Sell Clothes, Cars or Campers on Facebook Marketplace. Here’s How
Facebook Marketplace has proven to be a pretty sweet side hustle for my husband and I.
We’re preparing for the birth of our first child and have been laser-focused on organizing, cleaning out and downsizing as much as we can. In the past few months, we’ve sold everything from used furniture to skateboard wheels to vintage clothing on Facebook Marketplace — and we’ve made a few hundred bucks doing it.
Since its launch in 2016, the Facebook Marketplace has become wildly popular among down-sizers, resellers and upcyclers alike, myself included. In our guide, we’ll walk you through how to sell on marketplace, what it costs, what items sell quickest and more.
What Sells (and Doesn’t Sell) on Facebook Marketplace?
Before you start listing, take stock of what you want to sell to see if Marketplace is the right platform. Are you trying to sell new or gently used clothing, furniture and toys to your community? Great. Those items do really well. Other items that sell include appliances, baby items, electronics and games. You can also sell larger items like vehicles and home rentals on Marketplace.
There are now options to ship your items, too, though not everything is shippable. For instance, you wouldn’t want to send a dishwasher through the mail. Among our recently sold and shipped items: A banner, a vintage dress, a vintage sugar bowl and a set of brass bookends.
It’s important to know what items aren’t allowed on Marketplace. According to the company’s commerce policies, several categories are banned including weapons, drugs, gift cards, event tickets, animals and adult products. An additional restriction is placed on recalled products. Restricted categories include event tickets and services.
Listing prohibited products on the Marketplace could lead to disciplinary action, such as being banned. So be sure there are no restrictions on your item before creating a listing.
How to Create a Marketplace Listing
Creating a listing is quite simple and free. First, you’ll need a Facebook profile.
The Marketplace icon looks like a miniature storefront. On desktop, it’s along the left column, under your name. For mobile users, it’s either on the top or bottom toolbar, depending on your device. You can also go directly to www.facebook.com/marketplace.
From there, click the “Create New Listing” button. Once you begin the listing process, Facebook will prompt you to choose what category of listing: items, vehicles or housing? You can also list a job.
Next, you’ll attach your photos and fill in pertinent information, including price, condition, description and location. (You can employ Meta AI to fill in these fields based on the images. Just note that it’s not always accurate.)
You’ll also choose whether you want to offer shipping. If you do and it sells with shipping, you’ll pay a 10% fee. You’ll be paid within 20 days of the time you mark your item shipped. The upside is that Marketplace creates a USPS label for you based on the weight of your item, meaning you don’t have to pay for shipping out-of-pocket or calculate it into your sale price.
Selling stuff locally on Marketplace does not incur a fee.
Once you’ve got your listing set, it’s time to publish. Don’t forget to share your item in pertinent groups. We typically share our items to local buy-and-sell groups as well as niche groups when they’re applicable. For instance, if we’re selling a midcentury trinket, we’ll share it to midcentury pages. Skateboard wheels get shared on skate pages. We share vintage clothing to appropriate groups. The point is to advertise your item far and wide to help it sell. (More on this later.)
How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace Effectively
Selling on Facebook Marketplace is pretty straightforward stuff. If you know the relevant information about what you’re selling and have a photo or two already shot, creating a listing could take as little as 30 seconds. But just because it’s simple doesn’t mean you should blast through the process. Making your listing successful will take a little more time. And that extra effort will pay off.
Use High-Quality Photos
One of the easiest ways to make your listing stand out is through high-quality photos. As in not just one. Here are some tips to best show off your listing.
- Post multiple pictures from different angles.
- Avoid filters.
- Make sure your images are clear.
- If you’re selling something brand name, make sure to include an image of the tag or maker’s mark.
Write Useful Descriptions With Keywords
Keywords are terms or phrases people commonly type in to Marketplace’s search bar. Based on what’s included in an item’s description or title, relevant results will pop up. That’s why it’s crucial to fill out a description for each listing, even if it’s optional. Your item’s description is a place to tailor your listing to exactly what people are searching for.
It’s also a place to answer some buyers’ questions before they even have to ask — saving you time in the long run.
Don’t make that mistake and risk missing out on potential customers. Include specific details and alternative phrases that may be helpful to people searching for your item. For example, if you’re selling a fire truck, use both “fire truck” and “fire engine” in your listing description.
Price Competitively
To master how to sell on Facebook Marketplace, you need to set the right price.
Starting off, there are often three prices. What you, as the seller, want to make. What the buyer wants to spend. And then there’s a middle number between the two — it’s how much the item typically sells for on Marketplace.
First, do a little research. Try searching on Marketplace and other selling platforms for exactly what you’re selling to get an idea of the range of prices, and plot yours along that scale.
You can also adjust your prices if your item isn’t selling. When you drop the price on an item, anyone who has saved the listing will get a notification.
Cross-Post to Buy-and-Sell Groups
Once you’ve crafted a killer listing, it’s time to publish it for the world to see.
Yes, you could post it in the general Marketplace along hundreds of other listings and call it a day. But the right buyer may never see it. To get your item in front of a niche audience, cross-post your listing into a relevant buy-and-sell group.
To add your listing to a group, you first have to be a group member. So if you aren’t yet a part of any local buy-and-sell groups, get a sense of the ones in your area and what type of items they cater to. You can join as many as you want. Some are open to all, and some may have a light screening process to join.
Once you’re a member, you can cross-post your Marketplace listing. The process is straight forward: No matter what type of listing you create, the final field before clicking “Post” will prompt you to “select your audience.” Posting it to Marketplace is required, but you may also opt to post your listing to your personal News Feed as well as up to 10 buy-and-sell groups.
Be Flexible and Responsive
Your listing is live. Congrats! The work isn’t over, though.
Depending on how thorough your descriptions were, you will receive a varying amount of questions. Even if you wrote a beautiful description, not everyone reads them. Be prepared to respond.
And if you’re shipping, be prepared to move quickly. Once a payment is processed, you have a few days to get it boxed up and shipped out.
And when you’re selling locally, keep in mind the people inquiring about your item or room or vehicle are probably going to be friends, friends-of-friends or someone you may potentially run into at the grocery store. So being polite, flexible with availability and meetup locations can really pay off. Most of the time, buyers expect flexibility on the price, too. So be prepared to haggle.
Katie Sartoris, Certified Educator of Personal Finance, is the managing editor for The Penny Hoarder. She’s an award-winning journalist with a decade of reporting and editing experience. She was formerly a local news editor for a Gannett newspaper in Central Florida.
Adam Hardy, a former staff writer at The Penny Hoarder, contributed to this report.
