Marketplaces are great for buying products or services from small businesses that are nearby. You can buy from local vendors, and avoid the hassle of searching through online marketplaces to find what you need. However, they also have their downsides too. They’re not necessarily friendly to new users who are looking to explore and find something new.
They’re also limited in scope; there may only be a handful of them at any given time. Thankfully, there are some tricks you can use to make your marketplace more user-friendly in the future. Let’s look at how the rules around listing items on your marketplace should change to make it easier for users to find what they need in the future.
The Benefits of Selling on Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace users can attract new clients faster. Facebook reported on its Q1 2021 data that it had nearly 3 billion users. With such a large reach, your products are easily from people in bye numbers. It would take months to generate traffic from one website or social network alone.
Extended Reach
With a general marketplace, you may be able to reach only within a 30-mile radius of your physical location. However, if you sell on Facebook Marketplace, you can reach potential customers in any part of the world, within your reach. You can post a product listing and reach millions of users across the world, who can find and purchase your products.
You can also use the map feature to reach users who live in other cities and towns, even if they are located in another state or country. With a general online marketplace, marketplace other cities and towns will not be able to view your product listing. But users on Facebook marketplace can easily view your listing.
Offers Speedy Posting Process
Facebook Marketplace’s posting process is streamlined, and sellers can quickly post new listings. If you have a Facebook business page specializing in selling products, then it’s important to create Fb marketplace posts on a new product when it is available.
Ease of Interaction
Facebook Marketplace is designed to be easy to use, regardless of whether you are a seller or a potential buyer. You can access the marketplace through the search box on Facebook or the navigation bar.
When you click on the marketplace tab, you will see a list of Facebook marketplace categories and subcategories. You can click on the category or subcategory you are interested in. You can also use the search bar to search for products. It also includes direct links for product pages and custom services.
Scalability of Facebook Business
Selling on Facebook Marketplace is scalable, and you can create multiple profiles for the same business. Fb Marketplace also allows you to create multiple Facebook pages for your business, and then use Facebook Marketplace to promote and sell your products.
When you create a page for your business, you can use it to post updates and share other content related to your business. You can also use the page to promote on other marketplaces. Facebook pages can also be promoted on other social media platforms.
What are the Facebook Marketplace Rules?
Certain Items Cannot Be Sold
Items such as drugs, weapons, cars, tobacco products, adult products, and real estate cannot be sold on Fb Marketplace. And even if an item is legal, it must still be a tangible product.
Before-And-After Pictures Are Prohibited
This means that you’re not allowed to include photos of your products before they’ve been used or before they have any flaws. These aren’t as clear when showing off flaws in the items in the photos, such as a cracked coffee mug. Photo showing weight loss is also not allowed.
Must Sell a Physical Item
Facebook Marketplace posts are not the right marketplace for selling services or digital products. You can sell digital products on Ama, or eBay. Digital products are commodities that are not sold as physical products. You cannot sell event tickets to a concert or sports event, or software programs on Facebook Marketplace.
Description Must Match the Image
Facebook Marketplace is not a shopping site. You cannot list items with misleading descriptions or listings that don’t match the images you upload. The pictures captured by a professional photographer from different angles should match the description.
Facebook Marketplace items have a description that must be less than 450 characters. You can’t use the description to talk about the items you don’t have. You also can’t use the description to try to get more traffic to your listing. The items must have a description that describes the item, not just the basics like price, name, and what it is.
What Are Facebook Marketplace Requirements?
If you want to publish a new listing on your Marketplace, there are some requirements you’ll want to meet. You cannot post a listing that is currently active on another marketplace or auction site.
Region
There are a couple of rules around the region that may change in the future. They are trying to make sure Facebook Marketplace is not only safe and secure but also as easy as possible for users to find what they want.
At the moment, Facebook Marketplace is only available in 50 countries. Facebook is slowly rolling out the feature to other countries, though. Eventually, they hope to expand to many more places, including Nigeria and Brazil. They’ve been working to make Facebook Marketplace more accessible, particularly to people in developing countries.
To list items on the Facebook marketplace, you must be located in a specific geographic region. This region is the same for all marketplace users, and it’s designed to make it easier for users to find each other
Age
Your account needs to be at least 18 years old to use Facebook Marketplace. It’s against the rules to sell anything on the Facebook marketplace if you’re a minor. Facebook will remove any problematic items you sell as a minor and will also suspend your account until you turn 18.
Infrequent use
Facebook will automatically flag your account if you list items very rarely. Facebook will also flag accounts that have been inactive for a long period. Facebook Marketplace has a high potential for fraud, so you can’t just login on to your personal Facebook and list items. You need to follow basic requirements like having a valid phone number and valid address for your business.
What Items Are Not Allowed on Facebook Marketplace?
Facebook Marketplace is a great place to buy and sell items with people in your community. However, it is important to know that you cannot sell certain items on Facebook Marketplace. Several things are not allowed to be listed on the Facebook marketplace such as:
Illegal Items
Anything illegal or stolen (including cars, cell phones with SIM cards, prescription medication). Dangerous or harmful items like acids or compressed gas cylinders. Items you don’t want others to see, like receipts or photos of the inside of your home.
Things that violate another person’s privacy rights. Items that could misinform or upset other people, such as racist or hateful materials. Items that are against Facebook’s terms of service.
Healthcare
Facebook Marketplace is not for selling health-related items or services. You can’t sell prescription drugs, medical devices, mental health services, or treatment options. You also can’t sell healthcare items like vitamins, first aid kits, foods, or supplements.
Services
Services are not allowed on Facebook Marketplace. This means you cannot sell any kind of service, like house cleaning or tutoring. Facebook has strict guidelines in place to prevent improper services from appearing in the marketplace. Facebook is also looking for other types of inappropriate services, including those that are: Illegal, underage, abusive, or that violate someone’s privacy.
Animals
You are not allowed to sell pets on Facebook Marketplace. You may not sell animals such as zoo animals, pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, or other small animals, or livestock. Pets are not considered personal items and are not allowed on Facebook Marketplace. Only items related to pets such as pet supplies are permitted. Facebook Marketplace does not allow you to list pets for sale.
How to Post Listings on Facebook Marketplace?
Check Facebook Guidelines
Take a look at Facebook’s Marketplace Guidelines to get a better idea of what the community guidelines are for the Marketplace. You can find the guidelines by clicking the “Marketplace” option in your Facebook mobile app.
Facebook marketplace rules are different from the rules implemented on the rest of Facebook. These guidelines apply specifically to your marketplace listing and marketplace page.
You’ll also want to follow the guidelines for your business’s Facebook page, as well as the marketplace guidelines for product photos, descriptions, and certain categories.
Create Listing
To post a listing on the Facebook marketplace, follow these steps:
Navigate to your page.
Click the “Add a Business” button in the top right corner of the page.
Select the type of listing you would like to create. You can create a product listing, a service listing, or a combination of both.
Choose a category for your business.
Enter your address and phone number in the fields provided. Select the payment method your business accepts.
Click “Save and Continue.”
If it’s a new product you’re creating, select the category where you want your product to appear. You can select more than one category if your listing is in multiple categories.
You can have up to five featured high-quality pictures that show the product with a brief description. Make sure your high-quality photos are at least 300 pixels wide and 400 pixels high. You can also add a short description that includes product details and pricing.
You can also select which parts of your listing will be visible to users when they search for your business. You can choose which products you would like to appear on your business’ timeline, the feed, and search results.
What Are Community Standards on Facebook Marketplace?
Facebook has a list of guidelines that govern the marketplace and help ensure a safe and friendly experience for all users. The community standards are guidelines that show how Facebook expects marketplace users to behave while using the platform.
These guidelines include basic rules about things like listing items that are safe for kids to buy. These standards are designed to avoid problems such as spam, scams, bullying, harassment, or other problems that may affect the experience for other users.
Facebook users must follow the Facebook Marketplace rules and restrictions placed on the main Facebook app. The Marketplace community standards apply to both buying and listing items.
Is There Facebook Marketplace Etiquette?
There are no set etiquette guidelines for listing items on the Fb marketplace, other than not intentionally posting something illegal. However, some good practices will help you make more sales.
Respond In A Timely Manner
Facebook Marketplace sells items while they’re still listed as “for sale” on the platform. This means that you have to respond to a potential customer as soon as they message you. You can’t just ignore their messages or put off responding to them indefinitely. This is an important part of being a seller, as you have to respond to interested buyers as quickly as possible.
However, it’s also important not to respond in the same way to multiple buyers. If you receive several responses for the same amount, and all you want to do is drop a $10 lowball offer to each one of them, that’s a clear sign that you’re not interested in selling your item.
Update Listings When Sold
It’s important to keep your listings updated as much as possible. This means that you have to list any new items that you’ve bought, or that you’ve removed the price on. You also need to update the listing when selling an item.
This includes listing any new price that you want to offer for the item, dropping the price that you’re selling it for, and removing it from your other marketplace listings. This is necessary to prevent anyone from continuing to receive notifications that your item is for sale, but it’s also important because it lets buyers know that your item is available again.
Accept Pay To Hold
It offers the ability to set a “pay to hold” price on your items. This means that buyers can pay you a fee, rather than having to hold an item until it’s available for free. This can be a good way to manage the number of items that you have in your possession.
While there are no listing fees, you can also set a pay-to-hold price to let people know that they have to pay you before they can pick up the item.
List Your General Location
Facebook marketplace sellers should list their general location on the platform whenever possible. This can be helpful because it allows potential buyers to be prepared before they make a transaction on the platform. They can use the location to figure out whether they have enough information to make a trip to the location of the product.
Don’t Spam Interested Buyers
If you’re constantly spamming users with offers for your items, they may report you to Facebook Marketplace. You’re not allowed to spam users with offers to buy your items – they have to be genuine inquiries.
If you’re contacting a lot of users on Facebook messenger and they aren’t interested in buying your items, you may be violating other Marketplace rules as well. For example, you may be posting too often, or you may be posting inappropriately.
Price Honestly
Finally, you need to price your items honestly. This may be a bit of a buzzkill, but it’s essential. You need to price your items so that they’re worth enough to sell. There’s no need to underprice or overprice your items, as they will either end up not selling or they will just sit in inventory that can’t be sold for some period of time.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been using Fb Marketplace to sell online, you know that it can be difficult to make new sales on the platform. It’s best to make sure that you’re using the new rules to their advantage and find ways to make your listings more user-friendly.
These changes in Facebook Marketplace rules can help you make your listings more accessible to potential buyers. These should be made to make the Marketplace better in the future.