Quantcast
breaking news

Virtual Garage Sales Hit Facebook: Are They Safe?

By: Brendaliss Gonzalez
Updated: June 6, 2012
watch video
It's become a daily ritual.

"It's really kind of become the latest craze it seems like in Abilene," said Melanie Trevino, founder of the Facebook group "Abilenee Swap Meet".

As soon as Trevino gets home from work she goes to her second job, online selling at her own Facebook swap site.

"I've probably made $2,000 maybe more," she said.

The site's already gotten some 2,300 members around the Key City.

Trevino says it's a quick and easy way to earn a few extra bucks and score some good deals.

"A garage sale may have a really nice item and someone says 'well I'll give you a dollar for it' and on these selling sites you know I can really get a little bit more" she said.
 
It's a virtual garage sale, but without the hassle.

"I love to garage sale and its just like a way for me to garage sale even though I'm stuck at home," said stay-at-home mom Brenda Wheaton whose a member of the group.
 
Trevino says the Facebook shopping group is a safer alternative to other selling sites.

"We have the power to block someone from our group, take them out," she said.

Knowing who you're shopping with is an important factor when it comes to avoiding scams.

Texas is the fifth largest state in the U.S. for online fraud. 

"Officials at the better business bureau recommend shoppers know the direct source," said Steve Abel, president of the Abilene Better Business Bureau.

Which is why Trevino set up her own shopping group as a way to earn money on her own terms.

"Its' really a way for some people to who are either out of work or who need extra money to make a little more money on the side," she said.

And a place to get rid of the junk right from your phone. 
 
"We were trying to have a garage sale and get rid of all the big stuff and we didn't sell it so I put some on the Facebook site and now it's gone," said Wheaton. 

Trevino says she's constantly posting tips for her members to use when buying and selling items.

Her number one tip- only meet people in public areas and never post your phone number directly on the site.

Comments

Readers Feel...

hello
Related Content

A new device is helping patients lower their medication-resistant blood pressure....

As many as three tornadoes hit Young County, Texas on Friday evening....

Crime Stoppers is offering a $500.00 reward for information that leads to her arrest, through 05/22/13....

Mike Benning, a Massachusetts man, has become the first person in the country to have the i-Limb, the newest bionic hand on the market....

A recent Consumer Reports survey of more than 1,600 adult smartphone users found nearly 40 percent don't bother to take the minimal steps to secure them with simple password protection. Experts...

A 5-year-old North Carolina boy says his superhero nickname would be "Caleb Batman" after he helped his mother when she had a seizure while driving....

Two Michigan high schoolers are upset after the school made them retake yearbook photos to hide their pregnancy. ...

While the Cline Shale oil region of West Texas does not include Taylor County, local leaders believe Abilene will still feel the economic impact....

The first official launch of drones in eastern Oregon took place on Tuesday....

Family of Boston Marathon bombing victims walked the route in honor of their loved ones who were injured in the blast....

 
Find Articles Here
 
Start
      Page 1 of 640
 
Search BigCountryHomepage.com