How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace and Not Waste Time

Selling on Facebook Marketplace can be a great way to bring in some extra cash – if you do it right. If you’re not experienced with selling on Marketplace, there are also a lot of pitfalls that can cause you to actually lose time and money. Over the years, we’ve sold thousands of dollars’ worth of items on Marketplace, so we’re going to share some of the tips we’ve learned for how to sell on Facebook Marketplace and not waste time (or money!) in the process!

(Don’t have time to read through all of the tips? Scroll to the bottom for a bullet point list on how to avoid time wasters on Facebook Marketplace!)

Is Selling on Facebook Marketplace Worth It?

With nearly 3 billion Facebook users, using Facebook’s Marketplace feature is a great online platform that you can use to earn some cash from home. Whether you use it to clear out items you already have and no longer need, or you start a small business flipping items on this online storefront, if you do it right, Marketplace is a great place to bring in some extra income. 

All you need is an active Facebook account, a physical product (or a few!), and preferably a phone with a camera and the Facebook app.

And the more items you sell, the more you’ll learn about what items are worth it, which ones aren’t a good idea to waste time on, and how to do a improve your techniques as your list products, increase your views in the search results, and reach your target audience of potential customers. 

Facebook Marketplace has both saved and earned us a lot of money over the years as we’ve bought and sold dozens and dozens of items (including some big-ticket items like vehicles, furniture, machinery, our wood stove, and lots more!). However, all of those sales didn’t come without some learning experiences and mistakes! Those mistakes and successes in regards to the hows of selling on Facebook Marketplace are what we want to share with you. Hopefully, they can you can make the best of your Marketplace experience and earn some good money along the way.

Hopefully, this complete guide to selling on Facebook Marketplace based on our experience can help you avoid some of the mistakes we’ve made and skip to getting some successful sales!

13 Tips for How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace

If you use it right, Marketplace is an excellent sales channel to clean out your house, flip the great deals you find at thrift stores or garage sales (or even on Marketplace itself), and bring in some extra cash – all from your own home. 

The first step is just making sure that you have a Facebook account and downloading the mobile app. (You can do Marketplace from the computer, but having a phone to use for picture taking and quick message replies will really boost your Marketplace game.) Once you have that, it’s time to grab some physical products and create your listings! 

Here are some best practices that we’ve learned about how to sell on Facebook Marketplace through our experience with many, many Marketplace listings, 

1. Some items just aren’t worth selling

First of all, before you go making a new listing, choose what you sell wisely. If you don’t have unlimited time to spend taking pictures, posting items, and messaging and meeting with potential buyers, stick to items that have some value and have a decent likelihood of selling.

Smaller, $5-$10 items will usually end up costing you more time to list than they’re actually worth. If you’re in it to make some cash rather than simply cleaning out the extra bedroom, the best way to do this is to list items that are worth $20+. Furniture, collectables, vehicles, lawn equipment, electronics, kids’ items and toys, tools, musical instruments, and similar products are some potentially profitable categories to consider.

2. Choose the right price

Before deciding on a price for your item, do a little research. Search similar items on Facebook Marketplace and other relatable sites. Take into consideration how available or unavailable that specific item is in your area. Is it in high demand, or are there dozens of them on Marketplace?

Decide whether you’re willing to ship and how much that will cost. (Side note, while Facebook doesn’t take any listing fees, there are small fees for items that you ship.) If you want your item to sell quickly, pricing it competitively is obviously important. 

On the other hand, if you have a less common item to sell and you don’t need it out of your house right away, don’t be afraid to choose a little bit higher price and wait for the right buyer to come along.

3. Provide a detailed product description

If you want to save time, be sure to add all of the necessary and relevant information to your post in a detailed description. This might include measurements or size, features, year (on equipment), etc.

If you don’t add these details, inevitably, someone is going to ask you about them and you’ll just have to find them anyway, so you may as well add them right away to save you time and get more interest in your item.

4. Take the time to take high-quality photos

Good lighting, good angles, and a variety of needed pictures is one of the best ways to generate interest in your item. The goal is to make the searcher feel as if they’re right there with the item and that they know what to expect. A good product photo (or even better, a few high-quality photos) can often be the deciding factor for whether or not you’ll make money on Marketplace.

You don’t have to be a professional in order to take better pictures of your items. Start by simply taking the time to wipe down or clean up the item. Put it in an open space clear of junk and clutter. Use natural lighting if at all possible. Take pictures from a few different angles. Simple photography techniques make a huge difference in both price and how quickly it will sell.

Lastly, be sure to add pictures of anything that’s not up to par, such as scratches, dents, broken pieces, etc. You want people to feel comfortable with their purchase, and being honest about its condition is one of the best ways to help them out in this area.

In addition, keep in mind that Marketplace offers the opportunity for buyers to rate sellers, and honesty is an important factor in receiving good ratings and ultimately increasing all of your Marketplace sales.

5. Mention any necessary pickup details

In order to make sure that your potential buyers are thoroughly prepared to purchase your item, be sure to mention any special pickup details. If the item is heavy or large and they’ll need another person to help lift it or a truck to transport it, you may want to consider putting this in the description. If not, you’ll probably want to at least mention it via private message when talking with your buyer.

It may seem obvious, but you don’t want to take the chance of having a buyer come unprepared to take your item home.

Keep in mind that you can target both local buyers and even expand your customer base with Facebook’s shipping option. Online sellers often find that adding shipping to expand past your local community is an excellent way to get more interest and sell a lot more items. 

6. Respond quickly

Responding on Facebook messenger in a timely manner is one of the best ways to keep potential buyers interested in your item and let them know that you’re on top of things. If it takes you a day to respond, often times, they’ve already moved on or found another similar product somewhere else.

7. Be wary of scammers

Unfortunately, there are no shortage of scammers on Facebook Marketplace. On the bright side, if you’re aware of their tactics, you can easily avoid them.

If someone messages you and seems strange or off, start by taking a look at their Facebook profile. If they have just a few friends (or no friends), minimal pictures, or strange information on their profile, be wary. In some cases, it may be totally fine (perhaps they just don’t use their personal Facebook account much), but in other cases, this can be a sign of a scammer account.

If they ask to send you money, this can also be a sign of a scam. Additionally, many scammers will ask for your phone number, ask you to send them money, or to try to take the conversation out of the platform. 

Additionally, be wary of people who want you to deliver, especially if the item is smaller and doesn’t need any special equipment, such as a truck, to move. Even if the person is completely honest, you also run the risk of spending gas and drive time and having them not show up or having them reject the item. There are some cases in which delivering works well (for an extra fee, of course), but take caution if you decide to go this route.

As a note, there are cases in which any one of these issues may arise and the person is actually totally honest. Much of it comes down to using common sense judgement. If something seems off, or if you notice multiple red flags, take precautions. Always use secure payment methods (cash is usually best), keep the conversation on the platform, and don’t give them any unneeded personal information. And if you do decide to meet, consider meeting in a safe, public place.

Here are 7 tips to avoid scams on Facebook Marketplace as a buyer.

8. Include PPU, POOS, and FCFS

Including these clarifying details (if applicable) in your item’s description is extremely beneficial for not wasting time and for not dealing with Marketplace drama (it’s real!). If you’re not familiar, here’s what they mean:

• PPU – porch pickup (as opposed to meetups)
• POOS – posted on other sites (use this is you’ve posted your item for sale in Facebook groups or in other places altogether)
• FCFS – first come, first serve

Marketplace can get tricky when you have multiple people wanting your item and you’re not sure who to give it to. As a general rule, the first person to message you should usually get the item. However, if they can’t come today or tomorrow, it’s totally fair to move to the next person. If you’re not willing to hold the item for someone, be clear that it’s first come, first serve (as in, if you can come first, you can have it).

In general, if someone can’t give us a time today or tomorrow that they can come, we tell them to message us when they can come, and if it’s still available, they can have it.

It gets even trickier when you tell someone it’s available, but before they respond, someone else messages you wanting to pick it up. If the honest thing to do is to give it to the first person who messages, what do you do? Just wait for them to respond?

It works well to give that first person a timeframe in which to let you know if they can come get the item. For example, let them know that you now have other people interested and to please message you within the hour if they still want it.

9. Withhold your address for as long as you can

Selling on Marketplace usually requires giving out your address, but you don’t have to do this unnecessarily. In fact, it’s best to wait as long as you can before letting buyers know where you live.

It usually works well to wait until the day that they’re set to come; perhaps even just an hour or two before they arrive. Also, don’t give your address until you are fairly confident that someone is coming. Being interested isn’t enough. And please, for safety’s sake, don’t give them your address and then tell them that you won’t be home until 5:00.

If they need to know where you’re located in order to determine their drive time, you can give them general directions, such as “5 minutes south of town”. You could also send the address of a public place, such as a store or gas station, and tell them that you’re near that place.

10. Mark it “pending” as soon as you have someone coming

If someone tells you that they’re coming for your item and you schedule a time, mark your item as “pending” right away. This will keep you from receiving dozens more messages, especially if you have a lot of interest. It will also help people to feel that they’re being treated fairly. If the item is not marked “pending” and someone doesn’t get a chance to purchase the item, they may feel as if you let someone else jump in front of them.

11. Renew your listings

If your item isn’t selling after a couple of weeks or so, try renewing the listing. If you go to your listings, you can simply click on the renew button to do so.

Because of the Facebook algorithm, sometimes items may not be seen for awhile. Then, the algorithm changes and 20 people might message you in one day after having no action on your item for weeks. We’ve had this happen multiple times. Renewing your listing will help it to be seen by the algorithm.

To move your item faster, hit the button to lower the price (rather than simply editing the post) so that it displays the slashed price and lets people know that your motivated to sell.

12. Keep Your Seller Profile Looking Good

Your seller profile shows your reviews, items you’re selling, and items you’ve sold. Interested users can also navigate to your personal Facebook page from here. This is a great way for buyers to check and see what other people have said about you and if anything looks fishy. 

Keeping a decent picture as your personal Facebook profile picture will also help to build trust. For example, a picture of you with your spouse and kids shows clearly that you’re a real person and looks a lot more personable and trustworthy than some odd graphic or a blurry picture of your dog. 

13. Don’t burn bridges

Lastly, here’s a bonus tip. Don’t burn bridges. Many times on Marketplace, you’ll get lower offers for your item from interested buyers who don’t want to pay the full price. If you’ve just recently posted it and aren’t willing to decrease the price yet, don’t just say, “no”. Instead, keep your options open. Let them know that you just posted the item and don’t want to decrease the price yet, but that you’ll keep their offer in mind.

If your item doesn’t sell for awhile, it’s better to have options. If you give those people a flat out “no” right away, it will be pretty embarrassing to go crawling back to them when your item still hasn’t sold and you’re ready to accept their offer.

FAQs About How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace

How can I get more views on Facebook Marketplace?

There are a number of ways to improve your product listing. But if you’re not getting views, it doesn’t even matter how great your listing looks. Here are a few tips for getting more views on Facebook Marketplace.

• Make sure your listing has a reasonable price. Do your research and choose competitive prices if it’s important to you to sell the item in a timely fashion.
• Include a high-quality feature photo. As the first thing buyers see, it’s important that your feature photo is clear and decent.
• Choose the right product categories. Make sure that you’ve chosen the correct category (or categories) for your product so that it shows up in users’ category searches.
• Make sure you’re renewing your post. After awhile, the post will get old and won’t show up often in Facebook’s algorithm. Renewing your post or even deleting and re-listing it can help it show up for more searchers.
• Add shipping. If you’re willing to ship your item to those who aren’t in your local area, adding this option will make your listing show up for more prospective buyers.
• Always utilize new features. When Facebook rolls out new features, (like videos on your Marketplace posts, for instance), always utilize them when possible for best results. This is another great way to help your post show up more often in the algorithm.
• Follow Facebook’s commerce policies. Of course, it’s vital to follow the commerce policies when using your Facebook Marketplace account. Here are some examples of what you can and can’t sell on Marketplace.

What does pending mean on Facebook Marketplace?

If you see a post marked “pending”, this most likely means that they have made a deal with a buyer and are waiting for said buyer to come pick up the item. Marking your posts “pending” when you’ve made plans with a buyer to come pick up your item is a good way to slow down or stop additional and unnecessary messages from other potential buyers. 

You can always unmark it if the deal falls through.

What is Facebook Shop?

With Facebook Shops, you can create an online store on Marketplace and Instagram. It’s free to create and use a Facebook shop. 

Quick Tips for Avoiding Time Wasters on Facebook Marketplace

1. Stick to items that are worth $20 or more. Inexpensive or less valuable items will attract less serious buyers.
2. Don’t go out of your way to be available for pickup. Many people won’t actually show up, so only say that you’re available if you’re already going to be at home (or at the specified location) for a period of time. This way, you don’t lose as much if they’re a no show.
3. You don’t have to reply to, “Is this available?”. If you find yourself getting too many of these messages with no follow up, mention in the post that you won’t reply to “Is this available?”.
4. Make your post detailed and clear so you don’t have to waste time answering simple questions. If you include enough information in your post, you’ll naturally attract more serious buyers.
5. Add a sufficient amount of pictures. Again, if you have enough quality pictures of every aspect of the item within the post, you won’t get as many flippant questions.
6. Tell people your approximate location. We’ll explain with a sample conversation: “Can I come get this?” “Yes, located on the north side of town near Speedway. When can you pick up?” This gives the buyer enough information to know whether you’re 5 minutes or 30 minutes away. Giving enough information can be the boost a buyer needs to reply seriously and promptly without feeling overwhelmed by a lack of knowledge.

Make Some Extra Cash with Facebook Marketplace

One of the best ways to succeed on Marketplace is simply to be fair and honest with people. Sometimes you might find yourself in a sticky situation, but try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and just be kind and fair.

If you get good at selling on Facebook Marketplace, it can be a really great way to make some extra cash. Start keeping your eye out for products that you can flip. Sometimes you can even purchase items on Marketplace itself, clean them up, fix them, take better pictures, and make a good profit. (Read about our favorite Marketplace deal – a free John Deere 325!)

Pin this post for later!

Related posts