So you’re looking to get into the business of selling stuff, and you know Facebook is a good option because of how many users it has. There are 1.62 million people active on Facebook every day! You know that’s a broad potential audience to sell to, but you’re not sure how to sell stuff on Facebook.
There are certain aspects of selling on Facebook that you need to consider, and all of those aspects are broken down below. Ultimately, you’ll want to know the best way to post your offer, where on Facebook to post your offer, what to sell on Facebook, and other general tips to maximize your success. So, let’s find out exactly how to sell stuff on Facebook.
How To Post Your Offer On Facebook
Before trying to sell anything on Facebook, do some research on fair pricing. Make sure your price is relatively competitive. That means don’t pick an amount that is way above the market price point for that item. You can get an idea of how much you should sell your item for by checking out the prices of similar items being sold on Facebook Marketplace or Facebook “buy and sell” groups. Sell yours on the high end of that range and prepare to negotiate on price.
No matter what method you use to post your offer, make sure you take a photo of the item you are selling, provide a description of the item and its condition, and the price point. Make sure to use quality photos to entice the buyer.
Also, if you are selling multiple items, always post them in individual listings. You may be tempted to list them all in one listing, but people are not going to look through 10 photos to see if you are selling the item they want.
Additionally, you may end up having multiple offers if you use the various methods that there are to sell on Facebook. When this happens, make a list of all of the people who reach out to you and their offer. By doing this, you can make more money by selling to the highest bidder(s).
Different Ways To Post Your Offer On Facebook
On Facebook, there are a few options for ways can post about your sales offer. The four are ways are: posting on your news feed, using Facebook Marketplace, joining “buy and sell” groups, creating a niche group, and setting up a Facebook store.
Posting On Your News Feed
Posting on your news feed may not provide you the results you will get with the other four options, but it is still worth a shot. You may find that one of your Facebook friends ends up wanting to purchase your item(s).
Join Buy And Sell Groups
Another option you have is to join “buy and sell” groups on Facebook. Some of the groups are niche, and some are more general garage-sale-type groups. You should join both types to increase your chances of effectively selling your merchandise.
Use Facebook Marketplace
When using Facebook Marketplace, you need to have already had a Facebook for a while. Facebook wants to mitigate scammers from creating profiles just to use the platform, so if you are just creating a Facebook, it may be a while before you are allowed to use Facebook Marketplace.
However, this a significant way people successfully and quickly sell stuff on Facebook. There are several different categories on Facebook Marketplace that you can use to help target your audience more effectively.
For selling locally, using Facebook Marketplace is free, which is superb because it means more money in your pocket! For local sales, buyers on Facebook Marketplace can message you regarding what they are willing to offer if they aren’t willing to pay your pricepoint. Once you agree on a price, you can arrange to meet for item pick-up.
For safety reasons, always meet in a public place. Choose a place off major streets and highways, so if someone is coming out of town, they can find the location more quickly. Avoid meeting up in large parking lots unless you can hone in on a specific spot in the parking lot. For instance, asking a buyer to meet in a Walmart parking lot isn’t too vague. They may not be able to find you. If you specify, instead, to have them meet you at the Starbucks in the Walmart parking lot, they will be able to find you more easily.
Selling locally does take work because you will have to be messaging people back and forth, but the benefit to this method is you don’t have to wait for your funds to be sent to you by Facebook, and you also don’t have to worry about a customer giving a bad review if they receive an item they don’t like. Because the customer gets to review the item with you in person, once they decide to accept the item, it’s a done deal.
However, if you want a more passive way of selling through Facebook Marketplace, you can offer shipping and checkout through Marketplace. With this method, you do run the risk of potentially getting a bad review. Additionally, this feature only works for the Facebook app on iPhone and Android. The good part, though, is that you get access to a national audience, which means more potential buyers.
To be eligible, you can’t be new to Facebook or Marketplace and must not have frequently gone against Facebook’s Community Standards or Commerce Policies.
For more details on how to set up shipping, click here. If you do decide to use Facebook’s shipping option, they do charge a selling fee of 5% or a minimum of $0.40 for each item that is purchased with shipping and checkout.
The best part about using Facebook Marketplace is that when you post an offer, the platform lets you simultaneously post to all of the buy/sell groups you are in, which means less work for you!
For a full tutorial on selling on Facebook Marketplace, check out this video.
Make Your Own Niche Group
Creating your own group is best for more niche items. Some items sell better on Facebook Marketplace than others. If you have a very niche item you are selling that isn’t doing as well on Facebook Marketplace, you can create a Facebook group and foster trust between you and group members by becoming the expert in your niche as well as offering free information. Eventually, when you do sell your merchandise, people will be more receptive. For instance, clothes don’t sell as well on Facebook, but if you create a fashion-focused group, you are more likely to have potential buyers.
Set Up A Facebook Store
If you have a business and are trying to use Facebook as a platform to sell merchandise online, you can create a Facebook page for your business. Generating this page will allow you to set up a Facebook store, and from your Facebook store, you can sell to your customers directly. For a full breakdown of the best way to set up your Facebook store, click here.
What Items To Sell On Facebook
You can sell both old and new items on Facebook. If you’re just getting rid of old stuff, you typically won’t have to pay taxes when you sell things on Facebook. However, if you are making and selling merchandise on Facebook as an actual business with resale intention, that is taxable.
If you are trying to get into reselling, make sure you know what business entity you want to be considered for tax purposes and legal reasons, understand the taxes you will need to pay and take advantage of tax deductions. Speak to a tax accountant regarding this.
Also, before getting into what to sell, it’s essential to know that there are also items you cannot sell.
In terms of what you should sell, you need to decide based on the route you are taking. If you plan to sell locally, sell items on Facebook that are going to attract a more local audience. An example would be hats with local sports teams on them. Other popular local items to sell are furniture, electronics, and household items like microwaves.
In terms of selling to a broader audience, if you decide to use Facebook Marketplace shipping, you will have much more competition than if you sell locally. Instead of just competing with people locally, you will be competing with vendors nationally. That means you should focus on selling items that are not too similar to other items. Character and high-ticket toys are good options for this. Not only are they widely popular from a buyer perspective, but you also have diversity on what specific toys you can sell.
More Tips For Selling On Facebook
Now that you know the basics, here are some more tips to help you maximize your Facebook selling success.
Check Your Message Requests
If you are selling on “buy and sell” groups, you will have potential buyers messaging you directly on your profile. If you are not friends with the buyer, the message will go to a significantly less visible “message requests” folder. Facebook does this to prevent spam. Because of this, it is easy to miss when people message you. Make sure you are checking that to see if a buyer has reached out.
To get access to this message folder, click on the messenger button, and when you see the dropdown of messages, you will see it on the top to the right of “recent.” It will say, “message requests.”
Get Paid In Cash
Facebook Marketplace will accept payment for you if you use their shipping option. However, if you are selling locally instead, you should always collect payment in cash to prevent getting scammed. The only other ways of receiving payment that you should remotely consider are PayPal and Venmo. Make sure you are getting paid before transferring the item to the person. Since you will be meeting in person, have them transfer you the money during the meeting. Do not, under any circumstance, take a check because they can bounce.
Adhere To Group Rules
When joining “buy and sell” groups, there will be rules that the administrators put in place. Make sure to read, understand, and follow the rules. The rules can vary, but sometimes those rules include the types of items allowed and how many times you are allowed to post per week. If you do not follow the rules, you could get kicked out of the group.
Build A Relationship With Potential Customers
If you decide to create your own Facebook store or Facebook group, make sure you are building relationships with your customers. Do this by posting helpful content, quality photos, engaging with your potential customers, and promptly responding to comments and messages. You want to build trust while enticing people to purchase your products.
Get A Separate Phone Number
With Facebook “buy and sell” groups as well as Facebook Marketplace, you will find that many people want your phone number before meeting. If you do not want to give out your number to strangers, you should get a separate business phone number. Some will recommend getting a second SIM card, but truthfully, that isn’t necessary. Nowadays, you can download apps that will allow you to create a second number that you can text and call from. Personally, my favorite is “TextNow” because it’s free to use and has yet to fail me.
Advertise
Advertising is the best option if you are creating a Facebook store to sell merchandise online. Facebook advertising is going to get your brand name out to more people and increase your sales. The average cost of a Facebook ad click is around $0.55, which is cheap. Multiple companies have tested the effectiveness of Facebook Ads and found that the return on investment (ROI) is high. You can generally expect to make anywhere from $4 to $13 per every $1 that you spend in advertising. Anything above $4 in revenue per $1 spent on advertising is considered a good ROI. Make sure to research how to effectively create a Facebook Ad campaign.
Reduce Risk Of No-Shows
You will find that when you try to sell locally through “buy and sell” groups or Facebook Marketplace that sometimes your customers who showed interest will not show up to a meeting you two set up. To reduce the risk of a no-show, always confirm 30 minutes beforehand with the person you plan to meet. If they do not respond, do not go.
Additionally, if you are selling many items and having many buyers showing interest, you can also set up specific times you will be at a particular location and let all buyers know. For instance, you can choose to always be available at 3 PM on a Saturday at the nearby Starbucks. That way, if one customer doesn’t show up, you still have 2 or 3 others that will, and you won’t have wasted your time going to the Starbucks.
Wrapping Up: How To Sell Stuff On Facebook
Now you have the information you need to start selling stuff on Facebook. Whether you want to sell old stuff you’re trying to get rid of, new merchandise you are trying to resell, or provide an entire online shopping experience for your customer, there is a way to do it and make money on Facebook. You could make it a side-hustle or even a full-time gig if you wanted to.
Because of the large user-base that you instantly have access to and the fact that you have the option to sell for free, Facebook is an excellent way to make a pretty profit. If you want to up the chances of your stuff selling you can also consider posting on multiple sites, such as Amazon or eBay as well. Now, start selling and making that money!
