You finally sold that dusty treadmill. Or maybe you just scored a mint-condition mid-century modern chair for twenty bucks. Either way, you’re staring at your phone wondering how to leave a review on Facebook Marketplace because, honestly, the interface is a bit of a mess. Meta loves to hide things.
It's weird. You’d think a massive social network would make it dead simple to rate someone, but Marketplace operates on a specific set of triggers. If those triggers aren't pulled, you're stuck in a loop of menus with no "rate user" button in sight.
Marketplace ratings aren't just about being nice. They are the literal currency of the platform. In a world of "is this still available" ghosts and people who show up three hours late to a Starbucks parking lot, a five-star rating is the only thing standing between a successful sale and a total waste of time.
The weird "rules" for how to leave a review on Facebook Marketplace
Facebook doesn't just let any random person review you. Imagine the chaos if they did. Trolls would have a field day. To leave a review, the system needs to recognize that a legitimate interaction happened.
Usually, this means you’ve exchanged a few messages. But there’s a catch.
For a buyer to rate a seller, the seller typically has to mark the item as "Sold" and then—this is the part everyone misses—specifically select who they sold it to from a list of people they messaged. If the seller just deletes the listing or marks it sold without picking a buyer, that "Rate Seller" prompt might never show up in your notifications. It's frustrating.
Why the prompt isn't showing up
Sometimes you do everything right and the button still isn't there. Facebook's algorithm is looking for "sufficient interaction." Usually, this means at least three or four messages back and forth. If you just sent a "thumbs up" and then met in person, the AI might not think you actually did business.
Step-by-step for buyers (The mobile way)
Most of us are doing this on our phones while walking back to the car. Open the Facebook app. Tap the Marketplace icon—it looks like a little shop front. If you don't see it, it's buried in the "Menu" (the three lines or your profile picture in the corner).
Once you're in Marketplace, look for the "User" icon. It’s a little person silhouette. Tap that. This is your "Your Items" or "Profile" dashboard.
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Scroll down to "Buying." This is where your history lives.
Find the specific item you bought. If the seller marked it as sold to you, you’ll see a big "Rate Seller" button. If not, you might have to click the three dots (...) next to the conversation in your Inbox.
Honestly, the easiest way is often through Messenger. Go to your chats. Open the conversation with the seller. If the transaction is "complete" in Facebook's eyes, a banner will appear at the top of the chat saying "Are you the buyer?" or "Rate this Seller."
The rating scale
It’s a standard five-star system, but Facebook adds these "tags." You can click things like "Fair pricing," "Item description," or "Communication." Use these. They help future buyers way more than a generic "good."
How sellers can get more reviews
If you're selling, you want those stars. It makes your stuff sell faster. But you have to "trigger" the review for your buyer.
When you sell an item, don't just delete it. Click "Mark as Sold." Facebook will then ask, "Who did you sell this to?"
Pick the person from the list.
By doing this, you're essentially sending them a notification that says, "Hey, rate me!"
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If you forget to do this at the moment of sale, you can go back into your "Sold" listings, find the item, and edit the sale details. It's worth the extra thirty seconds.
What about the desktop version?
Using a computer is a whole different vibe. Go to facebook.com/marketplace. On the left-hand sidebar, click "Buying."
Everything is spread out more here. You’ll see a list of your recent inquiries. Click on the one you want to review. If the option is available, the "Rate Seller" button will be on the right side of the screen.
Interestingly, the desktop version is often more stable than the app. If your phone is glitching out and won't let you submit a star rating, try logging in on a laptop. It works about 90% of the time when the app fails.
Can you delete or change a review?
This is a big one. People get "review regret." Maybe the item broke two days later, or maybe you realized you were a bit too harsh because you were having a bad day.
Currently, Facebook is pretty strict. You can usually edit a review you've left for a short window of time by going back to the "Ratings Given" section in your Marketplace profile.
But if you're the seller and you get a bad review? You can't delete it. You can respond to it, though.
Expert tip: Always respond to negative reviews calmly. If someone says you were late, and you reply by screaming in all caps, you look like the problem, not them. Just say, "Sorry for the delay, there was unexpected traffic, but I'm glad we got the deal done!"
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Common glitches and how to fix them
Technology is great until it isn't. Sometimes the "Rate Seller" button is just... gone. Gone forever into the digital abyss.
First, check your app version. If you haven't updated Facebook since 2023, things are going to break. Update it.
Second, try the "Messenger Trick." Instead of looking in Marketplace, go to the Messenger app. Search for the seller's name. Often, the rating prompt is pinned to the top of the chat thread.
Third, wait. Sometimes it takes 24 hours for the system to realize a transaction happened.
The ethics of Marketplace ratings
Let's be real for a second. Facebook Marketplace is the Wild West. You're meeting strangers in gas station parking lots.
Be fair. If someone was five minutes late, don't give them one star. That ruins their ability to sell things in the future. Reserve the one-star nukes for people who intentionally lied about an item's condition or straight-up ghosted you after you drove thirty minutes to meet them.
On the flip side, don't give five stars if the item was filthy or if they changed the price at the last minute. Accuracy matters.
Why you can't see your own rating immediately
Facebook sometimes delays the visibility of a rating to prevent "retaliatory" reviews. If you leave a seller a one-star review, they might not see the specific rating until they've also rated you, or until a certain amount of time has passed. This keeps the system somewhat honest.
Actionable Next Steps
To make sure your review actually sticks and helps the community, follow this quick checklist:
- Check your messages: Ensure you have at least 3-4 replies in the chat history.
- Confirm the Sale: If you're the buyer, ask the seller to "Mark as Sold" to you specifically.
- Use the Messenger App: If the Marketplace tab is being buggy, use the banner at the top of your chat window to leave the rating.
- Add details: Don't just hit five stars. Select the descriptive tags (Communicative, Item as Described, etc.) so the rating actually carries weight in the algorithm.
- Check your Profile: Go to your Marketplace profile under "Ratings as a Buyer" to see what others are saying about you. It's a two-way street.
Leaving a review is basically the only way we keep the platform from becoming a total disaster. It takes less than a minute, but it saves the next person from a lot of headache.