Posted by Online shopping has witnessed a boom in the past year, including social channels like Facebook.
Whether you wish to sell products from e-commerce stores or try to do away with old stuff in your home, learning how to sell on Facebook Marketplace is a great way to move products and make some extra income.
What is Facebook Marketplace?
It is a platform that links sellers with potential buyers in their area. On Facebook Marketplace, you can buy, sell and trade items with people in your community. If you are a merchant based in the US, you can offer nationwide shipping for products in specific categories. Shipping items enables merchants to reach customers nationwide, not just in their local region.
Facebook Marketplace sets itself apart by giving ratings and public profiles for buyers and sellers. The ratings help both parties to be confident about their transactions. Buyers can use filters for location category and price to narrow down sellers for the products they are interested in buying.
As compared to other marketplaces, Facebook lets you sell locally without charges. Merchants that ship across the nation pay only 5% of the transaction value, what is referred to by Facebook as trading fees.
Facebook Marketplace is a great way to sell items locally. You can find everything from clothes and furniture to cars and electronics on Facebook Marketplace.
How to Sell Like Crazy on Facebook Marketplace
Benefits of using it
There are several reasons why you need to jump onto the Facebook Marketplace bandwagon.
Most notably, you will be able to reach more customers faster. According to a Facebook report for Q1 2021, Facebook has more than one billion visitors and close to three billion users on the site overall.
With this massive reach, your items are seen immediately by large numbers of people. Getting traffic of this kind could take months to generate on your website and social channels alone.
Since Facebook is a trusted platform, customers’ trust will extend to you. They will feel more comfortable making a purchase knowing Facebook backs it. Also, since the sales process is relatively easy, there is a higher chance that customers will make a purchase right there on the spot.
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Categories on Facebook Marketplace
The Facebook marketplace gives many different categories, which means that sellers of all kinds can list their products. Some of them are: vehicles, clothing, accessories, electronics, home and garden, entertainment, housing, jobs, etc.
Irrespective of whether you operate a boutique, you distribute toys or whatsoever, there is a category for you on the Facebook Marketplace.
Try to create a name for yourself in a specific category. Give clear descriptions of your items, upload images of high quality and answer questions that buyers have about the condition of your products. By taking these steps, you have a chance to become a trusted seller and also build a reputation on the platform.
Facebook Marketplace Rules
The listings you have must comply with Facebook Marketplace rules.
Facebook’s commerce policies state the following:
- Never list prohibited items such as vouchers, adult products, events, animals and digital media.
- Your listing must not infringe upon the intellectual property possessed by a third party
- Your product should be an actual product, not a meme, news or service.
During the pandemic, Facebook granted additional advice on carrying out safe selling. It includes following local health and safety guidelines, cleaning the items before selling them, and organizing products to be delivered. As a Facebook marketplace merchant, you must ship items within three days of making a sale.
How to sell on the Facebook marketplace
Selling on Facebook Marketplace is relatively fast and straightforward.
Here are ways for you to begin:
- Log into your personal or business Facebook account or sign up for a new one.
- Look out for the Facebook Marketplace icon, which looks like the front of a store on your desktop’s top right side of your screen. On your mobile device, it is at the bottom.
- Click on “create a new listing or the Sell button.
- Choose your listing type: items, vehicles, or jobs.
- Fill in the details of your listing.
- Confirm the location and set up delivery if you wish
- Whose where do you wish to promote your listing, which could be either publicly on the Marketplace or in specific groups.
- Hit publish, and you are good to go.
Now that your listing has gone live, keep an eye open for messages from interested buyers. We recommend that you download the Facebook Messenger app on your phone to get notified when notifications come in. with messenger, you also get to respond quickly to questions which increases your chances of making a sale.
Receiving payment from buyers
The Facebook marketplace has a built-in system for local payments, which means you will need to coordinate directly with the buyer to complete the transaction.
You can either collect payment in cash or use an electronic payment system that ensures transaction security, like Venmo, PayPal, or Wise. Add the payment method and pick up information in the items description to save buyers time and organize smooth transactions for your business.
Note that a popular scam on Facebook Marketplace is for the buyer to send a fake payment receipt once you make the payment request. Endeavour continuously checks your account before sending the item to avoid incurring losses.
Tips to help boost sales on your Facebook Marketplace
Besides optimizing your listing, there are some more ways to increase your sales on Facebook Marketplace.
Here are some tips that can help you get more customers:
1. Set a competitive price
Before you set your prices, check out comparable listings to see what others ask. You want to make sure your prices are neither too high nor too low from the current Marketplace cost. Check and compare prices with other sellers, then set a reasonable price to ensure your items sell promptly.
A reasonable price, however, depends on the condition of your item. If it is near or better in quality than similar products currently listed, you can demand a higher price. If it is second hand or has a missing part, pricing it below comparable listings should help it stand out on the platform.
2. Take great photos
Photos give life to the marketplace listings. Pictures of high quality encourage people to buy as they see how the products look. Take some time to ensure that your photos are clean, crisp and sharp. Capturing images in natural light is a way to have an accurate colour presentation.
You also want to make sure that you take photos from several angles to give a complete picture to interested buyers. It would be best to consider taking a couple of close-ups of any damaged parts to keep things transparent. The more closely your photos look like the actual item, and the more likely people will be willing to buy it.
3. Include search tags
A tag box is below every FB marketplace listing form. Ensure to fill it with words a buyer may type in the search bar to find your listing. For instance, if you are selling an antique necklace, ensure to include tags like “antique,” “jewelry,” “vintage,” and so on.
4. Offer local delivery
Facebook marketplace does not offer a fulfilment service, so most exchange for products requires face to face meetings. The problem here is that most customers don’t like showing up to pick up the items, especially when they are significant—for example, heavy furniture.
Consider giving local delivery within a manageable radius for you, and more eyeballs will glue to your listings.
5. Renew your listings
If your item is on the list and can’t sell, you can renew its listing. Doing so will take your listing back to the top of the results list. By clicking “Your Account” and “Your Listings” in the marketplace dashboard, you can do this.
Find the item and click the three-dotted icon on the listing thumbnail. Select the option to renew the listing from the dropdown menu. Replicate these steps for outdated listings to improve your stock’s visibility.
Click here to increase your Facebook sales in 2022
Get the best of sales through Facebook Marketplace
Irrespective of whether you are searching for how to grow your store’s customer base, sell some handmade items or do away with old stuff, Facebook Marketplace can be an excellent option to sell quickly and easily.
Ensure that you add some love to your listings with high-quality photos and honest descriptions that are well detailed. You will be able to do away with the back and forth of people asking questions while minimizing the chance that a customer will be unhappy with their purchase.
Facebook is a compelling platform, with tons of people and merchants that gain from tapping into that power to sell their items.
In conclusion, we can say that the Facebook Marketplace is an excellent place to sell your products as you have billions of users that go on Facebook regularly, which results in a high chance of having a boost in sales. Take good photos to attract buyers. Also, ensure transparency by taking pictures of cracks and damages to the product.
You may also like to read our latest article, Shopify: How to Sell Online with the eCommerce Giant.
