Second Number for Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist

Use a second phone number for selling online instead of your personal cell. Put it on your Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or OfferUp listings and give it to buyers who want to call or text; your real number stays off the internet, and once the sale is done you can stop answering or block anyone who keeps messaging. And never read a verification code to a buyer: that is the most common scam aimed at sellers.

Why not use your personal number

A listing is public. Anyone can copy the number on it, and a number posted online tends to attract spam texts and calls for a long time. It also connects a stranger to the number your bank, your family, and your other accounts use.

A second number keeps those worlds apart. Buyers get a real number they can call and text. You get to decide when that conversation ends.

How to set up a second number for selling

1. Get a second-number app. Download AvoCall on iPhone or Android. It works over Wi-Fi or mobile data next to your current SIM, so there is no second phone.
2. Pick a local number. Choose a number by area code or city. Local buyers are more likely to answer a local area code.
3. Use it wherever you list. Add it to listings that ask for a phone number, and give it to buyers who want to call or text instead of chatting in the app.
4. Keep the marketplace chat when you can. In-app messages keep a record on the platform, which helps if something goes wrong. Meta's Marketplace safety tips warn that people who push to move to phone or email early in a conversation "may have ill intent," so switch to your second number only once a buyer is clearly real.
5. Save buyers as contacts. Add the item name, such as "Dana, bike", so you know who is texting about what.
6. Block people who will not stop. AvoCall has a blocked numbers list in Settings.

Whether you are clearing out a closet before a move or flipping thrift finds as a side hustle, the setup is the same: one number for listings, one for your life.

The verification code scam

This one targets sellers constantly. A "buyer" says they want to make sure you are real and asks you to read back a code they are about to send you. Then a text arrives with a real verification code.

That code was not sent by the buyer. It was sent by a real service, usually because the scammer is creating an account with your phone number or trying to get into one of yours. If you share it, they can use that account in your name.

The FTC describes exactly this: "Scammers target people who post things for sale on sites like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace." Craigslist's own scam guidance says requests for a "code" or "verification" are "always a scam," and OfferUp's help center says to "never share verification codes or one-time passwords with anyone."

The rule is simple: never share a verification code with anyone, whatever reason they give. No real buyer needs one. Codes come from the service sending them, never from AvoCall, and AvoCall will never ask you for a code.

Other red flags

• Overpayment. A buyer sends more than the price and asks you to refund the difference. The original payment can disappear later.
• Shipping-only buyers for local items, especially if they want to arrange a courier and pay in a way you do not recognize.
• Links to "confirm" a payment sent by text or email. Check payments in the app or account where you expect the money, not through a link.
• Pressure. Anyone who rushes you, refuses to talk on the phone at all, or insists on moving to a payment method you do not use.

Meeting buyers safely

• Meet in a busy public place during the day. Some police departments offer a safe exchange spot, so check with yours.
• Bring someone with you for larger items or bigger amounts.
• Let buyers inspect the item, and count cash or confirm payment before you hand it over.
• For items picked up from home, move them to a porch or garage instead of inviting buyers inside.

What a second number does and does not do

A second number protects your personal number. It does not make an unsafe deal safe, so keep the habits above.

Some limits to know with AvoCall:

• Some marketplaces verify sign-ups by text and may not accept a virtual number. See can a virtual number receive verification texts?.
• On the free plan, a number can be released after the inactivity period shown in the app, and a released number may later be assigned to someone else. If you sell often, AvoCall+ keeps your number while you are subscribed.
• AvoCall is for personal communication. Its Acceptable Use Policy bans spam, bulk promotions, and scams, and outgoing texts are checked automatically for them.

The free plan is ad-supported with limited US and Canada minutes and texts. AvoCall+ includes unlimited US and Canada calls and texts (fair use policy applies). See current pricing.

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