Where Can One Sell On Facebook Marketplace? You came on this website after Googling “how to sell on Facebook.” That’s fantastic! You’re going to read a complete guide on how to create and monetize a Facebook store.
Since the early birds started using Facebook in 2011, selling items has been a popular topic.
As of 2020, this sales channel is still a popular and potentially lucrative direction for eCommerce projects. There is one caveat: Facebook stated a few years back that it was planned well, a bit of a bummer for businesses.
Read also: Tips to good and healthy Facebook Marketplace
But first things first.
Currently, Facebook (opens in a new tab) has a lot of options for selling your things online. They are, however, liberally spiced with a variety of problems.
It is difficult to strike the right balance between adding more (and more) features without becoming a monster. This is a fine line, and Facebook is poised to cross it. When you set up your Facebook store, you won’t be able to keep comments like:
- “OMG WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA What’s the difference between Facebook Shop and Facebook Marketplace when it comes to shopping and selling? “Should I go with Option A or Option B?”
- “Wait. What about buying and selling groups on Facebook? Isn’t selling on Facebook Marketplace the same thing?”
- “Hmm… There’s a Facebook Ads Manager, as well as buttons to ‘Boost Post’ and ‘Promote,’ and they’re all for the same thing: producing Facebook Ads? Okay, I’ve figured it out. But how do I go about starting a campaign?”
- “There’s no way. Another option is to use Facebook Commerce. Is it possible to sell on Facebook or Instagram with it? “Do you want to do both?”
- “What exactly do you mean when you say I need a Facebook Business Page?” Isn’t it true that my Facebook account is a page? Is it okay if I build a Facebook group for you? “WTF are you looking for?”
- “What the hell is Facebook Business Manager?” says the narrator. Do you believe there are too many managers on your end, given that there is an Ads Manager and a Commerce Manager?”
If you’re trying to understand this rocket science and your brain is starting to boil, you’re not alone.
Facebook Marketplace
Although Facebook Marketplace (opens in new tab) appears to be related to online shopping and selling, it is far from becoming a legitimate eCommerce platform. The Facebook Marketplace does not allow you to buy or sell products. You only need to locate the products (or advertise them) and contact the seller to arrange payment or negotiate a price.
There are no payment processors that are supported. There is no shopping cart, no tax computation, and nothing else that a seller would expect to see. When you separate the wheat from the chaff, Facebook Marketplace is reduced to a collection of local classified advertising. In some ways, it’s an attempt to create a Facebook-only version of Craiglist.
Do you see where I’m going with this? Users, not businesses, are the target audience.
So, with the Marketplace crossed off the list of potentially useful B2C solutions, let’s turn our attention to Facebook Shops.
Facebook Shops
Creating a Facebook Shop (opens in a new tab) is an alternative to using Facebook Marketplace for businesses wishing to sell products on Facebook and Instagram. It’s unmistakably closer to an online shop.
You can even create a shop with a checkout (opens in new tab) so that your customers can purchase things directly from your Instagram or Facebook store. Transactions are only available in the United States and to a small number of other businesses. For each sale you make, you’ll also have to pay a selling fee:
- A 5% fee per shipment;
- Or a flat fee of $0.40 for shipments of $8.00 or less.
The rest of your earnings are yours to retain.
The rest of the globe only has one option for accepting orders: send customers from your Facebook or Instagram shop to an external eCommerce site to finish their transaction.
Your Business Page’s call to action button can be added to your Amazon store, Shopify store, X-Cart-powered eCommerce site, or any other online store builder.
Facebook Buy & Sell Groups
Another fantastic way to sell things online is through Facebook Buy and Sell Groups (opens in new tab), which has its own set of quirks.
Read also: Looking For Marketplace on Facebook: How to Search
To begin with, it isn’t yours. You do not own the entity; rather, you rent it for the purpose of advertising.
Second, even if it’s for the same item, you’ll have to maintain each listing separately in multiple purchases and sell groups. It’s not that it’ll be difficult, but it will take a long time. Nah!
No, making a Marketplace listing for the item isn’t the same as selling things in Facebook’s buy and sell groups – you’ll have to keep track of everything individually.
Read also: How to Sell on Facebook in 2021 [Tutorial For Beginners]
The good news is that you don’t have to wait for your personal Facebook group to grow in popularity before you can start driving consistent traffic to your store. Simply create a Marketplace listing for your item in the group that has the purchase and sell option enabled.