While a lot of people are busy making friends on Facebook, others are getting rich with the same platform. Yes, the world’s largest social media platform has turned to an online marketplace where people buy and sell different items. What’s more interesting is that many retailers have turned selling on Facebook marketplace into a full-time gig. What is more lucrative than showcasing your products at low risk and without any selling or listing fee? Amazon, Shopify, and eBay sellers can relate. This is what Facebook Marketplace offers, and more. Want to convert your time to money on Facebook? This simple guide will show you how to sell on Facebook Marketplace and get rich.
In 2018, it was recorded that almost 800 million people from 70 countries use Facebook Marketplace to buy and sell goods each month. Although the Facebook Marketplace is not up to a decade old, not even Amazon, Craigslist, or eBay boasts a huge amount of traffic. Because everybody uses Facebook to keep up with friends and family members, the likelihood of people buying stuff while connecting with their loved ones is high. Besides its intimidating audience, Facebook’s selling points are “all profits yours” no listing or selling fee, low risk, and a convenient shopping experience. No wonder more and more people buy items at garage sales or even on Craigslist to resell for a higher price on Facebook.
5 Things You Should Know Before Start Selling On Facebook
Before you start selling on Facebook, there are a few things you need to know. Here, we highlight five things to know on how to sell items on Facebook Marketplace.
- Know whether the Facebook Marketplace is a good place to sell and make a profit
Before learning how to sell stuff on Facebook, you need to know whether or not Facebook Marketplace is profitable. For the Facebook Marketplace, the answer is yes. For one, Facebook has a huge audience base. Second, the Messenger platform makes it easier for sellers to communicate with prospective buyers. Compared to other online marketplaces [eBay or Craigslist], sellers on Facebook Marketplace can quickly make their first sale from friends, families, or even groups.
- Know the difference between Facebook Shop, Facebook Marketplace, Facebook Buy & Sell Groups
How to sell something on Facebook Marketplace? Below are three different ways on how to sell on Facebook page.
a) Facebook ShopsFacebook Shop is closer to an online store than the Facebook Marketplace. It is ideal for businesses looking to sell their items directly from Facebook or Instagram. Unlike Facebook Marketplace, Facebook Shop allows you to create a shop where shoppers can buy items directly from your Facebook or Instagram store. However, unlike the Facebook Marketplace, this service isn’t free. You will have to pay a selling fee for each sale, a 5% fee for every shipment, or 40 cents for shipments of 8USD or less. Another challenge facing Facebook Shop users is that transactions are available only in the US and to a limited number of other businesses.
b) Facebook MarketplaceFacebook Marketplace isn’t a traditional online marketplace pa say as it has no shopping cart, no tax calculation, no payment processor, no wishlist, etc. Unlike Amazon and eBay, you cannot directly buy and sell items on the Facebook Marketplace. Sellers can only list items on the Facebook Marketplace and when a prospective buyer picks interest, he/she will get in touch [more often via Facebook Messenger] with the seller to negotiate the price and arrange payment. So you can simply call Facebook Marketplace an online listing platform for local ads like Craigslist, but only for Facebook users.
c) Facebook Buy & Sell GroupsWhile you can own a store with Facebook Shop and list items on the Facebook Marketplace, Facebook Buy & Sell Groups offers rental services for advertising your items. You don’t necessarily have to own or create a group before you can sell products online. The good thing about Facebook Group is that you already have sustainable traffic to promote your items – you don’t need to become popular and grow your audience before selling your offerings. Isn’t that amazing?
- Using the right tool
Like with every other eCommerce platform, the Facebook marketplace allows the use of tools to improve store look and shopping experience. Tools like Test Shop and Commerce Manager are responsible for managing test inventory, adding/grouping products by categories, tweaking the storefront to suit your taste, redirecting shoppers to your site, and so on. Learn how to use different tools if you want to maximize your chance of success.
- Safety tips on what cannot be sold on Facebook marketplace
Just because it is a marketplace doesn’t mean anything can be sold here. Facebook isn’t eBay. So before you start selling at all, you first need to be aware of those things that Facebook doesn’t permit on its marketplace. They are:
Services: Facebook disallows selling services such as painting or house cleaning, etc.
Items that aren’t real: You cannot offer non-physical products for sale.
Healthcare: Healthcare-related items are not allowed, such as thermometers, first aid kits, and so on.
Animal for sale: You cannot sell animals on the Facebook Marketplace.
Rarer items/high-value items: Facebook is your least bet for high-value items like premium art or rare items.
Here are a few things to note also:
Description and photos don’t match: Make sure that the title, the description, and the photos of the items you list must march.
Before and after photos: Before and after photos are not allowed on the Facebook Marketplace.
- Know how to set up payment
Facebook Marketplace does not offer payment methods. Both the buyer and the seller will arrange the payment method that best suits them. However, Facebook recommends that you use P2P payment methods such as PayPal, physical cash, or wire transfer. Now how do you set up payment? Facebook provides three options to choose from. They are:
- Prospective buyers will have to chat with you directly to make a purchase. This is quite easy but rather time-consuming in the long run for any business.
- With Facebook Pay, customers will be able to check out right on Facebook or Instagram. However, this feature is only available for businesses within the United States.
iii. If you own a website, your customers will be redirected to complete their purchases.
How To Sell Something On Facebook
The following steps will guide you on how to start selling something on Facebook.
- Create a Facebook shop page
This is easy but you first need to create a Facebook account and a Facebook business page. Just visit Facebook website and sign up for a Facebook account. After that, you can create a Facebook business page. From the Facebook page, you can now create and set up your Shop.
- Configure your page’s template
Your page comes with a default appearance but you can modify it by changing the template. The major thing here is to select a template that befits your business model. After changing it, edit the option that shows products by default.
Sales: this highlights images and products.
Services: creates a connection between the user and the supplier.
This will enable the “Shop” tab to show and then you can begin the configuration process.
- Set up your shop
Setting up your shop entails a lot of things like call to action, payments, and page descriptions.
CTA [Call to Action]: Here, you can choose what action will take place when a user clicks on your product. Facebook provides two options which are:
- Open a chat box to add more details and close the sale.
- Redirect the client/customer to your website to complete the payment process.
If you offer services, initiating a conversation before selling them is necessary. Through this, you can get more leads [for email marketing] and still make sales. But for less expensive products, the second option is more appropriate. However, if you offer personalized or expensive products, then offering more information before selling is a good idea.
Configure payments
Setting up payment is an important aspect of setting up your store. Facebook will provide you with different currency options to choose from depending on your country of operation. For businesses based in the United States, the most common option is to link a bank account where the funds from orders will be deposited. For locations outside the United States, you have the option to set up payments via Stripe or PayPal.
Add your shop description
The final step in this section is to add a description of your shop. When adding a shop description, make sure you write what your business is all about, what you sell, your mission/vision, and how your business is going to help users. Your Facebook shop description needs to be clear, concise, and original.
- Add products
After the first three steps, it is time to add products to your shop. Adding new products is very easy but there are a few things you need to bear in mind. They are:
Images: Images should be at least 1024 x 1024px, square, and on a white background.
Be patient: After uploading one picture, you will need to wait around 5 – 10 minutes for it to be validated before publishing.
Variation: These are colors, size, weight, etc. and Facebook allows up to four on each store.
Product collections
Once uploading your products, you need to group them as a collection. Facebook’s product collection is the same as the product category in eCommerce. Organizing your products into collections makes it easier for your customers to browse your store. It increases your conversion rate as well as the chances of clicking.
- Promoting your Facebook store
You are almost done but you still need to let the world know about your store. Creating offers is a useful option for your sales promotions. Facebook allows you to create a temporary offer that will be shown to your followers as though it were a normal post. You can add coupons if you have and also limit your offers.
7 Tips For Selling On Facebook Marketplace
A lot of people complain about not making a sale on Facebook Marketplace. In this section, you can learn some tips for selling on Facebook Marketplace.
- Make the item you are selling clean and appealing
To become a successful seller on Facebook Marketplace, you need a level of professionalism. If you are listing used stuff, you must ensure that you dust or wash it before bringing it online.
- Take clean shots
Taking decent photos is a major selling point on Facebook Marketplace. Poorly-taken photos will discourage potential buyers even if the item is a real gem. Taking clean shots doesn’t require an expensive camera; with a well-lit room, proper positioning, and a smartphone, you can take light and bright photos that will perform well on Facebook Marketplace.
BONUS TIP: Take more than one photo
This is a trick that works well on Facebook Marketplace. Successful sellers have the habit of uploading more than one photo of what they want to sell. Uploading up to three or four product images will allow potential buyers the opportunity to have a closer look at the product, increasing the likelihood of them buying.
- Stage your photo
Sometimes you just need a little touch to fetch you some additional money for your item. When uploading a product photo, you want the potential buyer to envision themselves using your product. For instance, if you sell soccer boots, don’t lay them flat on the ground rather take them to the football pitch and snap different photos. Potential buyers will always note the difference. It might be time-consuming but it is worth it.
- Use relevant keywords for every post
Before adding any product to your store, you want to first make keyword research. Adding the right keywords in your product description, image title, and product title will boost your post’s ranking during a search on the product.
BONUS TIP: Include relevant details about your product
Here’s another bonus tip. When writing your product description, ensure to give every necessary detail about it. You want potential buyers to know how often it was used, how old it is, etc. A converting product title could be “A nine-month-old neatly-used PlayStation 4 game console in excellent condition”. This will grab more attention than just listing “PlayStation 4 for sale”.
- List items separately
Listing items separately will keep your store more organized. You don’t want to confuse your prospects by listing different items that are not related.
- Honesty matters
In all your listing, from posting images to writing descriptions, ensure that you are honest about everything. Never post new, attracting photos for items that no longer look good. If there is a missing part or component of your listing, don’t be afraid to let the buyer know. It is better to scare them away when they’ve not yet placed an order than when they get to know about your lies.
- Price higher than willing to sell
Like on Craigslist, potential buyers expect your price to be negotiated on Facebook Marketplace. Knowing this, you want to price higher than what you intend to sell. This way, when the buyer brings the price down, you both will agree on a comfortable price. You both are happy as though you got a good deal.
NB: Before adding your price, ensure that you research prices of similar products on Facebook Marketplace. If your price is too high, you may scare your buyers and if it is too low, you may run at a loss.
SOME ADDITIONAL SELLING TIPS ON FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE
- A good practice for those using Facebook Marketplace is to always ask for cash. Checks are a little tricky; you cannot trust people with checks these days.
- If your price is static [i.e. you don’t want any negotiation], you can indicate. But if you welcome negotiation, you can indicate “OBO” which means “or your best offer”.
What Category Sells Best On Facebook?
Having learned how to open an account on Facebook Marketplace and the best practices on how to sell something on Facebook, you need to learn what category sells best on Facebook. This is important because not just anything sells on Facebook. Some items have the potential of selling very fast while others are either seasonal sales or dependent on other factors. In this section, we will highlight what sells best on Facebook. You can try them all; after all, you don’t have anything to lose.
- Bulky or breakable items
Bulky items such as wardrobes and sofas sell on Facebook, however, you must note that only local buyers would be interested in this niche. So if you must sell items in this category, you must do well to target people within your location.
Facebook is the ideal destination for selling things that a lot of people want to have. Used televisions, Nintendo switches, and settees are a few examples of items in this category.
- Old valuable small items
This is great for paperbacks, baby grows and old DVDs, as postage dwarfs the gain on eBay.
- Kids' stuff
Selling kids’ items on Facebook is a brilliant idea. A lot of parents are busy looking for the next kids’ toys, cots, dolls, and jumpers to buy on Facebook.
Other items that sell the most are:
- Sport & fitness equipment
- Pet supplies
- Electronics
- Storage & organization
- Furniture
- Garden & outdoor
- Clothing
- Books
- Shoes
Finding A Reliable Dropship Supplier For Your Business
Before selling stuff on Facebook marketplace, you need to find a trustworthy supplier. Selecting suppliers is a crucial step that every online retailer needs to take. Some factors need to be taken into consideration before choosing a dropshipping supplier. They are product quality, delivery time, pre-order fee, location, MOQ [minimum order quantity], number of warehouses, price margin, shipping fee, etc. There are many dropship suppliers out there that offer various services; however, we’ve found the SaleYee reliable and trustworthy.
The SaleYee platform is a wholesale and dropshipping platform that connects dropshippers to suppliers and products. The SaleYee dropshipping platform offers over 30,000 products from trustworthy suppliers in profitable niches. Their products include kitchen, instruments, computer accessories, beauty products, jewelry, electronics, clothing, toys, and more. Using this platform is completely free; you don’t have to pay a dime to access their list of dropshippers. One interesting thing about the SaleYee platform is that they provide marketing materials to help both beginners and experts grow their businesses. saleyee.com also allows you to sync inventory and auto-upload product data, connecting your store with platforms like Shopify, Amazon, and eBay.
Wrapping Up
There you go; a simple guide on how to sell things on Facebook Marketplace. Making money on Facebook Marketplace is not only free but easy. You can sell goods both locally and internationally without paying any listing fee or membership fee. With a Facebook account and the right dropshipping partner, you can sell stuff on the Facebook Marketplace.
