What you need before the first scan
Facebook Marketplace scanning runs through the RareAlert Marketplace Chrome extension. You stay signed in to Facebook normally; RareAlert does not ask for or store your Facebook password.
- Connect the extension to your RareAlert account.
- Open a Facebook Marketplace tab and stay signed in.
- Set the Marketplace radius to 500 miles once before scanning.
- Enable Facebook Marketplace on the RareAlert saved searches you want scanned.
Why the 500-mile radius only needs to be set once
Facebook keeps the selected Marketplace radius while the location changes. RareAlert uses that behavior to rotate the same search through several U.S. Marketplace locations without asking you to reopen the radius control for every search.
Confirm that Facebook Marketplace shows “Within 500 mi.” If your Facebook session later changes that radius, set it back to 500 miles before the next nationwide scan.
How nationwide discovery works
A Facebook-enabled saved search is expanded into a small set of useful discovery phrases. RareAlert then rotates those phrases across eight Marketplace location centers chosen to provide broad U.S. coverage with a 500-mile radius.
- Los Angeles
- Seattle
- Dallas
- Denver
- Miami
- Chicago
- Atlanta
- Harrisburg
These locations are intended to broaden coverage efficiently. They do not guarantee that every Facebook Marketplace listing in the United States will appear in a scan, because Facebook controls which results it displays for each search and location.
For a more detailed explanation, read how to search Facebook Marketplace nationwide.
Discovery is broad, matching stays strict
The extension may search more than one phrase for a saved search so it can catch common abbreviations and alternate wording. A listing does not automatically appear on your dashboard just because Facebook returned it. The captured title, price, and other available text still have to pass RareAlert's saved-search matcher.
Required keywords, excluded keywords, and other applicable filters remain the final gate. That separation lets discovery be broad without turning the Radar into an unfiltered Facebook results page.
Why RareAlert may open a listing for a deeper check
Marketplace search-result cards do not always show enough information to make a confident matching decision. When a promising candidate is missing useful context, RareAlert can open the individual listing and inspect the additional visible details and description before deciding whether it should match the saved search.
This is why extra Marketplace listing tabs may briefly open during a scan. They are used for deeper inspection when the search-result card alone is not enough.
What happens while the queue runs
Keep one Facebook Marketplace tab open. You can use other browser tabs normally while the queue works. RareAlert moves the Marketplace tab through queued searches, waits for results to load, scans the visible listings, and sends newly observed listing data to RareAlert for matching.
Longer nationwide queues are processed in batches instead of running every search at once. RareAlert keeps its queue position so the next run can continue through the remaining discovery jobs.
Why the same listings are not sent over and over
Nationwide search areas can overlap. RareAlert therefore remembers Facebook listing IDs that the extension has already observed and uses that history to reduce duplicate syncing during normal discovery. This is especially useful when the same listing is visible from more than one 500-mile search center.
What information RareAlert uses
The extension reads listing information that is visible on Facebook Marketplace, such as the listing title, price, image, location text, listing URL, and additional visible listing text used when a deeper check is needed. It does not require your Facebook password to be sent to RareAlert.
Buying safely from Facebook Marketplace
RareAlert helps you discover listings; the purchase itself happens on Facebook or through whatever transaction method the buyer and seller choose. Buyer protections can vary depending on how a transaction is completed.
Check the item, seller, payment method, and transaction details. RareAlert does not guarantee authenticity, seller performance, or transaction protection.
How to start
In RareAlert, edit a saved search and enable Facebook Marketplace. Connect the Marketplace extension, confirm the 500-mile radius on Facebook, keep one Marketplace tab open, and start the search queue. Matching Facebook listings will then be eligible to appear on your RareAlert dashboard.
RareAlert currently surfaces matching Facebook Marketplace listings in the dashboard. This scanning workflow should not be described as an instant Facebook alert or notification service.
Connect the Marketplace extension or return to your RareAlert dashboard.