How To Sell Discs On Facebook The Right Way In 2022

How to Sell Discs on Facebook – A Guide:

Introduction

So, you’re sitting on a big stack of discs, or a pile of boxes full of discs you’ve never thrown or have outgrown as a player and you want to get rid of them to make a little money back. Maybe you’re a collector and decided it’s finally time to downsize the collection. Luckily for you, there is a large market buyers on Facebook groups (we’re not talking about the “marketplace”) that want the plastic you have!

Reputation goes a long way when selling discs on Facebook, and sticks with you whether it’s positive or negative.

This guide will go into detail on all of the different things you’ll need to make sure you’re set up properly for your disc sales go successfully, and that your reputation doesn’t take a nose dive.

We recommend joining the Disc Golf Buyer Feedback Group. It is important for both buyers and sellers to see who they’re dealing with before any deal is finalized. Take a look around that page before you start selling to familiarize yourself with the kinds of things that people take issue with – it will help you to avoid making those mistakes.

Some mistakes are bigger deals than others, but if you follow this guide, no one should take issue with the way you do business.

Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. The products listed will cost the same as if you purchased them normally, but we may receive a portion of the sale.

Accounts Needed

All of the accounts that you will need to use are free and outlined below:

Facebook

This one is obvious. To sell on Facebook, you’ll need an account. If you don’t have one already, definitely sign up, but be aware that people are often wary of new accounts, so following this guide will be extra important to reassure your buyers that you aren’t a scammer.

PayPal

Most groups require at least one form of payment that protects the buyer. PayPal offers that protection in the form of a Goods and Services option, which can reimburse the buyer if the goods are not received, or are not as represented. This is one of, if not the most common forms of payment.

To protect yourself as a seller, if a buyer uses G&S (which is technically required as part of their terms of use), make sure you send the disc to the address they have listed in their PayPal account.

You can easily withdraw funds to a bank account, or keep it in PayPal to make other purchases.

There is also an app to use on your smartphone, which makes things very easy.

Venmo

Venmo is probably the second most common form of payment. It is now owned by PayPal and gives the buyer the option to use a G&S payment method which protects them.

You can easily withdraw funds to a bank account, or keep it in Venmo to make other purchases.

Venmo also has an app for smartphones, which is easy to use.

Pirate Ship

Pirate Ship is a website that allows people to purchase shipping labels at a discounted rate compared to going directly to the post office, where you will be charged full retail. The account is free, and the only thing you pay for are the labels themselves.

You simply enter in the recipients name, address, and include the details of the package itself (whether it’s a box, bubble mailer, dimensions, and weight), and then you can print the label directly from your computer.

It also allows you to easily track the shipments you’ve sent out to make sure they arrive at their destination. We highly recommend using this service compared to going to the post office. Even if you only ever send out 10 discs, you’re likely to save over $30. This amount obviously grows the more discs you send out.

Optional:

Other forms of payment that are used, but a little less common are GPay, Cashapp, and Zelle. We don’t use either Cashapp or Zelle, as we like to give the option of the extra purchase protection afforded by PayPal and Venmo. We usually offer GPay as an option, but after over 150 sales, no one has chosen this option over either PayPal or Venmo.

Terminology

There are a lot of terms used in Facebook groups to sell discs that you may not be familiar with. Understanding these terms as well as when, and how to use them is important.

BIN: Buy it now – used to indicate a person wants to buy a disc at the listed price and is usually ready to pay immediately

RRNTS: Reserve right not to sell – used to indicate that a person is accepting offers and may not agree to sell the disc if it does not reach a price the person is happy with (usually not allowed on auctions)

RRNTSOSE: Reserve right not to sell or sell early – used the same way as RRNTS, but also indicates that the seller is allowed to accept an offer before the stated timeframe has elapsed

Stack: Used to indicate a person will list several discs under the same post in the comments. Offers are placed under the individual pictures in the comments

Auction: Type of sale format where the seller is required to accept the final bid, regardless of amount (winning bid usually has to stand for 24 hours)

Taking offers: Type of sale format that does not lock the seller into selling the disc if they are not happy with the offers (usually used in conjunction with RRNTS or RRNTSOSE)

ISO: In search of – used for posts when a buyer is looking for a particular disc (keep an eye out for these to see if any buyers are looking for a disc you have)

Waffle: A format where people donate for a chance to win the offered prize (see more in the specific waffle groups)

Bump: A term used in a comment when a seller wants to get their post “bumped” back up to the top of the feed in a group so that it is more visible to potential buyers (most groups limit how often this can be done each day)

TTT: To the top – used in the same way as “bump”

Cardboard backer: a piece of cardboard that is cut into a square that fits inside a bubble mailer to add extra stability and reduce chances of the disc warping in transit (it’s also harder to stuff into a mailbox this way)

Ink/Inked: A disc that has been written on with sharpie (usually the owner’s name and phone number) – this is different than penned, which indicates writing from the manufacturer (usually showing the weight and mold)

G&S: Goods and services – a form of protected payment for both PayPal and Venmo. It charges a little extra to the seller, but gives the buyer protection from not receiving items, or receiving items that do not match their description. This is usually a required option in the most reputable groups.

FF: Friends and family – a form of unprotected payment for both PayPal and Venmo, meaning that the charge cannot be reversed. NOTE: Using this for purchasing items from, or selling items to people you do not know is technically against the terms of use for PayPal and Venmo.

Shipping Materials

Once you make a sale, you need to be able to get the disc(s) to the person who bought them. Using flat rate envelopes and shipping from the post office in general will eat into your profits very quickly, so it’s best to use your own materials and use a third party shipping website such as Pirate Ship.

Depending on the sale price of the disc, the most common and accepted methods to ship are bubble mailers and boxes.

Bubble Mailers

Bubble mailers are primarily used when the sale price of the disc is under $50 and when the disc is going to be thrown.

There are many different options for bubble mailers, but you’re mainly looking for size #4 which have useable dimensions of 9.5″ x 14.5″

This allows you to send any type of disc (midranges and putters tend to be a tight fit in the smaller options) and sometimes even multiples in the same mailer. Using size #4 helps to avoid the chance of a disc warping due to a tight fit.

We use these ones, because we think they look sharp, but you can get a normal color for a little cheaper:

Pros: Cheaper than boxes to purchase, and usually cheaper to ship

Cons: Offer less protection than boxes

Boxes

Boxes are generally used when sending multiple discs that won’t fit into a single bubble mailer, or when the cost of the disc is $50 or above. Expect people buying collector discs to want their disc shipped in a box to help prevent any damage/warping in transit.

Again, there are a lot of options here, and depending on how often you order discs, you may have some laying around that can be recycled before you need to buy any.

Once your current stash runs out, or if you don’t have any, we recommend these at 9″ x 9″ x 2″:

They’re relatively inexpensive as far as boxes go, and unless you’re moving some serious volume of collector discs, they will last you a while. You can also fit 2 and sometimes 3 discs into one box.

You can find boxes cheaper per box from places like Uline, but once you add in their shipping costs (which sometimes are more than the boxes themselves) it isn’t worth it unless you’re buying a pretty large quantity.

Another good and inexpensive option are these 9″ x 9″ x 1″ boxes from DGU, but you’ll mainly be limited to sending one disc at a time, which may or may not be a deal breaker for you.

Some buyers will request box shipping, and even add an extra dollar or two to cover the additional cost.

Pros: Can ship multiple discs with a higher amount of protection

Cons: Usually more expensive to buy and ship than bubble mailers

Bubble Wrap

This item is definitely optional, but is a nice touch when box shipping more expensive collector discs that may need a little extra protection, or to be able to honor requests from buyers. Anything $50 or over and we wrap it by default, though.

This is an option from Amazon, but we usually buy a couple of the smaller 12″ x 6′ rolls from Wal-Mart:

The ones from Wal-Mart are nice because they’re perforated in 12″ increments, so you can get 6 discs wrapped per roll.

Shipping Tape

Once your disc is all packaged up, you’ll need to seal it. The bubble mailers come with adhesive which usually works fine, but we’re paranoid and add a strip across the back just to make sure.

Boxes will definitely need some sort of tape to make sure the disc is inside by the time it gets to the buyer.

We recommend Scotch Box Lock. In our experience, it sticks better than the alternatives:

This part isn’t rocket science – just make sure the box won’t open up in transit.

9″ x 9″ Zip Top Bags

Most serious collectors will store their discs in 4mil 9×9 zip top bags to help prevent any storage wear. For more expensive collector discs (and really anything that is new/unthrown) we will ship it in a 9×9 bag.

We buy ours from OTB here, but any Ziploc type bag that fits the disc will work.

This is another optional item, but really helps to set you apart from other non-serious sellers.

Equipment

Starting to sell discs on Facebook is not quite as simple as just listing them up for sale. You need to make sure you have the right equipment to follow through once you’ve actually sold a disc.

Some of the items here are optional, but highly recommended, especially if you plan on selling a large volume of discs.

Having to drive to the post office to ship one disc can be a pain – especially if you’re trying to offer same or next day shipping as an incentive to buy from you.

Not to mention, you pay “full price” when shipping directly from the post office, so it definitely cuts into your profits.

Thermal Printer

A thermal printer is definitely an investment, but allows you to print out your own labels to put on your packages. Without it, you’ll either need to write them by hand on the package, print them from a normal printer and tape them to the package, or write them by hand on the label when you get to the post office.

In our opinion, being able to print your own adhesive labels seems much more professional.

We use this one, which at the time of writing this, is on sale:

We have not had a single issue with it. It was easy to set up and integrates perfectly with Pirate Ship.

We recommend getting some labels with it as well:

Scale

Once you have the disc all packaged up, you need to be able to weigh it so that you pay the correct shipping charges. If the weight is too far off, you run the risk of having the item returned back to you by the post office.

We use one we got from Wal-Mart, but this is an even cheaper option that will work great:

As long as it has a tare function and can measure in pounds and ounces, you’re all set.

Most max weight discs that ship in a bubble mailer will be around 8oz and 10-12oz in a box.

Facebook Groups to Use

This can be the tricky part – which group do you use to sell your disc?

The answer is it depends on the disc:

Are you selling an old stock disc that’s been thrown and inked? Try the $15.76 or Less group

Are you selling a highly sought after collector disc that’s in new condition or an older disc that’s hard to find? Try the Dollar Disc Golf Auctions group, or one of the brand/mold specific groups like the Nate Sexton Collector page for Sexton firebirds, or Innova Only Buy/Sell/Trade for Innova molds in general.

Some of the more popular and reputable groups are:

Dollar Disc Golf Auctions
Nate Sexton Collector Page
207 Disc Golf Waffles
Disc Golf Buy, Sell and Trade
Discmania Discs Marketplace
Thought Space Athletics Collector B/S/T
Innova Only Buy/Sell/Trade
Trilogy Dollar Disc Auctions
Innova Only Collector Group (This one is private and can be tougher to get into)
$15.76 or LESS Disc Golf Deals

There are definitely more out there for each manufacturer and specific molds – sometimes it takes a little searching to find the right group. Some of the groups are private, and will require you to answer a few questions and acknowledge that you’ve read that specific groups’ rules. It is very important to make sure you follow the rules of whichever group you are using.

A lot of these groups have 20,000+ members, so you can be assured that your discs will be put in front of many potential buyers. At the time of writing this guide, Dollar Disc Golf Auctions (DDGA) has 50.8k members and is our most used group.

Choosing the right group to sell in makes a big difference, and we’ll get into more detail about it in the Strategy section.

Best Practices

There are a lot of very small things you can do as a seller that add up to make a big difference in your success.

Post Formatting

The format of your post will vary slightly depending on the type of sale and which group you are using. We like to use a standard format and then alter it slightly to fit the needs/rules of the group. It looks something like this:

Year the disc was made – Manufacturer – Plastic Type – Mold (and any additional relevant information, like if it is a tour series, etc.)

Condition of the disc with sleepy scale (including whether or not it has ink)

Weight of the disc in grams

Additional charges for shipping, if applicable

Conditions of the shipping (bubble mailer vs box, whether it will be in a 9×9 bag, bubble wrapped, carboard backing, expected shipping timeframe, etc.)

Accepted payment methods (most groups will require you to use at least one protected format like PayPal Goods and Services)

A “thank you for looking”

Pictures of at least the front and back of the disc, and any notable aspects that affect the condition (bonus points for side profile and different lighting)

Example:

2021 Innova Nate Sexton Color Glow Champion Tour Series Firebird

Brand new and unthrown – 9+/10

Penned 173-175g

Please add 4 for shipping

Will ship in a 9×9 zip top bag inside a bubble mailer with cardboard backing under 50 or boxed with bubble wrap over 50

Immediate tracking upon payment, and if payment is received before noon EST I will ship it same day

PayPal FF/G&S, Venmo, or GPay

Thanks for looking!

Quality Pictures

This is marketing 101. Taking blurry, out of focus pictures – even if it’s a great product – is going to drive potential buyers away.

You don’t need to be a professional photographer or go out and buy an expensive camera and lighting setup – your phone’s camera will do just fine. Taking just a little extra time here will go a long way, though.

Having a clean background (or cropping) is very important. If the lighting inside your house isn’t great, then consider taking the photos outside in natural light.

We use a little plate stand that we got off Amazon so that we’re not always taking top-down photos and so we don’t have to hold the disc:

The single ones are usually more expensive than buying several, but we gave away a couple from the multi-pack to buddies so they could start selling as well.

Some people use light boxes and ring lights, but we don’t bother. The natural light outside gives a realistic expectation of what color and shape the disc is in.

If you’re thinking about getting into selling as a main side hustle/income stream, it may be worth your while to pick one up, though.

This lightbox is highly rated and currently on sale:

Same for this ring light and tripod combo:

The key takeaways here though are to make sure your pictures give an accurate representation of the disc (both front and back) and that the main focus is the disc itself.

Be willing and prepared to take additional photos if requested. Some buyers like to see a side profile to get an idea of the PLH and dome of a disc.

Accurate Descriptions

No one appreciates being taken advantage of, and that applies even more when they’re buying something. If the disc you’re selling has scratches, storage wear, stamp dropout, has been thrown, etc. you absolutely need to disclose that information.

Take a look at this article about the sleepy scale which is a way to rate the condition of discs.

We tend to shift everything down one point on the scale to be safe, so a brand new, never thrown disc we would rate a 9+/10 rather than a 10/10.

Knowing exactly what you have is important as well. You don’t want to be advertising a 2018 Nate Sexton Firebird as a 2017 (a common mistake because of the stamp). People will almost certainly point it out and you will lose credibility.

Never misrepresent the condition of the disc you’re selling. If anything, we will advertise a disc as being in worse condition than it actually is. We’re believers in the saying “Under promise and over deliver.”

Communication and Shipping

So you’ve had someone agree to buy your disc – what are your next steps?

The standard is to reply to the comment that solidifies the agreement to purchase, whether it be a “BIN” comment, or a winning bid, with something along the lines of “PM incoming” or “Winner – PM incoming.” This lets the person know that you acknowledge the fact that they won, and intend to send them a private message to finalize the deal.

Some groups have different rules on the timeframe that this needs to take place in, but in our opinion, the sooner the better. (Again, always be aware of the rules of the page you’re using.)

Once you’ve let them know they have a PM incoming, you should send a message with a greeting that congratulates them on winning the disc (name it specifically) and for how much the sale price was (including shipping if you set up your sale that way).

Next, you should list the different payment options that you laid out in your post. A lot of people will appreciate you listing the Venmo or PayPal information in a separate message, so they’re able to copy and paste it directly into that application (most people do these transactions on their phones, and want to ensure they’re sending money to the correct person).

After they’ve sent their payment and you’ve confirmed receipt, you can let them know that you will package up their disc(s) and send tracking in a couple minutes. Receiving tracking within a few minutes of payment is something that alleviates a lot of anxiety for buyers!

At this point, you will grab the appropriate shipping materials for the disc that was purchased, package it up, enter the information into Pirate Ship, print out your label, and attach it to the package.

We recommend taking a picture of the package on your phone to send to the buyer through messenger (this doesn’t actually store the picture on your phone, so it doesn’t take up space, and you don’t have to go back through and delete it later). Seeing an actual picture of the package with the shipping label allows the buyer to verify the address is correct, and is another small thing that can instill confidence and give extra ease of mind to the buyer.

After you’ve purchased your label, Pirate Ship has a copy button to easily copy the tracking number (which we’ll do on the PC) to then send in messenger as a separate message, allowing the buyer to enter this on the USPS (or UPS) tracking website without having to manually type it in (a very small detail, but a huge quality of life factor that buyers appreciate).

Thank the buyer, and let them know what the expected time to ship is.

Depending on where you live, this next part may not be advisable, but we’re lucky enough to live in an area where it’s possible.

We go directly to the USPS website to Schedule a Pickup so that our mail carrier picks up the package the following day when they deliver our regular mail. Pirate Ship has an option to set up a package pickup as well, but we prefer the USPS website, because they send an email confirmation of pickup, where you would not get one when using Pirate Ship.

If you’re not fortunate enough to live in an area where you’re not confident that someone won’t grab your package off your porch before your mail carrier gets to it, you’ll need to make a drive to the post office. If you have already paid for and printed off your label, all you’ll need to do is drop off the package (we still recommend waiting in line to get a receipt) and it will get shipped out.

If for any reason you’re not able to get the package shipped out in the timeframe you’ve specified, let the buyer know. Staying in contact and providing updates is vastly superior to going radio silent. Most buyers will understand that things happen, and as long as the disc gets shipped within a couple days, they will not be upset as long as you keep lines of communication open.

Any disc that is shipped in a bubble mailer should have something on it that says something along the lines of “Do Not Bend.” We use these stickers from Amazon, because we think it looks better than writing it out by hand, and is usually more visible (especially against the black bubble mailers):

Bonus: We like to include a little piece of individually wrapped candy in all our packages. Something like a jolly rancher, tootsie fruit roll, or lifesaver mint is a nice little touch.

Cardboard Backers

When shipping a disc in a bubble mailer, you should use a cardboard backer – even if it is not requested. This will show the buyer that you took extra steps to ensure that their disc arrives in the same condition that it left in. If for some reason something happens in transit, it’s a good show of faith that precautions were taken to prevent it.

Own Up to Any Mistakes

Let’s be honest – sometimes things happen. Life happens. Selling discs on Facebook is not a full-time job for the vast majority of sellers. It’s a way to earn a little bit of side money or shuffle discs around so that they can buy new ones with a little less guilt and clutter.

Mistakes will very likely happen eventually, and when/if they do, the best thing to do is admit to the mistake and see what can be done to resolve the issue between you and the buyer directly. The last thing you want to happen is for the situation to be plastered all over the Buyer Feedback group.

Did you not realize there was storage wear or some stamp dropout? Was a disc sold to you as new, but had actually been thrown a few times? These things happen, and most people will be understanding if you work with them. Sometimes a partial refund is all it takes. Sometimes paying for the buyer to ship it back to you and giving a refund is the way to go – it all depends on the situation.

Again, it’s very important to never purposefully misrepresent the condition of a disc you’re selling – inspect the disc carefully before posting it up for sale.

No amount of money that you might potentially lose on making a situation right is worth having your reputation tarnished in these groups if you want to continue being able to sell in them. Own up and make it right as best you can!

Selling Strategies

There are a few main sales formats, and which one you use can definitely affect the amount of profit you earn. Keep in mind that in general, the more profit you earn, the more work you’ll need to put into the sale.

Taking Offers

If you’re not quite sure what your disc is worth, or whether or not you actually want to sell it, a taking offers post is most likely the way to go. You can add the RRNTS tag so you are not obligated to sell.

If an offer exceeds what your expectations were, you can go ahead and sell at that price. If not, keep it and change your strategy, or just hang on to the disc.

Once a disc does reach an amount that you’re happy with, we recommend adding a comment along the lines of “this will sell,” which lets potential buyers know it has reached your reserve price, and may influence higher offers.

Stacks

If you have a large amount of used or not very desirable stock discs, stack posts are a great option.

Posting a stack of used discs on the $15.76 or less group is going to take minimal effort, but you’ll likely not see that great of a return. Depending on the discs you have to sell, sometimes this is the only option, though.

This is usually a quick and easy way of getting rid of discs quickly, and often buyers will purchase multiple discs at the same time, which will save you shipping costs.

If discs don’t sell on this page, you’ll likely have trouble selling them elsewhere, and may be better off as hand-me-downs for new players or donations to a club or school.

Auctions

This is one of the most common formats. With any auction, there is a little risk that the disc will not sell for what you are expecting or hoping for, and you’ll be obligated to sell for the winning bid, but more often than not, if it is a desirable disc, this is the way to go.

Make sure you know the rules for how often you can bump your post to get it to the top of the feed, and choose the timing carefully. There probably won’t be as many people browsing the auction pages at 5 AM as there will be at noon or 5 PM. It is definitely worth keeping an eye on an auction page throughout the day to see when the majority of activity is happening.

Note: If an auction doesn’t go as planned and the winning bid is below what you were hoping for, do not try to get out of it. Follow through and honor the winning bid, as not doing so is an easy way to get kicked/banned from the group. The small loss on one disc is not worth not being able to utilize some of the most populated groups.

A lot of the time, the description and quality of pictures can heavily influence how well an auction goes. Take your time when setting these up!

BIN Post

If you know what your disc is worth and do not want to risk selling it for less than a certain amount, find a group that allows posts with a BIN.

Sometimes you can combine a taking offers post with a BIN. In that situation, you can set the BIN a little higher than what you’re really hoping for, which will usually cause the offers to approach that amount and finally push someone to go for the BIN for fear of losing out on a disc they’ve been looking for.

Don’t go too crazy with the BIN, however, as you do not want to be seen as a greedy seller.

Waffles

Putting a high value disc up in a waffle will usually yield the highest returns, but requires a lot more work than just posting a disc up with a BIN or as a taking offers post.

We’re not going to go into too great of detail on this one, and we highly recommend looking at some of the groups to see how they work before jumping in to it. Follow the rules carefully!

Anticipate Fees

Using G&S vs FF is a somewhat contentious issue in the Facebook disc selling community. Our line of thinking is that you should always plan for people to use G&S, because it is technically the correct way to do things. If you know that the fee will be around $2, make your price about $2 higher than you normally would. This ensures you get the amount you’re wanting for the disc while complying with the rules appropriately.

Summary

Selling discs on Facebook can be both fun and profitable, but there are certainly right and wrong ways to do it. If you only plan on selling a handful of discs, a lot of the items in the guide can be skipped, but if you plan on selling quite a few, even if it’s over a longer period of time, the investments are well worth it, and will usually get you repeat buyers if you’re known for conducting business in a quick, fair, and professional manner.

Remember that your reputation goes a long way. It takes a while to build it up, but only a moment to ruin it.

The golden rule most definitely applies here. Think about what you would be happy with as a buyer, and try to do at least that or better.

Take a look at the different groups that are out there and do a bit of lurking before jumping in. Once you see how it works, it’s not too difficult to get started, and you’ll be more likely to avoid any taboos.

Enjoy reducing that collection and/or getting into a new side hustle!

Leave a comment or send us a message with any questions!

–Dirigo Disc Golf

How to Sell Discs on Facebook the Right Way in 2022