Learning how to sell on Facebook Marketplace is easy!
Selling secondhand items on Facebook Marketplace is a great way to earn some extra cash. I’ve sold furniture, curtains, handmade decor items, clothing and more.
I’m spilling the beans on how I make money selling secondhand items from my couch with Facebook Marketplace. I will teach you how to create a listing, successfully message with potential buyers and negotiate pricing.
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If you’re looking for a more convenient way to hold a yard sale or to just get rid of a few items – this is it!
(If you want to know how to score awesome secondhand deals on Facebook Marketplace, I can help you there too. Check out The Ultimate Guide to Buying on Facebook Marketplace.)
How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace
If you want to make money woodworking or start a woodworking business, Facebook Marketplace can be a great option. Here’s how to get started!
Details of the Item Your Selling
There are a few things you’ll need to do before listing your item for sale. Once you decide on an item or items to sell you’ll need to decide how much you want to sell it for, take some pictures and write up the details of your item.
List Price
It can be difficult to determine how much to list your items for, but there are a few tricks you can use to help determine pricing.
Generally, used items sell for 50% or less of the original price. There is lots of wiggle room in there depending on the condition and age of the item, your local market and what the item is. Used clothing usually sells very low at 10-25% of the original price. On the other hand, some in-demand items in good condition may sell for higher than 50% of the original price, like luxury strollers or gym equipment.
Here are a few helpful tips for determining your list price:
- Search your local Facebook Marketplace for similar items for sale. If you find similar items, look at how long they’ve been listed. If an item has been listed for several weeks it may mean that the price-point is too high or it’s not an item people in your area or interested in.
- Google your item and see what the price is for buying it new. You may have paid more than what it is currently selling for, but keep in mind that the price you paid will matter less to buyers than the current price of purchasing it new. Use the current pricing as a guide for pricing your used item.
- Be realistic about the condition of your item. A worn item will sell for less than an item in like-new condition. Try your best to use the actual condition of your item to determine pricing rather than sentimentality.
Leave room for bartering. You can sell on Facebook Marketplace with a firm price, but most of the time you will make a quicker sale if you allow bartering or, in other words, if you’re open to accepting an offer lower than your list price. I recommend figuring out what the lowest amount is that you would take for your item and then listing higher than that. People like to feel like they’re getting a good deal. Listing higher than you actually anticipate selling the item for leaves room for people to offer a lower price. They feel like they’re getting a good deal and you’re still selling the item for a price you’re comfortable with – win, win!
Pictures
Pictures are the most important part of your listing! Buyers first impression of your item will be made based on the pictures you post. If they like the picture, they’ll click through to get more information and that makes it more likely that they’ll message you about making a purchase. Better pictures mean a quicker sale.
Here are few tips for taking pictures that sell your item:
- Position your item somewhere with a clean background. If you’re selling clothing, hang it up on a blank wall or door, or lay it out on the floor or a blanket. For furniture, take photos against a wall or outside. Make sure the background isn’t distracting and, most of all, make sure the background is clean. If the room in the background of your photo is messy that will be a turn off to many buyers.
- Make sure the item is clean. Dust furniture, remove stains from fabric items, iron clothing that is extra wrinkly.
- You can add up to 10 photos to your listing – take advantage of that and take pictures of your item at several different angles.
- Lastly, be honest. If there is any damage to your item, take a photo of it so that potential buyers can see.
Description
You will also need to gather some information about your item to create a product description. Here is a list of things to consider:
- Size or Dimensions – take measurements of the length, width and height
- Brand
- How old the item is
- What it’s made of (i.e. for furniture, is it real wood?)
- Condition of the item
You might not use all of the details in your item description, but knowing this information will be helpful in answering questions from potential buyers.
How to Create Your Listing
Once you figure out the details for the item you want to sell, you’re ready to create the listing. The technical side of how to sell on Facebook Marketplace is super simple. I’ve shared a few screenshots below to walk you through setting up a listing on desktop and mobile.
Single v. Multiple Items in One Listing
I recommend only selling one item per listing on Facebook Marketplace unless it’s a set like a table and chairs. This is because potential buyers will only see the first picture of your posting and a short title when browsing through Marketplace. A title that says “Various Items” is going to be less appealing to buyers who are looking for something specific. You will have better luck with your sales if you list each item you’re selling separately.
Facebook Marketplace on Desktop
When you visit Facebook Marketplace from a desktop you will see a button on the left side of the screen that says “+sell something”. Click it to create your listing. There is also a “create” button in the top menu bar that you can use to create marketplace listing.
After clicking, a pop-up will appear on your screen and will prompt you to fill in information about your item. This is where you will enter your item description, price, and photos. After filling in this information you can publish your listing!
You can track all of the items you have for sale by clicking “Selling” on the left side of the screen. This page will show every item you have for sale and track messages with potential buyers.
Facebook Marketplace on Mobile
Access Facebook Marketplace on the mobile app by clicking the little house icon on the top bar of the page. Once you’re on the marketplace page you will see a button at the to that says “sell”. Click that to start your listing.
After you click sell you will be prompted to fill out information about the item you want to list. This is where you can fill out the description, add pictures and set the price of your marketplace item. Fill out the information and click next to publish your listing.
You can access all of your items for sale within the Facebook app by clicking on the little person icon at the top of the Marketplace page. This page will list items you have for sale, messages from potential buyers and messages you’ve sent to other sellers to purchase items. You can also create a new listing from this page.
Messaging with Potential Buyers
After you’ve listed your item to sell on Facebook Marketplace, the messages will start pouring in! Potential buyers may ask for more information, want to negotiate pricing or be ready to buy right away. Learn how to navigate messaging with potential buyers with these tips.
Respond to messages quickly. You’re more likely to make a sale if you respond to messages promptly.
Anticipate offers. Potential buyers will likely try to negotiate pricing on your item. If you set your initial listing price a little high you should have room for bartering while still selling your item at a price you’re comfortable with. Being open to offers will help you to sell your item quicker on Facebook Marketplace.
Be cautious about holding items. Potential buyers may ask you to hold an item for them to pick up later. I recommend holding an item for a potential buyer for no longer than 1-2 days. Many times I have held an item for several days for someone to pick up only to have them cancel on the scheduled pick up day. I’ve found that scheduling pick up for as soon as possible gives me a better chance for a successful sale.
Making the Sale
Once you’ve confirmed that a buyer is interested in purchasing an item, you’re ready to schedule a time for the buyer to pick up the item.
Decide on location
The safest pick up location is a public location. Busy store parking lots are usually good spots for this. Decide on a central location with the buyer and then let them know how to find you. I usually tell them what type of car I will be driving and where I will be parked (near the trees on the left side, next to the car return in the second row, in last row of parking in the back, etc.)
That being said, I’ve had people pick up items directly from my house many times, especially large items like couches and other furniture. I live in a relatively safe, mostly rural area and I feel safe doing this.
If you don’t feel safe sharing your address with a potential buyer, trust your instincts and don’t do it. Ultimately, your safety is your responsibility! You can also ask a friend to come to your house for the pick up if it makes you feel more comfortable.
Confirm the time and location
On the day of your pick up message the buyer to confirm the time and location. I always do this because I don’t want the buyer to forget, making my trip for nothing.
I just send a quick message a couple hours before the pick up that says something like, “See you at 2pm at the location we agreed on.” If I don’t hear back I’ll usually send a follow up message when I’m leaving my house letting the buyer know my estimated arrival time. That message usually looks like, “I’m just leaving my house. I should be there in about 20 minutes.”
Sending little reminders is my way of making sure that the appointment isn’t forgotten and confirming that there was no miscommunication when we set the pick up time. There’s nothing worse than driving to a pick up location only to get a message from the buyer that say, “Oops I forgot.” I do whatever I can to avoid that.
A Couple Tips for Item Pick Up
- Let the buyer inspect the item before they pay. The buyer may want to check over the item before they make their final decision to buy.
- Bring some cash. The buyer should bring exact change when buying your item, but just in case it’s nice to have some cash on hand to make change.
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Selling on Facebook Marketplace
I hope all of these tips have helped you learn how to sell on Facebook Marketplace! Selling items on Facebook Marketplace is a great way to make money and get rid of things that you no longer need. If you have any questions, I’d love to help you out! Leave them in the comments.
