Everyone is familiar with Facebook as a platform for keeping up with loved ones, sharing images, and finding interest-related groups. But did you know that you can use Facebook to start an online store and even sell goods there? All you need is a Facebook account that is active!
I’ll demonstrate how to sell on Facebook Marketplace in this post, drawing on the tried-and-true methods I advise Amazon merchants to use.
What is Facebook Marketplace?
Facebook launched The Marketplace in 2016, and it soon gained popularity as a location for people to sell goods to nearby customers. Facebook Marketplace is a safer and easier-to-use site to use when selling locally compared to Craigslist.
By enabling qualified merchants to provide nationwide shipping for goods in some categories, Facebook further differentiates itself from Craigslist and gives them access to a much bigger client base than local-only sellers.
What size? With an estimated 800 million monthly Marketplace users, Facebook itself has a staggering 2.9 billion monthly active users.
People frequently imagine the Marketplace as a clearinghouse for people’s used or unwanted home things because of its beginnings as a local buy/sell platform. However, because of its shipping capabilities, it’s also excellent for retail arbitrage, which involves purchasing in-demand items from a physical store and then reselling them online for a profit.
Spend some time exploring the Marketplace if you’re unfamiliar with the many things that are offered. You can buy and sell just about everything on sites like eBay or Craigslist, including automobiles, couches, video games, furniture, and more.
Who should sell on Facebook Marketplace?
Anybody, to sum it up! The Facebook Marketplace isn’t just for folks who have spare items they want to sell; it’s also for business owners, e-commerce companies, Amazon sellers, woodworkers, handmade artists, brick-and-mortar establishments, you get the idea.
In reality, there aren’t many differences between selling methods on Facebook and those on sites like Amazon and eBay.
If you’re selling locally, Facebook doesn’t charge you anything to list your goods, unlike other e-commerce or reselling marketplaces. Only 5% of the sale price must be paid by the vendor if a consumer orders shipping. For both novice and seasoned ecommerce entrepreneurs, listing products on Facebook is a no-brainer due to the low overhead.
What do you need to start selling on Facebook?
An active Facebook account is all that is required to begin selling on Facebook Marketplace. It really is that easy! You must go through the extra effort of adding your payment and shipping details if you want to provide shipping on your listings.
How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace: A Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: How to set up your Facebook Marketplace account
You can access Facebook Marketplace if you already have a functioning Facebook account. You should see a “Marketplace” tab on the side of your Facebook home page to the left. If not, type “Marketplace” into the search field, and it should appear.
It’s simple to create a Facebook account if you don’t already have one.
Click “Create New Account” on the Facebook website.
After providing your details, click “Sign Up.”
Your account will then be configured and ready to use. It’s necessary for you to fill out some details so that you appear to be a real person; doing so will increase your credibility on the Marketplace. If you don’t at least have a profile photo and other basic identifying information on your account, people won’t want to buy from you.
All there is to it is that! You can access the Marketplace once your Facebook account is prepared.
Step 2: What should you sell on Facebook?
You can sell almost anything on Facebook Marketplace, just as on eBay and Craigslist. Look through your home, garage, or attic to see if there is anything that is worth enough to sell that is taking up space and that you can sell on Facebook.
This can apply to anything, such as outdated furniture, outdated technology, video games, kitchen equipment, literature, etc. Look around the Marketplace to find out what people are selling nearby.
While you’re at it, observe the product descriptions and images of other sellers. What did you as a prospective customer find useful, and where do you think we can improve? Did the vendor, for instance, give the product’s measurements and well-lit images taken from several angles? As you design your own listings, keep in mind your observations (more on building listings in Step 4).