Facebook is the largest social network in the world, reporting over 3 billion active users as of August 2023. In the last decade, Facebook has nearly tripled the number of active users. Facebook Marketplace is a great place to buy and sell!
To put this into perspective, Facebook has 23x more active users than eBay! Not all Facebook users are Facebook Marketplace shoppers, but Facebook has a profound way of turning browsers into buyers!
💡 Did you know that Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are all owned by the same parent company, Meta?
Selling on Facebook Marketplace
While Facebook marketplace started as a local sort of “online yard sale,” the introduction of the ability for sellers to ship across the country has allowed the marketplace to take off! Facebook Marketplace allows for both local pickup and national shipping. The sky is the limit! 🚀
How to Get Started Selling on Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is rapidly growing and a very lucrative platform for resellers. Facebook turns its ginormous audience of users into customers by showing them ads and saving their search data from the social media app. If you have ever looked for something on Facebook Marketplace, you have learned that you are notified when similar items are listed. This is a feature you cannot turn off; one of many not-so-subtle marketing tools that turns social media users into shoppers.
It is easy to start selling on Facebook Marketplace, especially if you already have a Facebook account. If you don’t have a regular Facebook account, you will need to create one.
If you already have a Facebook account, you will not want to create a new Facebook account to use on Marketplace; Facebook does not allow users to have multiple accounts with the same contact information, and you need to provide accurate information on your account for tax purposes. Be ready to provide your contact information and banking information when you sign up to sell. Plus, new accounts have very limited features. If you try to create a new one, you won’t be able to sell or ship.
💡 Tip: If you don’t want your friends and family to see your listings, you can easily hide listings from your friend’s list!
How to List an Item for Sale on Facebook Marketplace.
The Facebook Marketplace App is more convenient than the website, but the listing is much faster on the Facebook website.
Creating listings is simple. You will navigate to the “Marketplace” tab of the Facebook app or website.
From here, you can select “Create Listing,” and you will be directed to the listing page.
Listing on Facebook Marketplace is much easier with Vendoo! With Vendoo, you can crosslist your items to Facebook Marketplace with just a few clicks!
Once you complete the listing, it will be published. You can manage your listings from your Marketplace hub.
💡 Tip: If you have never sold on Marketplace, you may have to apply to be able to ship things. A great way to bypass the waiting period is to sell a few items via local pickup.
What Can You Sell on Facebook Marketplace
You can sell almost anything on FBMP, so long as it isn’t alive, illegal, or too mature. Items must be tangible, so digital downloads or services are not allowed, either. Read more about Facebook Marketplace’s prohibited items here.
Top-selling items on Facebook Marketplace include cars and vehicles, electronics and media, home décor and hard goods, and toys and games.
Top sellers on Facebook Marketplace are comparable to those on eBay and Mercari. If you sell on either, get your items cross-listed on Facebook Marketplace today!
Tips and Tricks for Selling on Facebook Marketplace
Facebook listings do not necessarily require much maintenance, but there are many ways to increase exposure and maximize sales.
Here are some Facebook Marketplace tips and tricks for seller success:
- Enhance your keywords and take amazing product photographs to optimize your ranking in the Facebook search forum.
- Offer free shipping to attract more buyers and have your items advertised under relevant filters.
- Renew your listings every 7 days to refresh them to the top of search results. Accomplish this by going to your item and clicking “renew.”
- Check your Marketplace Facebook Messenger. The Marketplace messenger is odd and does not prominently notify you the way the normal messenger does. It operates like a separate inbox. Be sure to frequently check your marketplace messages so you don’t miss an offer or question from a potential buyer.
- Obtain positive feedback. Feedback actually matters on Facebook, and the higher your average review rating, the more visibility your listings will receive!
- Relist your items. If your item is unsold and becomes “stale”, relist it! Vendoo’s bulk delist and relist tool makes this easy and gives you hundreds of new listings in just minutes!
- Boost Your Listings via paid promotion, and create a personalized marketing campaign for each item & the desired audience for your ad.
Don’t Forget about Facebook Groups and Pages
When you list your item on Marketplace, you have the option to “share” your listing to any eligible groups of which you are a member. If you are selling on Facebook Marketplace, join groups! Search for groups in your town, surrounding towns, and county. Also, you might consider searching for groups relevant to what you are selling (i.e. fashion and brand groups for apparel, gaming groups for video games, and collectible groups for hardgoods). There are millions of Facebook groups, and you can share a listing to up to 20 groups. This is one of my best tips for selling on Facebook Marketplace!
Shipping on Facebook Marketplace
Shipping your Facebook Marketplace orders is simple and easy! Be sure to ship your order within three days of purchase. There are many ways to ship your items on Facebook marketplace.
How Do You Ship on Facebook Marketplace?
The seller has a lot of authority regarding shipping preferences. On Facebook Marketplace, you can elect to:
- Ship with a prepaid label from Facebook
- Offer free shipping (pay yourself) or charge the buyer
- Choose your preferred shipping carrier: USPS, UPS, FedEx
If you elect to ship with a prepaid label, you will have to weigh (or at least estimate) your item's weight before listing and ship with USPS Priority Mail. If you elect to ship on your own, you will create your own shipping label and enter the tracking information into Facebook. When shipping on your own, you can use any shipping carrier.
If you offer free shipping, your listings will generate the most exposure, and you will pay the cost to ship the item to the buyer. Or you can charge the buyer for shipping, by either charging the price on the prepaid label settings or charging any arbitrary amount you choose.
💡 Tip: Facebook constantly has promotions for free shipping, meaning that Facebook pays for the label! For this reason, I opt to ship with Facebook to enjoy these frequent promotions.
Facebook Marketplace Local Selling
Don’t forget that Facebook Marketplace offers local-only pick-up options. You can turn on local pick-up for any any all of your listings, which appear in more search feeds based on your location. This is a great way to make more local sales and avoid the shipping process.
Facebook Marketplace local pick-up is great for large and heavy items, furniture and appliances, decor, and more (the items that will be tough to ship). Of course, if you are meeting with people, please remember to be safe. Meet in a public place, even outside your local police station, and bring a friend with you when possible.
You may also like: 10 Great Marketplaces Every Reseller Should Consider
Facebook Marketplace Fees & Balance Redemption
Facebook Marketplace has the lowest fees. They do not charge a listing fee and take only a 5% fee upon sale (a minimum charge of $0.40, even if that exceeds 5% of the sale price). The fee includes taxes, payment processing, and the commission to Facebook. Of course, if you sponsor or advertise your listings, there are various fees associated with those.
💡 Tip: Selling on Facebook Marketplace is free for local pickup! If you’re accepting an electronic payment outside of Facebook, be sure to use a safe and protected platform like Facebook Pay or Paypal. Facebook only charges seller fees when the item is shipped (or promoted).
While Facebook has amazingly low fees, it requires patience in awaiting your funds. Expect to be paid 15-20 days after you confirm shipment or five days after the buyer confirms delivery. Your payout will be directly deposited automatically into your bank via the banking information you provide upon establishing your seller account.
Buyer and Seller Protection & Disputing Transactions
Facebook is… frustratingly tough to get in touch with. In fact, their support is almost non-existent. Instead, they advise you to read the Help Center. Don’t worry, there are tons of Facebook community threads where you can ask questions from other sellers.
As a seller, you can establish your own return policy, but regardless, a buyer can successfully file a claim for a refund when:
- They aren’t received (within 2 days of the estimated arrival date, or 16 days of the purchase)
- The item is not as described (i.e. missing parts, damaged during shipment, not as advertised, or in any way different than what was ordered). Like most reselling platforms, buyers cannot return due to buyer’s remorse or if they simply don’t like what they purchased.
Learn more about protected purchases, disputes, and refunds here.
All in all, Facebook is an amazing place to sell, with potentially the largest audience that is ever-expanding. While clothing and apparel don’t perform as amazingly on Facebook Marketplace as they might elsewhere, it is a great place to sell almost anything else.
Did you know you can cross-list your items to Facebook Marketplace in just seconds with Vendoo?
Are you a marketplace seller? What are your best tips and tricks for making sales on Facebook Marketplace? Share below! 👇🏽
