Facebook Marketplace notifications not working? Here is what to check
Saved-search notifications from Facebook Marketplace arrive late, arrive for some listings and not others, or stop altogether — one of the most common complaints among people hunting local deals. This page covers what to check in Facebook, why the lag happens even when everything is on, and how to add a second watcher that runs on your own computer.
Check these first
- The search is actually saved. Facebook only notifies for searches you saved from the Marketplace search results, not for things you merely searched once.
- Notifications are on for that saved search. Each saved search has its own switch inside Facebook; a search can be saved with notifications off.
- Your phone allows Facebook to notify you. Check the phone's notification settings for the Facebook app, and any focus or do-not-disturb schedule.
- Facebook's own notification settings include Marketplace. Marketplace alerts can be switched off separately from the rest of Facebook's notifications.
Why alerts still lag when everything is on
Even with everything switched on, Facebook decides when to send a saved-search notification and which listings qualify. Alerts arrive on Facebook's schedule, inside the Facebook app, for one search at a time, and only for Facebook Marketplace. Many people report notifications hours after a listing appeared, or none for a listing they later found by searching. There is no setting that changes this; it is how the feature works.
A second watcher you control
Pouncify is a free Windows and macOS app that watches Facebook Marketplace — and Craigslist, OfferUp in the United States and Kijiji in Canada — from your own computer. Tell it once what you are hunting; it checks on the schedule you set, reads each listing's real posting time, and alerts you within minutes of a genuinely new listing on your phone, Telegram, email or Discord. No account with us, no marketplace login required to start, and your searches stay on your machine. Your computer has to be on for the watching to happen.
Questions
Why do I get some Facebook Marketplace notifications but not others?
Facebook chooses which new listings qualify for a saved-search notification and when to send them; not every matching listing produces one. Checking the search results yourself, or running a watcher such as Pouncify, catches the ones the notification skipped.
Can Pouncify turn Facebook's notifications back on?
No — Facebook's own notifications are Facebook's to send. Pouncify watches Marketplace separately from your own computer and sends its own alerts to your phone, Telegram, email or Discord, so you no longer depend on Facebook's notification.
Do I need a Facebook login for Pouncify to watch Marketplace?
No. Pouncify watches the public view of Facebook Marketplace out of the box. Signing in to Facebook is optional and gives you more reach; you do it once inside the app, and the session stays on your computer.
Download Pouncify Free to start · no account · Windows and macOS
Related: all guides · about Pouncify. Last reviewed: September 10, 2026.