The first message usually wins
On Facebook Marketplace, a well-priced listing can get a dozen “Is this still available?” messages in the first few minutes. Sellers tend to deal with whoever replied first and offered a pickup time, then mark it pending. If you see it an hour later, you're reading a sold sign.
You can't refresh Marketplace all day, and its own notifications aren't built for speed. Dibs takes the refreshing off your hands: it checks your searches on a schedule you can see and pings you the moment something new fits.
How Marketplace alerts work
No browser extension, no Facebook login and nothing to leave running on your computer.
- 1
Tell us what you want
Type the item, set your max price and choose a location and distance. Add words to skip, like “broken” or “for parts”, and a condition if it matters.
- 2
Dibs watches Marketplace
New listings are checked every 15 minutes on Free, every minute on Pro and every 20 seconds on Power. Each one is compared with your filters and recent sold prices.
- 3
Your phone buzzes
You get a push, email or, on Power, a Discord message with the price, distance, resale estimate and how many seconds after posting we caught it.
Alerts you can act on in one glance
Every alert says what it is, the price, how far away it is and what it typically sells for. You can tell from the lock screen whether it's worth getting up for. Tap it and you're on the listing, ready to message the seller from your own account.
Quiet hours on Pro keep the overnight alerts off your lock screen without pausing the watchlist, so the matches are waiting for you in the morning.
- Push and email on every plan, Discord and webhooks on Power
- Caught-in time on every alert, so the speed is never a guess
- Price-drop alerts on listings you're already watching (Pro)
Scam flags before you reply
Marketplace scams lean on the same tricks: a price that's too good, a seller who wants a deposit or an e-transfer before you see the item, or a story about being out of town. Dibs flags listings that look like that, with the reason written out, so you know what to check before you go.
Meet somewhere public, inspect the item and pay on pickup. A flag won't catch everything, but it catches the obvious ones before they waste your evening.
Built for flippers and bargain hunters
If you resell, the resale estimate on each alert and the flipping tools show your profit after eBay fees before you commit. If you're just after a good desk for your apartment, the same alert gets you there before the listing fills up with offers.
One watchlist can also cover Kijiji and eBay, which matters in Canada, where the same item often turns up on two sites. Comparing tools? We wrote an honest comparison with Flipify.
Facebook Marketplace alerts: questions
Can Facebook Marketplace notify me about new listings?
Facebook can notify you about some saved searches and items, but those notifications arrive mixed in with everything else Facebook sends, and you can't control how often it checks. Dibs is built for one job: telling you about new matches as fast as possible, with the delay shown on every alert.
Do I have to log in to Facebook or share my password?
No. Dibs never asks for your Facebook login. Alerts link to the public listing, and you message the seller from your own Facebook or Messenger app as usual.
How fast are Facebook Marketplace alerts?
Free checks every 15 minutes, Pro every minute, and Power every 20 seconds for up to 5 priority watchlists. Every alert says how long after posting it was caught, and the status page shows current speeds.
Does it work in the US as well as Canada?
Yes. Set any city in Canada or the US and a distance around it. Power lets one watchlist cover several locations, which helps if you buy across a few towns.
Can I filter out junk listings?
Yes. Set a max price, condition and words to exclude, such as “broken”, “parts” or “box only”. Dibs only alerts you about listings that pass every filter.
Catch the next Marketplace deal first
2 watchlists, no card, and 7 days of Pro to see how fast it is. If it isn't for you, you never pay a thing.
Keep reading
- Kijiji alertsFaster than Kijiji's saved-search emails, with scam checks built in.
- eBay alertsNew Buy It Now listings under your price, with profit after eBay fees.
- Flipping toolsProfit after fees, sold-price comps and a flip tracker for resellers.
- Dibs vs SwoopaPricing, marketplaces and who each tool is built for.
- Alert speed statusHow fast alerts are reaching people, per marketplace.