Best Tips for Selling on Facebook Marketplace in 2023

by Timothy Ronaldson

Updated

Facebook Marketplace has become one of the most popular sites for selling and buying used items from other people. 

If you’re looking to sell some of your used stuff, it’s always a good idea to follow the best tips for selling on Facebook marketplace.

In our guide below, we will provide you the best Facebook marketplace selling tips for 2023 so you can sell your items fast, safe and for good money.

How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace Locally

Facebook Marketplace is a great online tool to sell your goods and one of the top places to sell stuff online.

You can think of it as a virtual garage sale of sorts, as you list your items for sale by creating a headline, uploading photos, writing a description and then posting a price.

Oftentimes, people who are browsing your items will want to learn more about them, or they might try to haggle you on the price.

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Again, this is how it’s a lot like selling at a garage sale or yard sale. Learning how to value used items can help this process go smoothly.

Sellers are always looking to get top dollar for their items, while buyers are looking for a good deal.

When you are listing your items, you will be able to enter in your location. 

This will then get attached to your listing so that people know where they would have to go to pick up their item, or if they’d need to work out delivery methods.

If you want to know how to improve Facebook Marketplace listings, make sure that in your description, you write whether you’d like to only sell items for local pickup, or whether you’d be willing to make other arrangements. 

This will help you keep your sales locally if you wish.

Trend on the Rise

One of the main advantages to selling locally on Facebook Marketplace is that you can sell bigger items that might be too expensive to ship. Furniture, for example, is a great fit for the platform, and is frequently sold there.

Facebook Marketplace Rules for Sellers

Facebook Marketplace has a number of rules that sellers must follow if they want to list their items on the platform, along with proper Facebook Marketplace seller etiquette

These rules apply to a number of different sections of their platform, including the Marketplace, Buy and sell groups, Page shops, the Facebook Shop and the Instagram Shop.

Facebook Marketplace does a nice job of listing all the rules and regulations that people have to abide by if they want to sell on the platform. 

Facebook Marketplace does ban certain items from being sold.

What You Can’t Do as a Seller

According to Facebook Marketplace’s rules, you can’t sell the following items on their platform:

  • Fake items – Only real, physical products can be sold. You can’t sell news or jokes, for example, or create a post for something you’re in search of.
  • Any services – You can only sell products, not services. This means you can’t advertise your house cleaning services for sale.
  • Photo and description – The photos you upload must match the description as well as the title of the listing on the site.
  • Animals or pets – You can’t sell any animals or pets on Facebook Marketplace, including listing animals for adoption.
  • Health items – You can’t sell any health-care related items, such as a first-aid kit or thermometers.
  • Before-and-after photos – Your listing cannot include any before-and-after photo, such as a weight loss photo that would prove a certain product works.

Tactic for Success

One thing that can really slow down your sales on Facebook Marketplace is if you constantly have to edit or update it based on violations of the platform’s terms. So, after you write a draft of your post, check the terms and conditions to see if it meets them. This will save you time in the long run.

How much does Facebook Marketplace take from a sale?

facebook-marketplace-electronics

One of the best parts about selling on Facebook Marketplace is you are not charged a fee to sell your items, in most cases. 

In this way, it works as a free platform to list items for sale.

In essence, Facebook just serves as a communication platform that connects potential sellers to potential buyers. 

Trend on the Rise

People all around the world use Facebook Marketplace on a daily basis. In fact, of the more than 2.7 billion monthly users Facebook has a whole, 1 billion of those people are considered active on the Marketplace. This is another great reason to sell your items on the Facebook Marketplace platform.

They don’t handle any part of the transaction; they just allow people to list their items for sale and for others to search items for sale.

In fact, all postings to Facebook Marketplace are completely free. This is one of the biggest advantages to using the platform. 

If you are deciding between platforms, check out these selling tips on Craigslist or even how much pawn shops will pay to ensure you make an informed decision. 

If you use the Facebook Shop to sell an item, though, there are some fees. The site charges a 5% fee for each shipment that you make. 

That fee goes down to $0.40 for any item that sells for a value up to $8.

Tactic for Success

Since Facebook Marketplace is free to list items, a good way to maximize your potential sales is to list everything you want to sell all at once. Take a shot and list everything you would want to sell, and see if there are potential buyers. Facebook Marketplace only has a limit of 150 listings per day for sellers.

What should you not do when selling on Facebook Marketplace?

There are a number of things that you shouldn’t do when selling on Facebook Marketplace. 

We have covered some of the things you can’t do per the site’s terms and conditions, and we provide some ways you can protect yourself in the next section.

In terms of general advice, though, you should understand that there are certain items that sell well on Facebook Marketplace and others that don’t sell too well. 

Of course, start by avoiding things that are banned by the site, but also look around at what else is being listed in your area to get a good idea of what might sell.

Next, make sure that you have really good photos to go along with your items. 

Buyers are likely to be very suspicious if your listing lacks photos or if the photos are not a good quality.

Finally, don’t skimp on the description. Even if you have a great title and photos, you want to completely describe the item. 

The more detailed you can be about it, the better. This is your chance to tell the story of your items so others get interested.

How do I protect myself when selling on Facebook Marketplace?

One of the biggest concerns that people have with selling on Facebook Marketplace is that most of the sales interactions must be done in person. 

As mentioned before, you may even have to have the potential buyer come to your house to look at and/or pick up the item they are buying, especially if it’s something heavier such as furniture.

In addition, since there is no payment gateway provided on Facebook Marketplace, sellers must arrange payment with the buyer directly. 

This provides the potential for fraud to occur.

There are some tips you can follow to protect yourself when you’re selling on Facebook Marketplace, though. 

Tips for Protecting Yourself on Facebook Marketplace

safety-tips-for-facebook-marketplace

When you’re selling on Facebook Marketplace, protect yourself by following these tips:

  • Payment methods – Consider using an online payment method such as PayPal. This will protect you and the buyer, and make sure you don’t have to exchange private information. 
  • Protect privacy – Don’t share any vital information with a potential buyer that you don’t have to. Make sure to clear out your information if you’re selling an electronic such as a computer.
  • Don’t meet alone – If you have to meet a buyer in person, bring someone else with you. This will help protect you in case someone tries to scam or steal something from you.
  • Review their profile – You can check out the potential buyer in advance by looking at their Facebook profile. This could be a good way to weed out any potential scam artists.

Wrapping Up

Facebook Marketplace is one of the best online platforms to sell stuff you no longer want or need. 

Because of the huge number of people on it on a daily basis, and because they don’t take fees from most sellers, it’s one of the preferred platforms out there. 

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Tim is a classically-trained journalist who loves to share knowledge and information with others. In the past, he has worked in TV, online and print media, and currently works with companies to help design, create and strategize their messaging.

About the Author

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Tim is a classically-trained journalist who loves to share knowledge and information with others. In the past, he has worked in TV, online and print media, and currently works with companies to help design, create and strategize their messaging.