Whether you’re a brand-new entrepreneur or seasoned eCommerce pro looking to increase sales, finding new channels where you can sell effectively is vital to your success.
More than one in three people on Facebook in the U.S. use Marketplace each month to buy and sell goods. This is a huge opportunity you can take advantage of by executing a plan that builds awareness for your business, drives sales, and turns your customers into fans.
Want to use Facebook Marketplace to reach more customers? Use this guide to learn about the benefits of selling on Facebook Marketplace and how to start.
Can you sell on Facebook Marketplace as a business?
The Facebook Marketplace was created to make it easier for users to buy and sell items in their communities. Think of it as the “For Sale” section in Craigslist but with higher-quality listings.
As more people began using Marketplace, Facebook allowed businesses into the market to interact with people and sell their wares. Today, business owners and marketers use Marketplace to get leads, chat with interested buyers, and generate sales.
Businesses can use Marketplace to:
- Show inventory for products, home rentals, vehicles, and more by working with a Marketplace listing partner like Shopify.
- Advertise items and their business on Marketplace to reach buyers, even if they don’t sell directly on Marketplace.
As a business on Marketplace, you tap into a community of active buyers. Every month, millions of users in the United States browse and buy products from people and businesses in the Marketplace.
A shopper can see location, sizes, images, descriptions, and other information they need to make a decision on the product listing page.
Marketplace allows businesses to manage customer relationships throughout the entire sales funnel—from the first touchpoint to the final sale—-in one friendly and casual place.
Benefits of selling on Facebook Marketplace
There are many reasons why eCommerce business owners should list products on Facebook Marketplace. Here some of the top benefits:
- Reach more buyers on Facebook: When you list products on Marketplace, you can tap into a large audience of people actively looking for products you may not be able to access through traditional Facebook advertising.
- A Facebook Storefront: Retailers on Marketplace can list and manage inventory on a dedicated Shop Section on Pages, the storefront of your Facebook Business Page. People can check out your Shop to see your listings, ask questions, read reviews, and even buy products without ever leaving your Page.
- Partner integrations: Marketplace works with inventory management software providers, including Shopify, BigCommerce, ChannelAdvisor, and others. In most cases, you can manage Marketplace catalogs and fulfillment from your partner admin dashboard.
- Convenient order management tools: Retailers on Marketplace get access to great order management tools such as on-site checkout, sales tax management, chargeback management, direct deposits, and more.
- Live Shopping: You can sell items and interact with shoppers directly through the Live Shopping tab in Marketplace.
Marketplace makes it easy for people to find the products they are looking for and get answers from your business in real-time using Messenger. At the moment, companies can’t use ManyChat to manage these conversations and inquiries—all interactions are person-to-person.
Is there a fee to sell on Facebook Marketplace?
Facebook Marketplace allows businesses to create and manage listings for free. There may be costs involved with setting up feeds with an inventory partner, but Facebook doesn’t charge any fees.
How to list products on Facebook Marketplace
According to its Commerce Policies, anyone can sell stuff on Marketplace as long as Facebook approves it. You don’t need a Marketplace account to start; you can use a personal or business account to make your first sale. Follow these steps to list your products on Marketplace:
1. Click the Marketplace icon on your Facebook account homepage.
2. Select +Create New Listing from the left-hand menu.
3. Click Item for Sale.
4. Enter your product details.
5. Click Next, then choose your delivery method.
6. Click Next. Check your details, then click Publish to make your listing live.
How do you successfully sell on Facebook Marketplace?
Here are some tips and recommendations for selling on the Facebook Marketplace that will engage prospects and boost sales.
- Use images to your advantage. High-quality photos are a great way to showcase your products on Marketplace. Since there are many everyday people selling items on the platform, there are also many low-quality, so-so images. Make your pictures stand out and speak for themselves to draw buyers’ attention and persuade them to learn more.
- Show your product from different angles. You can add up to 10 images for your inventory listing. Potential customers want to know what they are getting and see the item from different angles (if possible). Build trust with clean, professional shots of your product from multiple perspectives.
- Run Facebook Marketplace ads. If you want a low-cost method to increase Facebook ROAS and sales, run Facebook ads in Marketplace. These ads show up next to regular ad listings (right where active buyers are searching for products), exposing your business to high-intent shoppers. You can also create a Custom Audience for your Marketplace ads to target people with particular characteristics.
- Test new products. Marketplace is the perfect channel to launch a new product or get some early feedback on how people react to it. Since Facebook is already showing your listing to a target group, you can test if a product will resonate with your audience. Make it more enticing by offering a special discount for Marketplace buyers to capture more leads and encourage sales.
- Focus on customer service. Be active in the Messenger chat window. If a potential buyer asks a question through the listing, you’ll want to respond to them as quickly as possible to close the sale.
Facebook Marketplace success stories
See how other retailers are building their brands and selling on Facebook Marketplace, and learn how to create a success story of your own.
Succulents Box
Succulents Box is a California-based online succulent plant retailer that sells over 200 varieties of succulents through a subscription service. The brand wanted to expand its advertising beyond the company website to reach more potential customers and increase sales.
They decided to list their products on Facebook Marketplace and generated 66% more purchases compared to the previous year.
Succulents Box listed over 150 listings, including rare and slow-selling products, and generated thousands of orders in the first 40 days.
Results included:
- A 66% average increase in monthly purchases
- A 19% increase in monthly revenue, all from Facebook Marketplace
- A full 18% of total sales generated from Facebook Marketplace listings
- A whopping 2.3x more orders from Marketplace than from their next best sales channel
Hats Unlimited
Hats Unlimited sells all types of hats, from fedoras, to caps, to cowboy hats. The brand is always looking for new ways to find and sell to their target audience. When their eCommerce platform, BigCommerce, recommended they try Marketplace, they jumped on the opportunity.
Hats Unlimited used Facebook Marketplace to create immersive and personalized shopping experiences for buyers. They had a team standing by to respond to questions and help shoppers move on to the next steps. Their efforts generated a 31% increase in revenue and 23% more purchase orders.
Results included:
- A 31% increase in online revenue from Marketplace shoppers
- A 23% in purchase orders from Marketplace
- A sweet 22% of total online sales generated in Facebook Marketplace
Take your Facebook selling to the next level
Facebook Marketplace can be a quick and easy channel to promote your business and find new customers on Facebook. Take advantage of your ability to chat with people on Messenger and test products, and you can create new social selling opportunities that will turn leads into sales and sell more online.
