cool, smart and entertaining people through marketplace meetups.
Anyways I wanted to do a writeup summarizing all the parts I have on my TJ that I got off marketplace. I am also going to summarize some of my tips and tricks for getting good deals, conducting safe transactions, and I wanted to create a place that we can share our best deals, favorite parts, and funny marketplace stories.
Lets jump in:
Wheels and Tires:
I bought this set of 5 33x10.5r15 BFG K02's mounted on 4 Mammoth offroad wheels. Two of the tires were brand new, 3 of them had about %30 life left. All 4 wheels were in good shape.
I got these for $300 and stuffed them all into my subaru hatchback daily, a tight fit for sure.
The wheels weren't really my style but I was stocked to find a set of pizza cutters for a good deal.
I sold my original steelies with 31" duratracs for $450 and I sold the wheels that came with the tires for $150 to a guy with a sick 2 door XJ.
I then went and bought these super cool OEM Chrysler steelies for $195. I was stoked to find these, I mounted the BFG's to them and was able to recoup some cost by selling my old wheels+the alloy wheels that came with the tires:
Interior:
My jeeps carpets were mismatched and beat up when I bought it. I was able to find this set of tan carpets for $100 locally.
This is what they looked like when I bought them
With a little elbow grease and an extractor vacuum I was able to get them look great.
The seats in my TJ were also pretty beat up. I was able to sell my original leather grey seats for $150 and I found a 97 partout with the awesome colorful triangle pattern seats. They were pretty gross with a couple rips here and there I offered the guy 150 for all 3, we settled at $175 so I drove there and jammed them into the back of my subaru hatchback.
My Girlfriend helped to sew them up and make a cool woven patch. I then stripped the covers off, cleaned them with the extractor vacuum, and some mold killer. They look fantastic, especially when the light hits the color. These added a lot of character to the interior.
This is just a sidenote, but I found that national parks fanny pack for $2 at the thrift store and it makes an excellent dash storage bag, the strap is just ran over the glovebox lid.
Tops & doors
My jeep came with an american flag sun shade bikini top thing, and a smittybilt cargo net. I sold both of those for $75. The guy that got them was pretty hyped at that price.
I sold the hardtop that came with my jeep for $300, it was pretty beat up, cracked, and had some holes drilled and resealed from the PO. I ended up giving that guy the original carpets that came in my jeep since he didn't have any.
I bought this black frameless soft top for $80 included door surrounds, tailgate bar and all the hardware. absolute steal.
I then traded that black top for a mint condition OEM Tan soft top. (this may have been my best deal)
So I basically ended up with this soft top for $80 + some elbow grease to clean it up.
I got the lower half doors for $300 and the guy included a free set of KC lights. I ended up repainting these myself with some paint matched aerosol cans and some 2k clear. Came out great, at least good enough for a jeep. I ended up buying the upper skins and frame new because I needed them in a pinch but I see those consistently go for $50-100 depending on condition.
So I jammed those into the back of my subaru hatchback.
Winch:
As some of you may know I picked up a Warn 9000LB winch for $250 that turned into a fantastic resto project for me, here is a link to that thread:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/just-picked-up-a-used-warn-9000-winch.84705/
This one turned out to be not a great deal initially (motor was cooked) but it turned into a great project so i'm not upset about it. Thanks to everyone who helped out on that thread.
Engine ( has to be my best deal!)
While I was driving home from college one day the motor blew on the jeep. Luckily I was able to keep an eye on marketplace for 6 months.
I found this engine 6 hours away for $250 bucks! Owner said it cranked over and had compression when pulled. I drove to pick it up in my Dads 4 door JK and jammed that motor into the back. When I started talking to the owner he had a whole storage unit of jeep parts. This motor only had 130k on it, I bought it for 250. I spent my senior year spring break doing the swap. 1 week ( this was my first really big project tbh)
Got it cleaned up, painted some bits, and redid all the seals on it, new clutch and throwout bearing also. Its still running strong today 20k miles later.
I can only attach 20 files in one listing lol, but overall this has been like 6 years worth of keeping an eye out on marketplace.
Here are some of my tips and personal practices:
1. Be a good person. Don't be rude, don't insult seller. The easier you can make the sellers life the higher chance you're getting the sale. Marketplace is a competitive environment. I've had tons of things sell under me because I hesitated, sellers usually choose the nicest person. Similarly, you need to recognize when you are getting a fantastic deal and stop haggling. I've had sellers tell me after the fact that 30 people message them and tried to buy out from under me, but since I told them right away I would pay asking they held the item for me.
2. Look for partouts! People doing partouts rarely have a price for each individual component ready to go so you have an opportunity to set the initial negotiation and most people doing partouts are excited to get rid of stuff in general. The more you can package together the better deal you can negotiate. I'm not talking about ridiculous lowballs but good deals. For example the seats i got were from a partout, somebody else was selling the same set on marketplace nearby for over double the price I got mine for.
3. I never go to checkout an item unless i'm at least 90% sure i'm going to buy it, or if I'm ok with buying it and taking a hit on any unknown variables. I bring cash and a means of transportation the first time. I ask plenty of questions, do adequate research on my end to mitigate the risk of buying something thats not perfect. By only traveling to meetups I know will end in a sale I can afford to travel further for them, instead of wasting my time talking to the seller in person on a dicey item.
4. Always follow up with the seller/ buyer before leaving your house! I've been burned too many times with sellers or buyers that absolutely ghost me on meetups. I always ask for a message when a buyer is 15min away, and if i'm meeting up with someone I message them the morning of the meetup and confirm we are still on for x time. When I leave to head there Ill say "GPS says im X minutes out, see you soon" If the sellers don't respond to the initial follow-up I wont even leave my house.
5. Always have a plan and let somebody know what it is. I always look on google maps satellite before going to someone's house, I usually try to recommend a public meetup spot near them, if they insist I come all the way to them, its up to your own discretion to make good choices. I haven't had a problem with it yet. I always text my S.O. the name of the person and address of where i'm going, I also share my phone location with them. As far as selling goes, I never give out my home address, I always meet at like a walmart parking lot. Do not share your address on marketplace, especially if you are in a shared living space, at least consult with them and ask if its ok before strangers show up.
6. Setup saved searches and be ready to strike. I have saved searches for generic things like "Jeep TJ partout" "5x4.5" "toolbox" etc. I keep a moving blanket and a 200 bucks cash ready to go. Ive had days where something will pop up as "just listed" while im stuck and work, ill message them at lunch and be able to pick it up on my way home from work.
this is actually how I got a steal on a $200 full size husky toolbox. The seller told me there were over 50 people that messaged him after me. but because I was nice, first to message, willing to come day of, and agreed to list price he saved it for me.
7. Look at the sellers profile. When you find an item you want, look at the seller, if it says 0 friends, joined the same year, be cautious. Also take a look at what else the seller has listed. When I found my half doors the seller had the KC lights in a different listing. I shot him a message about both and he just threw them in for free.
Please share some of your best marketplace deals, stories, or funny moments.
I love Facebook Marketplace.
Im chronically on facebook marketplace.
I love getting good deals on parts I otherwise wouldn't be able to afford.
I love being able to buy older things and make them new/ work again.
I love being able to sell things I no longer need to people who are genuinely excited to get them.
I love hearing, and sharing stories from facebook marketplace. It gives each component a cool story about how I had to drive to X to meet up with X, and "they had all this other cool stuff also" etc. Ive met alot of really cool, smart and entertaining people through marketplace meetups.
Anyways I wanted to do a writeup summarizing all the parts I have on my TJ that I got off marketplace. I am also going to summarize some of my tips and tricks for getting good deals, conducting safe transactions, and I wanted to create a place that we can share our best deals, favorite parts, and funny marketplace stories.
Lets jump in:
Wheels and Tires:
I bought this set of 5 33x10.5r15 BFG K02's mounted on 4 Mammoth offroad wheels. Two of the tires were brand new, 3 of them had about %30 life left. All 4 wheels were in good shape.
I got these for $300 and stuffed them all into my subaru hatchback daily, a tight fit for sure.
The wheels weren't really my style but I was stocked to find a set of pizza cutters for a good deal.
I sold my original steelies with 31" duratracs for $450 and I sold the wheels that came with the tires for $150 to a guy with a sick 2 door XJ.
I then went and bought these super cool OEM Chrysler steelies for $195. I was stoked to find these, I mounted the BFG's to them and was able to recoup some cost by selling my old wheels+the alloy wheels that came with the tires:
Interior:
My jeeps carpets were mismatched and beat up when I bought it. I was able to find this set of tan carpets for $100 locally.
This is what they looked like when I bought them
With a little elbow grease and an extractor vacuum I was able to get them look great.
The seats in my TJ were also pretty beat up. I was able to sell my original leather grey seats for $150 and I found a 97 partout with the awesome colorful triangle pattern seats. They were pretty gross with a couple rips here and there I offered the guy 150 for all 3, we settled at $175 so I drove there and jammed them into the back of my subaru hatchback.
My Girlfriend helped to sew them up and make a cool woven patch. I then stripped the covers off, cleaned them with the extractor vacuum, and some mold killer. They look fantastic, especially when the light hits the color. These added a lot of character to the interior.
This is just a sidenote, but I found that national parks fanny pack for $2 at the thrift store and it makes an excellent dash storage bag, the strap is just ran over the glovebox lid.
Tops & doors
My jeep came with an american flag sun shade bikini top thing, and a smittybilt cargo net. I sold both of those for $75. The guy that got them was pretty hyped at that price.
I sold the hardtop that came with my jeep for $300, it was pretty beat up, cracked, and had some holes drilled and resealed from the PO. I ended up giving that guy the original carpets that came in my jeep since he didn't have any.
I bought this black frameless soft top for $80 included door surrounds, tailgate bar and all the hardware. absolute steal.
I then traded that black top for a mint condition OEM Tan soft top. (this may have been my best deal)
So I basically ended up with this soft top for $80 + some elbow grease to clean it up.
I got the lower half doors for $300 and the guy included a free set of KC lights. I ended up repainting these myself with some paint matched aerosol cans and some 2k clear. Came out great, at least good enough for a jeep. I ended up buying the upper skins and frame new because I needed them in a pinch but I see those consistently go for $50-100 depending on condition.
So I jammed those into the back of my subaru hatchback.
Winch:
As some of you may know I picked up a Warn 9000LB winch for $250 that turned into a fantastic resto project for me, here is a link to that thread:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/just-picked-up-a-used-warn-9000-winch.84705/
This one turned out to be not a great deal initially (motor was cooked) but it turned into a great project so i'm not upset about it. Thanks to everyone who helped out on that thread.
Engine ( has to be my best deal!)
While I was driving home from college one day the motor blew on the jeep. Luckily I was able to keep an eye on marketplace for 6 months.
I found this engine 6 hours away for $250 bucks! Owner said it cranked over and had compression when pulled. I drove to pick it up in my Dads 4 door JK and jammed that motor into the back. When I started talking to the owner he had a whole storage unit of jeep parts. This motor only had 130k on it, I bought it for 250. I spent my senior year spring break doing the swap. 1 week ( this was my first really big project tbh)
Got it cleaned up, painted some bits, and redid all the seals on it, new clutch and throwout bearing also. Its still running strong today 20k miles later.
I can only attach 20 files in one listing lol, but overall this has been like 6 years worth of keeping an eye out on marketplace.
Here are some of my tips and personal practices:
1. Be a good person. Don't be rude, don't insult seller. The easier you can make the sellers life the higher chance you're getting the sale. Marketplace is a competitive environment. I've had tons of things sell under me because I hesitated, sellers usually choose the nicest person. Similarly, you need to recognize when you are getting a fantastic deal and stop haggling. I've had sellers tell me after the fact that 30 people message them and tried to buy out from under me, but since I told them right away I would pay asking they held the item for me.
2. Look for partouts! People doing partouts rarely have a price for each individual component ready to go so you have an opportunity to set the initial negotiation and most people doing partouts are excited to get rid of stuff in general. The more you can package together the better deal you can negotiate. I'm not talking about ridiculous lowballs but good deals. For example the seats i got were from a partout, somebody else was selling the same set on marketplace nearby for over double the price I got mine for.
3. I never go to checkout an item unless i'm at least 90% sure i'm going to buy it, or if I'm ok with buying it and taking a hit on any unknown variables. I bring cash and a means of transportation the first time. I ask plenty of questions, do adequate research on my end to mitigate the risk of buying something thats not perfect. By only traveling to meetups I know will end in a sale I can afford to travel further for them, instead of wasting my time talking to the seller in person on a dicey item.
4. Always follow up with the seller/ buyer before leaving your house! I've been burned too many times with sellers or buyers that absolutely ghost me on meetups. I always ask for a message when a buyer is 15min away, and if i'm meeting up with someone I message them the morning of the meetup and confirm we are still on for x time. When I leave to head there Ill say "GPS says im X minutes out, see you soon" If the sellers don't respond to the initial follow-up I wont even leave my house.
5. Always have a plan and let somebody know what it is. I always look on google maps satellite before going to someone's house, I usually try to recommend a public meetup spot near them, if they insist I come all the way to them, its up to your own discretion to make good choices. I haven't had a problem with it yet. I always text my S.O. the name of the person and address of where i'm going, I also share my phone location with them. As far as selling goes, I never give out my home address, I always meet at like a walmart parking lot. Do not share your address on marketplace, especially if you are in a shared living space, at least consult with them and ask if its ok before strangers show up.
6. Setup saved searches and be ready to strike. I have saved searches for generic things like "Jeep TJ partout" "5x4.5" "toolbox" etc. I keep a moving blanket and a 200 bucks cash ready to go. Ive had days where something will pop up as "just listed" while im stuck and work, ill message them at lunch and be able to pick it up on my way home from work.
this is actually how I got a steal on a $200 full size husky toolbox. The seller told me there were over 50 people that messaged him after me. but because I was nice, first to message, willing to come day of, and agreed to list price he saved it for me.
7. Look at the sellers profile. When you find an item you want, look at the seller, if it says 0 friends, joined the same year, be cautious. Also take a look at what else the seller has listed. When I found my half doors the seller had the KC lights in a different listing. I shot him a message about both and he just threw them in for free.
Please share some of your best marketplace deals, stories, or funny moments.
