Facebook Marketplace still has built-in alerts. You search for something, tap Notify Me, and Facebook tells you when new listings match. Facebook added the feature for Marketplace's fifth birthday in October 2021 (B&T), and how-to guides published in 2023 and 2026 describe it as working the same way (How-To Geek, uCompares).
Correction (October 2026): an earlier version of this post said Facebook had dropped its saved-search alerts in 2024. We could not find any source for that, so we removed the claim. We also removed some notification-delay figures and an example scenario that we could not back up. This version describes the built-in alerts as published guides document them and links to those guides.
This guide covers how to set up Facebook's own alerts, how to fix them when they go quiet, how to write searches that bring back fewer junk matches, and when a separate alert tool like DealHunter is worth adding.
Prefer the short version? See our Facebook Marketplace Alerts overview for a quick setup walkthrough.
Table of Contents
- How Facebook's Built-In Alerts Work
- How to Set Up Facebook Marketplace Alerts
- Why You're Not Getting Notifications
- Customizing Alert Criteria (Filters That Matter)
- What Facebook's Alerts Don't Do
- When a Third-Party Alert Tool Helps
- When Facebook's Built-In Alerts Are Enough
- Advanced Search Strategies
- FAQ
- Sources
How Facebook's Built-In Alerts Work
The feature is tied to a search. After you search Marketplace in the Facebook app, there is a bell button labelled Notify Me next to Filters. Tap it to choose a location, a radius and an optional price range, then tap Create Alert. Once the alert exists, the same button reads Edit Alert (Noypigeeks).
Your alerts are listed under Saved Searches, and each one has its own on/off toggle. Marketplace notifications as a whole are controlled from your Marketplace profile: Settings → Manage Notifications, which includes a category for saved searches (uCompares).
The guides we found only describe setting up alerts in the mobile app. We could not confirm whether you can create one on the desktop website.
Facebook's apps change often, so the exact labels may differ in your version.
How to Set Up Facebook Marketplace Alerts
Mobile App (iOS/Android)
1. Open the Facebook app and tap Marketplace
2. Search for your item. Be specific: "KitchenAid stand mixer", not "mixer"
3. Tap Notify Me (the bell next to Filters)
4. Set the location, the radius and, if you want, a price range
5. Tap Create Alert
6. Repeat for each item you want to watch
To change or remove an alert, search for the same term and tap Edit Alert, or open Saved Searches and use its toggle.
Desktop
On a computer you can still search Marketplace, apply filters and bookmark the results page so you can check it quickly. Treat that as a manual check, not an alert.
Why You're Not Getting Notifications
If an alert has gone quiet, check these in order:
1. The alert is still on. Open Saved Searches and make sure its toggle hasn't been switched off.
2. The Marketplace notification category is on. Go to Marketplace profile → Settings → Manage Notifications.
3. Your phone allows Facebook notifications. Check iOS Settings → Notifications → Facebook, or Android Settings → Apps → Facebook → Notifications.
4. Battery or focus modes aren't holding notifications back. Low Power Mode, Focus and Android battery optimisation can all delay or silence notifications.
5. The app is up to date.
6. The search can actually match something. A very narrow keyword or a small radius may just have no new listings.
Some users report alerts that arrive late or not at all. ScrapeCreators, which sells a competing data API, collected some of these reports and describes them as "anecdotes, not a measured platform-wide failure rate" (ScrapeCreators). Facebook does not publish how quickly its alerts are sent.
Customizing Alert Criteria (Filters That Matter)
A broad alert floods you with junk. A well-written one sends fewer, better matches. These tips work for Facebook's own alerts and for any other alert tool.
Price Range
A price ceiling is the strongest filter you have for underpriced items. First work out what the item usually sells for. For a few popular products, our used PS5 and iPhone 15 Pro Max price pages show recent median asking prices and 30-day trends. Then set the ceiling well below that, with enough room left for your margin.
Tip: listings priced at $1 or so are often placeholders, parts, or "message me for price" posts. A small minimum price filters many of them out.
Distance
A bigger radius means more listings, and buyers who live farther away compete less for each one. The cost is a longer drive. You can make two alerts for the same item: a small radius for everyday finds, and a larger one with a higher price ceiling for deals worth the drive.
Keyword Specificity
Too broad (mostly junk):
couch
Too narrow (almost never matches):
mid-century modern walnut sofa sectional with storage compartment
Better:
mid-century couch
+ price ceiling
+ radius you'd actually drive
Brand and model names help most. "KitchenAid mixer" leaves out drill mixers, cement mixers and DJ mixers. "Mixer" does not.
Condition
Facebook listings carry a condition label (New or one of several Used grades). Facebook's alert setup, as the guides describe it, offers only location, radius and price. So you judge condition when you open the listing, from the label, the photos and the description.
What Facebook's Alerts Don't Do
Facebook's alerts are useful and free, but they have limits:
- They only cover Facebook Marketplace. The same item may also be listed on OfferUp, Mercari, Poshmark, Craigslist, eBay, Depop, Vinted, Whatnot, AutoTrader, and you would need a separate app and search for each.
- Only a few filters. The guides describe location, radius and price. You can't exclude words like "broken", "parts" or "box only".
- No published timing. Facebook doesn't say how often new listings are checked against your alerts.
When a Third-Party Alert Tool Helps
An alert tool runs your saved searches for you and notifies you when a new listing matches. DealHunter is one, and these are the differences that matter in practice:
- One search, several marketplaces. A single DealHunter search can cover OfferUp, Mercari, Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, Craigslist, eBay, Depop, Vinted, Whatnot, and AutoTrader, or just the ones you pick. Local marketplaces, Facebook Marketplace included, use your ZIP code and a radius.
- Keyword logic. In the keywords field a comma means AND, a pipe means OR, and 16..32 matches a number in that range. For example, kitchenaid,mixer must contain both words, and aeron|leap|steelcase matches any of the three.
- Exclusions. Exclusion keywords (broken, parts, box only), plus excluded sellers and excluded locations, cut repeat junk.
- Price limits on every search.
- Notifications as push (web, iOS and Android apps) or email, with a per-search snooze for when you need a break.
- No Facebook login. You don't connect your Facebook account to DealHunter.
DealHunter rechecks your saved searches automatically. How often each search is checked depends on your plan (see pricing). We don't claim to beat Facebook's own alerts on speed, because neither of us publishes a guarantee you could compare.
Learn more on our Facebook Marketplace alerts page, or start free.
When Facebook's Built-In Alerts Are Enough
Stick with Facebook's own alerts if:
- You only shop on Facebook Marketplace
- You're watching a handful of items at a time
- Location, radius and price are all the filtering you need
- You don't want another app or subscription
Add a separate tool when you're watching the same item across several marketplaces, need exclusion keywords to cut junk, or want all your searches in one place.
Advanced Search Strategies
These work in any search box, including Facebook's.
The Misspelling Strategy
A listing with a typo in the title can be missed by people searching the correct spelling. Common examples:
- "Playstaion" (PlayStation)
- "Kitchenaide" (KitchenAid)
- "Pelaton" (Peloton)
- "Dysen" (Dyson)
On Facebook, each spelling needs its own alert. In DealHunter, the OR syntax puts them in one search: peloton|pelaton|pelleton. Our misspelling guide covers this in more depth.
Urgency Keywords
Sellers who need something gone quickly are often more flexible on price. Try phrases like:
- "moving sale"
- "must go"
- "need gone"
- "leaving the country"
Pair each one with a category, for example moving sale + furniture.
Look Beyond Your Own Neighbourhood
Different areas list different things. If you're willing to drive, an alert centred on another town, with a price ceiling high enough to justify the trip, can turn up items your usual radius never shows. Batch pickups so one drive covers several stops.
FAQ
Does Facebook Marketplace still have saved search notifications?
Yes. Search for an item in the Facebook app, tap Notify Me (the bell next to Filters), set the location, radius and price, then tap Create Alert. We found no evidence that Facebook removed the feature.
How do I know if Facebook Marketplace alerts are working?
Open Saved Searches and check the alert's toggle is on. Then check that Marketplace notifications are on under Marketplace profile → Settings → Manage Notifications, and that your phone allows notifications from Facebook.
How fast are Facebook Marketplace notifications?
Facebook doesn't publish a figure. Some users report late or missing alerts, but nobody has published a measurement. The same goes for most alert tools, including DealHunter: how often a search is checked depends on the service and the plan.
How many Facebook Marketplace searches can I save?
Facebook doesn't publish a limit for saved searches or alerts.
Can I get Facebook Marketplace alerts on desktop?
The guides we found only describe creating alerts in the mobile app. On desktop you can bookmark a filtered search and check it yourself.
How do I turn off Facebook Marketplace alerts?
Turn the alert's toggle off in Saved Searches. You can also search for the same term, tap Edit Alert, and remove it. To stop all Marketplace notifications, go to Marketplace profile → Settings → Manage Notifications.
Can one alert cover Facebook Marketplace and other sites?
Not inside Facebook. A tool like DealHunter can run one search across OfferUp, Mercari, Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, Craigslist, eBay, Depop, Vinted, Whatnot, and AutoTrader.
Sources
Checked 2026-10-24.
- B&T, "Facebook adds new features to Marketplace on its 5th birthday" (October 2021): https://www.bandt.com.au/facebook-adds-new-features-to-marketplace-on-its-5th-birthday/
- How-To Geek, "How to Get the Most Out of Facebook Marketplace" (May 2023): https://www.howtogeek.com/891035/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-facebook-marketplace/
- Noypigeeks, "How to set up Facebook Marketplace product alerts": https://www.noypigeeks.com/how-tos/facebook-marketplace-product-alerts/
- uCompares, "How to set up alerts on Facebook Marketplace" (October 2026): https://ucompares.com/social-media/facebook/set-up-alerts-marketplace/
- ScrapeCreators, "Facebook Marketplace alerts" (September 2026; the publisher sells a data API): https://scrapecreators.com/blog/facebook-marketplace-alerts
Related Guides
- Facebook Marketplace vs OfferUp vs Mercari Comparison: how Facebook Marketplace compares for different categories
- How to Set Up Deal Alerts Across Multiple Marketplaces: alert setup across the major platforms
Want one search across more than Facebook? Try DealHunter across Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, Mercari, Poshmark, Craigslist, Depop, eBay, Vinted, Whatnot, and AutoTrader: Get Started Free