How To Sell on Facebook in 2024: A Beginner’s Guide

When it comes to social media, few platforms have the reach of Facebook. Despite the rise of newer social apps, Facebook users still outnumber users of other platforms, meaning that no matter what business you’re in, chances are you have lots of potential customers to sell to on Facebook and Instagram.

Surveys show a growing number of online shoppers make purchases via social commerce⁠—that is, directly on social media platforms—rather than through an ecommerce platform.

If you want to sell on Facebook but don’t know where to start, this step-by-step guide is for you.

Ways to sell on Facebook

Facebook offers a ton of tools to help merchants and users sell online. We’ll cover each in detail below, but first, here’s a quick recap of the different ways to sell on Facebook: 

1. Facebook Shops

If you’re a small-business owner looking to build an audience, grow your brand, and boost sales all at once, Facebook Shops is the best sales channel to start with.

With Facebook Shops, merchants can set up a fully functioning online store directly on their Facebook business page. Your customers don’t need to leave Facebook to purchase an item—they can do it mid-scroll.

💡 Want to know how to sell on Facebook Shops? Skip to our Facebook Shops guide.

2. Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace was originally set up as a consumer-to-consumer (C2C) sales tool, similar to Craigslist. Users post classified ads and arrange in-person product exchanges or direct payments.

Marketplace is still used in this way by a huge number of people. Reportedly, the platform attracts more than a billion users each month. But over the past few years, Facebook has also added features to its marketplace to accommodate the needs of small businesses—such as on-site checkout and shipping options. 

💡 Want to know how to sell on Facebook Marketplace? Skip to our Facebook Marketplace guide.

3. Facebook buy and sell groups

Part of the move to make Marketplace more retailer-friendly comes from the fact that C2C transactions are often made through Facebook buy and sell groups. 

Facebook groups can enable the buy and sell feature, adding a commerce option for localized communities that may center around a specific topic or location.

Buy and sell groups are best for individuals looking for garage-sale-style shopping experiences. Groups aren’t the primary way for merchants to sell on Facebook, but retailers can use these groups to build their brands, especially on a local level.

💡 Want to know how to sell on Facebook buy and sell groups? Skip to our Facebook buy-and-sell groups guide.

Next, let’s look at how to sell on these three Facebook commerce platforms in more detail.

How to sell on Facebook Shops

If you’re a small business or creator looking to sell directly on Facebook and the Facebook app, you’ll want to start by creating a Facebook shop. It’s a must-have if you want to sell on Facebook.

1. Create a Facebook business page

If your business doesn’t already have a Facebook page, you’ll need to create one.

You do not need to create an entirely separate Facebook account, as your business page will be managed separately from your personal Facebook profile and won’t be visibility tied to it (unless you choose to post from your store onto your personal page). 

In order to use Facebook store and Marketplace integrations, your products must adhere to Facebook’s commerce policies and the terms outlined in the Facebook Seller Agreement.

To create your Facebook business page, log in to Facebook, select the Menu button, then select Page from the Create menu:

From here, you’ll be able to add your cover photo, profile photo, and information about your business. Remember that fully completed, detailed information fields appear more professional to potential buyers, so make sure you don’t leave anything out.

Important: In order to sell on Facebook with a shop, you’ll need to use the Shopping template for your business page. You can change your Facebook page template after adding basic information about your business.

2. Add a shop section

Go to the Create your shop page and click Next. If you’re already selling on Shopify, you can create your shop by syncing your products. Click the Sync a partner platform link and follow the prompts to complete set up.

3. Choose checkout method 

You have three options when it comes to taking payments in your Facebook shop:

• Check out on another website. If you select this option, customers will be directed to your ecommerce website to check out.
• Check out with messaging. This means customers will contact you through Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp to arrange payment. 
• Check out on Facebook. This option allows customers to buy directly on Facebook.

Allowing customers to check out directly on Facebook is a great way to boost convenience. But there are a few things to consider. For example, you won’t be able to use Shopify’s enhanced shipping options, such as flat shipping rates and carrier-calculated shipping rates. 

In addition, Facebook checkout calculates its own tax rates and doesn’t support tax-included pricing.

Meta charges a standard processing fee of 2.9% for credit card transactions it processes. If your Facebook shop is powered by Shopify, you’ll be charged processing fees by Shopify directly.

A US bank account and business address is required to set up a Facebook shop with a checkout.

4. Choose your sales channel and Business Manager account

Next, choose the page you want to sell from, or create a new one. If you plan to sell on Instagram, choose your Instagram business account and click Next. 

On the next page, choose your Business Manager account, or create a new one. Then click Next. 

5. Select a catalog 

Choose the catalog you wish to apply to your store and click Next. In order to use a catalog, it must fulfill the eligibility criteria for stores.

6. Set your shipping and returns

Decide how you’ll ship orders, and provide information on how you’ll handle returns. Fill in your shipping options, including:

• The locations you’ll ship to
• Handling time
• Cart minimum for free shipping
• Delivery times
• Return window

Add a customer service email so you can answer questions and provide support. You can also let shoppers subscribe to your email list at checkout or on your shop’s homepage.

7. Submit your shop and finish setup

Review your shop details, read and agree to the seller agreement, and click “Finish set up.”

Now that you’ve created your shop, next you’ll want to:

• Manage your catalog. Add any products you want to sell. If you’ve synced your Shopify store with Facebook, Shopify will automatically add products to your Facebook store. 
• Create a collection. Organize your products into collections to make it easier for customers to browse your shop. Collections can be based on product categories, seasons, or any other grouping that makes sense for your business.
• Customize the look of your shop. Change button colors, arrange featured collections and promotions, and choose featured collections to highlight at the top of your shop. 

How to sell on Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace has become more popular than Amazon and eBay—and it’s now possible for online stores to use the marketplace as a sales channel.

If you’re looking to sell on Facebook Marketplace, you likely fall into one of two categories: 

1. A casual seller, looking for local buyers for one or more used items.
2. A creator or business owner looking to grow their customer base.

Here’s how both groups can sell on Facebook Marketplace. 

How to list on Facebook Marketplace

Log in to Facebook. Click the Marketplace button on the left side menu. Then click Create New Listing. 

Select Item For Sale.
Fill in all listing information. Add a high-quality photo of your product, an engaging product description, and its price, condition, and any additional details (like SKU numbers and product tags). Once you’ve added all your product info, click Next.

On the next page, you’ll be shown a preview of your Marketplace listing, with a list of local groups you can join. Joining these groups is not mandatory, but doing so will allow you to post Marketplace listings to local buyers in those groups. (See more about selling to groups below.)

Tap Publish and start selling on Facebook Marketplace.

Boost your Marketplace listings with Facebook ads

If you want more users to see your Marketplace listings, you can boost them by creating Facebook ads for your Marketplace listing. To do this, start by going to your Facebook account.

From Facebook, select Marketplace on the left side menu, then click Your Account.

On your account page, under Your Listings, select Boost Listing on the listing you want to boost.

On the next page, you’ll be able to select a daily budget, the length of your campaign, and your audience—and see a preview of your Facebook ad. Edit these attributes, and when you’re happy with how the campaign looks, select Promote Now.

Learn more about Facebook ads:

How to sell through Facebook buy-and-sell groups

Any admin of a Facebook group can turn on buy and sell features. However, the majority of groups with selling features enabled are local networks, with members living in a specific city, town, or neighborhood. That’s because sales are usually arranged privately between buyers and sellers.

Although buy and sell groups are mostly used by casual sellers, they do offer an opportunity for small businesses looking to build a local audience. You can’t integrate a checkout in a group page, but businesses can direct interested buyers to their Facebook shop or website to make a purchase.

If you want to sell through Facebook buy and sell groups, here’s how: 

1. Join the group you want to sell to. To find local groups with selling features enabled, simply go to Facebook > Groups, and search “Buy & sell.” You’ll also be served a list of local buy and sell groups when you create a Marketplace listing.
2. Click Sell Something at the top of the buy and sell group page.
3. Select Item for Sale from the options given.
4. On the next page, you’ll be able to enter all of your product information, including an image, description, and the location you want to sell in. Enter the required info and click Next.
5. After entering your product information, you’ll be given the option to Add Your Listing to Marketplace. If you select this option, items will appear in the feeds of users that Facebook believes will be most interested in your products. You’ll also be able to join other Buy and Sell groups and list items there as well. 
6. Once you’ve selected the groups you want to post in, click Post.

Facebook Marketplace tips for sellers

What not to do when selling on Facebook Marketplace

• Don’t post any personal information (such as your address, phone number, or email address).
• Don’t post items that are illegal or prohibited by Facebook Marketplace’s terms of service.
• Don’t include any offensive or inappropriate language in your posts.
• Don’t use deceptive or misleading language in your posts.
• Don’t post images of items that are not actually being sold.
• Don’t post any items that are counterfeit, stolen, or otherwise illegal.
• Don’t use any automated processes to post or manage your listings.
• Don’t use Facebook Marketplace to conduct any activities that could be considered fraud or deceptive.

How to avoid getting scammed on Facebook Marketplace

• Make sure the buyer provides their full name and contact information before agreeing to the sale.
• Request payment via a secure payment method such as PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle.
• Insist on meeting in person for the sale, if possible.
• Ask for a copy of the buyer’s driver’s license or other form of identification to verify their identity.
• Don’t ship items unless you are absolutely certain of the buyer’s identity.
• Don’t accept payment in the form of cashier’s checks or money orders.
• Don’t provide any personal information such as your address or bank account details.
• Avoid transactions with buyers located in another country.

Sell on Facebook to power charge your ROI

If you’re using Facebook to reach audiences but not sell to them, you’re missing out on a ton of potential sales. With a little know-how, creators and business owners that leverage Facebook’s sales tools now will be in prime position to scale down the road. 

Facebook has the most massive user base of any social network. With its growing suite of commerce tools, finding and selling to your target audience has massive ROI potential⁠—no matter what industry you’re in.