We all know that Facebook is for connecting with people, catching up with your family and friends, and sharing your photos with the people you know. But did you know that you can do much more than that on the social media platform? You can sell things on Facebook and eventually build an eCommerce business.
We know that your interest is piqued so we will tell you how to sell on the Facebook marketplace step-by-step. All you need is an active Facebook account and it's all systems go. Then again for people who are new to the platform, let’s start from scratch.
What is Facebook Marketplace?
Introduced to the world in 2016 by Facebook, it is a popular platform to sell and buy products. Few people even believe that Facebook Marketplace is even safer and faster than a few other marketplaces when selling locally.
The Facebook marketplace stands apart from other marketplaces because it allows eligible sellers to sell and ship their products throughout the country in certain categories and provides a much larger customer base than sellers who sell only locally.
How large can your customer base be?
Well, according to Statista, Facebook has a colossal 2.91 billion active users a month and an estimated 800 million users a month on Marketplace.
Due to its start as a local buy/sell platform, users usually think of Marketplace as a clearinghouse for used household items. But, as we mentioned before, it is much more than that. The shipping capabilities of Marketplace indicate that it is also incredible for retail arbitrage, buying goods from a retail store and reselling them on the internet for a higher price.
What Can You Sell on Facebook Marketplace?
You can practically sell anything on the Facebook Marketplace you can think of such as:
- Cars
- Furniture
- Video games
- Phones
- And a lot more
Who should sell on Facebook Marketplace?
The Marketplace is a place for:
- Entrepreneurs
- Woodworkers
- Handmade artisans
- eCommerce business
- Brick-and-mortar stores
In short, it is for everyone! Facebook doesn’t charge fees for listing your items if you are selling locally, unlike other reselling or eCommerce marketplaces. Moreover, the seller is only charged 5 percent of the sale price if a customer places an order that needs to be shipped. This low expense and low entry barrier make selling products on Facebook an obvious choice for new as well as experienced sellers.
What are the Essentials of Selling on Facebook?
If you want to sell on Facebook Marketplace, you just need your active Facebook account. If you offer shipping on your products, there’s an extra step of entering the payment and shipping information.
After covering the basics, let’s explore how to sell things on Facebook Marketplace.
How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace?
You can access Facebook Marketplace from both desktop and mobile. If you want to use Marketplace from a desktop, here’s how you list a product:
On Desktop
- Log in to your Facebook account
- On the homepage, you’ll see the Marketplace tab, if not, type Marketplace on the search bar and it will show up
- Then click on Create New Listing
- Choose Item for Sale. (It gets quite important in this step)
- Fill in product information and upload product images
- Ensure your listing title and description has relevant keywords to enhance your SEO
- Select “Shipping Only” or “Local Pickup Only”
- Select the weight of the package and determine the label cost
- Select where to list. You can list your product just in Marketplace or Marketplace with other buying/selling groups
- Hit “Publish”
And just like that, you are done with listing your first Marketplace product.
How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace on a Mobile?
If you are using a mobile device instead of a desktop, here are the steps:
- Launch the Facebook app on your phone and log into your account
- At the center of the bottom toolbar, you’ll see the marketplace. Click on it.
- Choose sell
- Under Create New Listing, select Items
- Add product information and at least one product image and press Next
- Select a delivery method and publish your listing.
Facebook Marketplace Payment Details
Deciding on the payment method is totally up to the seller. However, Facebook recommends using Paypal or Messenger to get instantly paid at the point of sale. You can use different payment methods to determine which one is well suited for you as well as the buyer. For instance, you can use Venom or PayPal, but if the buyer doesn’t have those then you have to collect cash at the time of delivery, given they are local.
A quick tip: Link your Paypal account or debit card and you can send money via Facebook Messenger.
Facebook Marketplace Shipping and Returns
The shipping feature is only available if you are selling products as a shop meaning you have to pay a 5 percent shipping fee for every shipment or $0.40 for shipping a product $8.00 or less.
Once the online checkout and shipping have been set up, you have to ship the item within a set amount of time otherwise the order will automatically be canceled by Facebook. When it comes to the shipping costs, either you can choose to pay it or let the buyer bear the cost.
As a seller, it is your responsibility to add product tracking information and mark the product as shipped to receive payments on items that have to be shipped. Additionally, you will get to respond and resolve any issue with the buyer and further get two days to refund the money to the buyer (as per the discussion with the buyer) within two business days after the item is returned.
How to Communicate with Buyers?
Now that you know how to sell on Facebook Marketplace, you can do it for other products as well and expect potential buyers to message you regarding the product. Therefore, after your listing is live, download the Facebook Messenger app so that you don’t miss any messages from potential buyers.
When you are dealing with customers, you have to maintain your calm and be respectful as some of the customers can be quite rude. You should:
- Answer as many messages as possible quickly as it increases the chances of making a sale
- Ignore or block the person if they are being rude or angry
- Answer the questions using the Messenger app when you are not in front of your computer
- Expect negotiations
- Communicate respectfully and stay firm on your price
How to Handle a Local Sale?
If you are selling locally, being aware of strangers is a no-brainer. When you are handing off a product to a person you talked to on the internet, be cautious and follow these tips:
- View the buyer's profile before meeting them
- Ensure that they have real photos and their basic information on the profile
- If the customer is sketchy, stop all communication
- Report the customer if you are highly suspicious of them
- Even if someone checks out, let some of your family and friends know where you are heading off to
Advanced selling tips for Facebook Marketplace
Once you get used to listing your products and optimizing them to stand out, you will become a pro. Let’s take a look at some strategies on how to sell things on Facebook Marketplace more efficaciously.
Boost your Listings
To boost your listings, you can create an advert of your listings, which has a few benefits such as:
- After boosting your listings, it will appear in potential buyers’ news feeds
- You can customize your target audience
- You can set a campaign date range and your daily budget
- Check your listing’s performance from Facebook insights
Offer Free Local Delivery
Even if you are selling locally, offering free home delivery, especially for items such as furniture that is difficult to pick up by the customer is an excellent strategy. Offer local delivery only if it's convenient for you.
Take Great Photos
In your listing, the first thing a potential buyer sees is the product image. So, don’t use images that are poorly lit or blurry. Ensure that the product images that you upload are crisp and well-lit. Remember, customers always want photos of the product they are going to get, so ensure the images are high quality.
Post your Listing in Local Selling Groups
As we’ve mentioned earlier, you can either list your product on Marketplace or both Marketplace and local selling groups. Doing so can increase the visibility of your items in front of local customers. If the group is active, your product listing may get quick attention.
Renew your Post
If your listing has not got attention even after 7 days of posting it, you can renew your listing. It will push your listing at the top of the results, free of cost. Your listing will be eventually pushed down when more sellers list their products,
To renew your listing, visit the Marketplace, tap on “Your Account,” and then go to “Your Listings.”
On your listing, tap on the three-dot icon, and from the drop-down menu, you can renew your listing.
Expand to Other Marketplaces
Once you get the hang of selling on Facebook Marketplace, you can explore more advanced marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon. These marketplaces have millions of users across the world and needless to say, they are a step up from Facebook Marketplace. Besides, Amazon’s Fulfilment by Amazon makes shipping a piece of cake.
Concluding Thoughts
Once you master the art of how to sell on Facebook Marketplace, it becomes an incredibly easy-to-use platform that makes selling simple for you and buying even simpler for the customers. With billions of active users a month, it is an ideal place to get your products in front of your target audience.
