Facebook Marketplace: The amazing opportunity right under our noses
Did you know that you can sell things on Facebook? Whether you use Facebook to flog a second-hand chair, as an additional marketplace to grow your private label business, or as a place to test the demand for your next product – there’s a huge opportunity for all sellers to make some money.
Facebook says that “Marketplace is a convenient destination…to discover, buy and sell items with people in your community”.
And while the Facebook marketplace is still often seen as the “new kid on the block”, there are still plenty of people buying here!
In fact, Facebook Marketplace is used by over 800 million people every month in over 70 countries.
What’s more – if you’re selling as an individual, it’s free to list your products. No commission, no third-party fees. You can pocket 100% of the revenue.
- Maybe you have some unwanted items lying around the house? Pop on the marketplace to make some easy cash.
- Maybe you’re selling your products on Amazon slowly, and you want to sell off your stock faster? You can use the marketplace to reach a new audience and if you make any sales, create a manual order in the backend of your Amazon dashboard. Enter your customer’s address so that the product is shipped directly to them.
- Maybe you have an idea for a new product to sell online, but you want to gage the demand before buying stock? Create a listing on the marketplace and you can see how many people request more information.
- Or maybe you want to dropship products which you find on eBay and resell on Facebook? Sometimes you can buy products direct from the supplier on eBay and then list them on Facebook, at a marked up price.
Now, it’s worth noting that if you list a product as a brand, you will pay 5% commission fees – but even 5% isn’t too bad, especially when you compare it to the hefty fees on the likes of Amazon, eBay & Walmart.
So here’s more information about Facebook Marketplace…
- It’s very easy to list your products; it really can take only 30 seconds
- It’s most commonly used for buying-and-selling items locally (although there are workarounds if you want to expand your business to other areas)
- You can boost your listing by putting money behind it – if you want to increase exposure
- You can use it to build relationships with the local community
- Sales are less reliant on reviews (as opposed to Amazon or eBay where reviews can make-or-break a sale)
- You can also share your listing in multiple groups on Facebook
Here’s how to list a product on Facebook Marketplace:
- Go to Facebook Marketplace
- Click on “Sell”
- Click on the type of product you have to sell; it’s most likely going to be “Items”
- Fill in the fields: Title, Price, Category, Your Location, Description
- Add photos
- Add product tags → you can have a maximum of 20. Don’t be lazy here as the keywords in this field will help your customers find you.
- Hit “Next”
- Add the Condition & Brand (if applicable)
- Choose whether to “Offer Delivery” or not → We recommend toggling this on for maximum exposure
- Hit “Next” – and then “Publish”
- You can also share your listing in multiple groups too (a maximum of 2o). For example, if you live in Hackney and are part of a Facebook group called “Hackney Wick Locals” – then you could share your listing in a group like this.
Then, Facebook will review your listing, and shortly after, it should go live.
If people are interested in your product, you’ll then receive messages from people asking whether it’s still available. It’s quite common for customers to negotiate a lower price, so you might want to set the price as a bit higher to allow for any negotiation.
If you are selling locally, your customer might want to arrange collection or delivery. The standard protocol is that the customer goes to the seller, so don’t worry about having to travel around too much. However, you may get a customer who can’t come to you and it will be up to you to decide if it’s worth traveling.
And of course, the most important bit – the payment! You can either…
- Take cash in hand when you meet the customer and give them the product (if you have the physical product and are selling locally)
- Or if you’re using the marketplace to sell products online, follow the dropshipping model. I.e. Ask the customer to pay you online via PayPal or a bank transfer, and then order the product once you’ve received the money. Make sure you enter your customer’s address and request the seller does not attach a receipt.
A few tips to help you win on Facebook marketplace
- Make sure you create your listing from your mobile as there are more features in the mobile app (the desktop option doesn’t enable you to add product tags)
- Images tend to work best if they are informal, lifestyle shots – i.e. it’s better to stay away from the more professional, white-background shots
- Set a price higher than what you’re hoping for because customers tend to negotiate
- Join groups on Facebook so you can share your listing and reach a larger audience
- Make sure you respond to customers’ messages quickly to ensure they don’t look elsewhere
- You can boost your listing for as little as £1 – if you’d like to reach more people or feature on “Today’s Picks”
- If you are using the marketplace to dropship items from eBay, make sure you select a seller who is based in the same country as your customer to ensure they receive fast shipping. Also, tell the seller that you are buying as a gift to ensure they don’t attach a receipt with the price.
- In order to reach more people, you can create multiple listings for the same product – as long as you change your location and the hero image. So if you have one product to sell, create multiple listings and change the location to densely populated towns or cities so that more people see your listing.
- If you’re selling locally and meeting your customer, always do it in public and in daylight to ensure it’s safe.
***
Whether you’re using the marketplace to sell a few items you have lying around your house or to launch a new product, we hope you love it. It can be a fun way to buy-and-sell because it’s easy to get started and doesn’t require any upfront investment. You don’t need to spend any money on marketing or inventory!
If you start selling on Facebook marketplace, we’d love to hear how you get on! Comment below to let us know.
Good luck & have fun!