How To Sell On Facebook Marketplace – A Complete Guide!

Facebook Marketplace – Let’s Go Back In Time

The e-commerce industry is spreading like wildfire. The industry has made it possible for businesses to thrive and grow, no matter how small the scale. To give you an example of how easy it is, think of an item that’s been laying around in your garage. There’s a product that someone needs, and they will gladly pay a fair amount for it. See?

The industry was already growing pretty smoothly, but then COVID-19 added fuel to that fire. It is no surprise that Facebook saw this coming and started making moves at the right time. The initiative of Facebook Marketplace was first launched back in 2016. During that time, it was taken as just another one of Facebook’s attempts at replicating other apps and merging them with Facebook.

Over the years, we observed futile attempts by several other websites to take Craiglist’s spot, but in this case, it is Facebook we’re talking about. Little did people know that Facebook Marketplace would become a competitor to Craigslist in just a couple of years. They have now made a place in the e-commerce industry, and we can only expect their service to improve further with time.

Facebook Marketplace Explained

So, what is the Facebook Marketplace? It is a channel for business owners to sell products online – but with numerous features that set it apart from others. It’s no news that Facebook is THE social network. Using the reach it already had to make it a marketplace was a genius strategy.

Before it was turned into a marketplace, businesses already used the platform for social advertising. The added feature of listing products in a virtual marketplace made it much easier for businesses and potential customers to connect. You may be wondering how this platform stands out from other websites like Etsy, Craigslist, or eBay that are solely designed for sellers. Well, here are five answers to that:

1.Easy Access

In this day and age, it’s common knowledge that all businesses use Facebook for marketing. Why wouldn’t they? It’s a platform that gives you access to billions of people every day. This brings me to my next point – chances that your business doesn’t have a Facebook presence already are slim.

Having a Facebook presence saves you the hassle of building up your business’s presence on any other website for product listing. The former makes it much easier to list your products and appear on Facebook Marketplace search just with a few clicks.

2.Product Listing & Categorization

You can easily access the Facebook Marketplace option through your app. This feature allows you to post all your products in a matter of minutes. All you need to do is take pictures of the product and create a listing with just a few clicks.

As a business owner, you’re always busy. Another feature that sets the Facebook Marketplace apart from the rest is the algorithm that reads the image and suggests relevant categories.

All that’s left is typing in a short description and you’re all set. This process just takes 5-10 minutes. If we talk about Craigslist on the other hand, their app came out two years ago. The application’s design is minimalistic just like the website itself. If I’m being honest, I find it too basic and a lot of users agree.

3.You Can Use Facebook Groups

Before Facebook Marketplace was officially launched, Facebook was already being used as means for trading through groups. Now there are two kinds of groups: a regular group and those where the admin has turned on the selling feature. When you list a product in the Facebook Marketplace you have the option to share the product listing in the buying and selling group.

4.Free Listings!

Getting your products listed on the Facebook Marketplace search isn’t just easy but also absolutely free. There are websites that charge a non-refundable fee just to list products which makes them an expensive option. Then there is the risk of not making a sale which will result in fees being a total loss. This makes the Facebook platform even more accessible and affordable to businesses!

5.The Possibility to Become a Trend

We all know how trends are these days. If your product somehow becomes a part of a trend, you’ll become a success story overnight. Almost all people who will end up knowing about this trend are likely to have their personal Facebook account and I cannot say this for other websites like Craiglist, Etsy, etc. Their first instinct would be to use the Facebook Marketplace search engine. If they find it on there, they’ll instantly purchase it.

A Short Step-by-Step Guide on How to Sell On Facebook Marketplace

The listing process is pretty simple but we’re here to guide you through each step. Here is a step-by-step breakdown of how to sell on Facebook marketplace:

• Log in to your account
• On the far left, under your name, look for ‘Marketplace’ 

• Click on it and you’ll see the following options appear:

• Click on ‘Create new listing’.
• When you click on it, you’ll see the following options to choose from: 

• After you select the listing type from the above options, the following pop-up will appear:

• I’d advise you to read it carefully and then click on ‘I Accept’ to proceed. 
• The next step will be to add details about your product. 
• This page will appear:

• In this step, upload the picture of your product. You have to upload at least one image and the maximum number of images allowed is 10.
• Fill in the title and other sections on the left half of the page. The information will automatically appear on the right side. 
• Fill in details about the condition of the product and other important information that the buyer would want to know about the product.
• Facebook will fill in the category section by itself after scanning the photo but if it’s not accurate you can change it manually too. 
• Fill in the necessary or optional boxes and you’re all set to post! 

How to Use All the Benefits Facebook Marketplace Has to Offer

If you’ve decided to be a part of the Facebook buying and selling squad, you might as well use the Facebook Marketplace search to its fullest. There are a few ways you can boost your sales on Facebook Marketplace.

1.Understand the Facebook Marketplace

Doing research and understanding what you’re getting into is one of the basics when it comes to running a business successfully. The fact that you’re reading this guide says that you’re aware of it.

When you use Facebook to sell, you get access to users who have the intention to buy through the platform. The next step is to get discovered by a larger pool of potential buyers.
One of the most important aspects that you need to familiarize yourself with is categories. Below are categories available for product listings.

• Housing
• Hobbies
• Entertainment
• Deals
• Classifieds
• Vehicles
• Home and Garden
• Family
• Electronics
• Clothing and Accessories
  

If the PlayStation you’re trying to sell is listed under ‘Clothing and Accessories’, users will just scroll past it because it has no value for them. Hence, taking time to study these categories and using the right ones for your product will help you connect with the right people.

2.Run Facebook Ads

Another great tool to reach more customers is by running ads in the marketplace. The difference between regular ads and one dedicated to the marketplace is the fact that your ad isn’t showing up to random people who are scrolling through the feed to pass time.

Since it’s for the marketplace, it will target users who have a higher probability of making a purchase.

We’d recommend you run a few trial ads before going all in. This will help you understand the settings that bring the most results. When you have results, you’ll know which ad to commit to.

3.Make Use of Product Photography

As per this article, results of queries made with shoppers aged between 16 to 55 years showed that over 75% of online shoppers believe that product pictures play a huge role when they’re deciding whether they’ll buy a product or not.

It’s simple. Most people inspect a product thoroughly when they go out to buy something. It’s no different when people are shopping online. They’ll only look at the description and ask questions when photos have caught their attention. Wondering how you can get good pictures without having to spend a lot on professional product photography? Well, here’s how.

There are several things you need:

• Your phone’s camera
• Good, natural lighting
• A nice and simple background
  

Additional tips:

• For editing, you can rely on free presets that come with editing software.
• If you always end up taking shaky pictures, invest in a tripod.
• Don’t edit the picture too much so that buyers can see the product in its actual form and not be disappointed when they get the product.

4.Use Keywords

Keywords are the key to success to reach your target audience. If you want to connect with potential buyers, you have to get your listing to rank on search engines and keywords will help you do exactly that. Buyers usually know what they’re looking for.

The title should have the keyword buyers will search for and the description should have all the details. The right description will serve as semantic keywords.

5.Have a Good Seller Record

Just like Facebook gives a blue tick to celebrities or influencers with a huge following to verify that they’re the real deal, they have a similar system in place that makes a good seller stand out.

Facebook has two badges:

• a very responsive badge
• a community-recommended badge
  

If you earn both of these, it’ll automatically earn the trust of customers. In an e-commerce business, having an added layer of trust is always beneficial.

6.Keep Track of Demand

If you’re doing the initial research on starting out a business, digging into what’s already high in demand is a great idea. There are hundreds of people using Facebook Marketplace. With a bit of research, you can track the most profitable items to trade.

If you have a niche in mind, search all Facebook marketplace for businesses that are selling products in that niche. When you open their business pages, items that are listed at the top have the highest demand. Simple!

You need to stay updated with the hot-selling items of your own product listings too. If a product appears to be doing exceptionally well, boosting promotions on that will bring in more customers.

7.Focus on Service

This goes for every business, be it on Facebook Marketplace or any other platform. If you make customers feel heard and cared for, they’re bound to come back for more and might even bring their friends and family along. Remember that just a share on the profile of a happy customer has the potential to attract a couple more sales.

Responding to queries with a positive attitude, responding fast, and offering a little bit more than what others are offering will make you shine. These services can be shipping or delivery and free delivery for orders above a certain amount.

Whatever and however small it may be, it counts.

Take Away

At the end of the day, there are countless platforms that you can use to sell your products. Each website has its own pros and cons. There are numerous features that the Facebook Marketplace has to offer that other websites cannot just because they aren’t one of the biggest social networking platforms. Use all the benefits Facebook Marketplace has to offer along with benefits that other platforms offer too.

There is no question that Facebook Marketplace is a great way to sell but you also have the option to use other platforms. Just as other platforms can’t offer what Facebook can, they will have their own features which you may not have access to through the Facebook Marketplace.