Facebook Marketplace is a great place to discover, buy and sell items listed within your local community. However, you might stumble across some sellers' listings where contact information is masked with the "hidden information" text. Here are a few ways to see hidden information on Facebook Marketplace product listings.

5 Quick Ways to See Hidden Information on Facebook

Ways to see hidden phone number information on Facebook Marketplace

Personal phone numbers and email addresses are often hidden on Facebook marketplace. To find these hidden information on the platform, you can simply browse any listing and identify if there are any [[hidden information]] text located within the listing.

Having the information hidden might be annoying when you are browsing on the platform. Let's take a look at the following methods to see the hidden information on Facebook marketplace.

Contact the seller directly

The easiest way to see hidden information on a Facebook Marketplace listing is to simply contact the seller directly. You can do this by clicking the "Contact" button on the listing. This will open a chat window on Messenger where you can ask the seller any questions you have about the item, including any information that may be hidden in the listing.

Check the seller's profile

If you're having trouble finding hidden information in a Facebook Marketplace listing, you can check the seller's profile for more information. This may include their contact information, feedback from other buyers, or other items they have listed for sale.

Look for clues in the listing

Sometimes, sellers will hide information in a listing but will still give subtle clues about it. For example, if a seller is hiding their contact information, they may mention in the listing that they will only respond to serious inquiries. This is a clue that there may be hidden information in the listing.

Access Using Mobile Browser

If the above methods did not work, you can try to access the listing from your mobile browser.

  1. Open up your mobile device's browser e.g. Chrome, and login to your Facebook account.
  2. Go back to Facebook Marketplace to find the product listing
  3. Tap on the "Share" button, which will reveal a menu showing the sharing options.
  4. Choose "More options".
  5. From the list, tap on "Copy" or "Copy Link".
  6. Next, open the browser that you were logged into with your Facebook account.
  7. Paste the URL into the search box. Edit the URL by replacing “www” with the “m” key.
  8. You should now be able to view the hidden information on Facebook Marketplace that was previously inaccessible on your mobile app.
Seeing hidden phone number on Facebook Marketplace via a mobile browser

Use Chrome's Developer Tools

If you're trying to see hidden information on Facebook Marketplace listings from a desktop, you can also try to use the Developer Tools from Chrome to simulate a mobile viewport.

  1. On your desktop, open the Chrome web browser.
  2. Login to your Facebook account and go to the Facebook Marketplace product listing.
  3. Tap on the F12 key (Windows) or Command+Option+J (Mac), which will open Chrome Developer Tools.
  4. Next, select “Toggle Device Toolbar” to open the toolbar that allows you to choose the device type that you wish to simulate.
  5. Now, you should be able to see the seller's hidden phone number or information on the Facebook Marketplace listing. Otherwise, refresh the browser to unhide the hidden information.
Seeing hidden phone number on Facebook Marketplace via desktop

Why Does Facebook Marketplace Hide Contact Information?

There are a few possible reasons why Facebook Marketplace hides the seller's contact information on the platform.

Keep Spammers, Hackers and Scammers Away

Revealing one's phone number is risky as it can be used as a point of contact to send unwanted or malicious messages, calls, or even compromise their mobile device. Hackers can also use this information to steal users' personal or financial data through phishing attacks or other methods. Scammers can also use this information to trick you into giving them money or sensitive details. Therefore, when Facebook hides the seller's phone number or email address on the Marketplace platform, it actually safeguards the user against such risks.

Sellers should be extra careful before sharing their real phone numbers with interested buyers, and consider getting a temporary or burner phone number from Phoner.

Keep Users on Facebook Messenger

By hiding the seller's information, Facebook messenger becomes the more convenient communication method. There are a few features on Messenger that makes it a useful tool to communicate with sellers:

  1. In-app notifications: Messenger notifications are more prominent and frequent than on Facebook.
  2. Conversations synchronization: Messenger automatically synchronizes across all devices, making it easier for users to continue conversations on the go.
  3. Payment options: Messenger offers an integrated payment system, allowing users to send and receive money within the app.
  4. Customer service: Messenger has a feature that allows businesses to interact with customers directly through the app, making it more convenient for both parties.

Keep Transactions on Facebook Marketplace

Of course, it boils down to profits at the end of the day. When sellers make a sale on Marketplace, Facebook deducts a fee from the seller's payout automatically. Known as the "selling fee", it costs the seller 5% per shipment, or a flat fee of $0.40 for shipments of $8.00 or less. Hence, there is an incentive for Facebook to hide the seller's personal phone number so that they can keep the transaction on the platform.

Final Words

It's important to remember that hidden information on Facebook Marketplace listings such as phone numbers may be hidden for a reason. For example, a seller may not want to share their contact information publicly to protect their privacy. However, if you're interested in purchasing an item and need more information, these methods can help you see hidden information on Facebook Marketplace product listings.

In conclusion, Facebook Marketplace is a great platform for buying and selling items within your local community, but sometimes sellers may hide certain information about a product in their listing, such as their contact information or the condition of the item. There are several ways to see hidden information on Facebook Marketplace product listings, which include contacting the seller directly, looking for clues in the listing, checking the seller's profile, accessing via mobile browser, and using Chrome DevTools. Remember, if all else fails and you are not comfortable with the transaction, it's best to avoid it.