6 Tips for Selling Items on Facebook Marketplace

So you’ve been in the mood to do some spring cleaning and you have decided that you have several items that you would like to part with.  Whether it’s old toys your kids no longer play with, clothes that no longer bring you joy, books you are done reading, or that specialized kitchen appliance that you used three times and now it’s just taking up precious space in your cupboards…or an endless number of other things.  Nine times out of ten you will find that someone out there would love to be the new owner of your ‘I no longer need to have this around’ item.

You may want to consider trying to sell your previously-loved items before simply giving them away.

You may be surprised about the variety of items that people will actually buy from you on Facebook Marketplace. 

Sell your items for free, no charge, zero cost. Facebook is just happy you’re spending more time on their platform and sticking around a bit more.  

Below are some tips - and answers to come common questions - that have supported me with becoming a 5-star seller on Facebook Marketplace.  Some of the details may seem like common sense, but we all know that common sense isn’t always that common…right?

1. Create a short and sweet title for your listing

What you will find is that people looking to purchase your item may not always read the description box.  To have your ‘for sale items’ come up more frequently in searches and be  abundantly obvious to the buyer, include as much information as possible into the title of your listing.

Examples: 

DO = “youth book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid” 

DON’T = “book”

DO = “glass kitchen table with four matching chairs, 40in x 40in, solid wood base”

DON’T = “table and chairs”

DO = “IKEA wire shelf with four drawers, 24in long x 24in wide x 48in tall”

DON’T = “shelf and drawers”

**bonus points for when you can find the actual name of the IKEA item you are listing.

2. What kind of photos should I include?

Simply use the camera on your smartphone and take detailed pictures of your item for sale.  Usually posting more than one photo with various angles helps the buyer get a better idea of what they may be purchasing. If the item for sale is damaged in any way, disclose this information in the item description as well as through a detailed photo clearly displaying the wear, flaw or damage.  Being upfront and clear about the condition of your item is important.

3. How do I figure out how to price my items for sale?

Start with a quick search on Facebook Marketplace to see how other sellers are pricing similar items to yours.  Next, take to the interwebs and do a Google search to see what retailer websites sell your item using the brand name of your item as well as description.  

If you skip the initial step to do quick research on how to price your items, this could cost you a lot of money.  Collectible and nostalgic items are HOT these days - take the extra minute or two to do some quick searches so you aren’t missing out.  If you find you are getting five messages within the first five minutes of posting your items, you likely have it priced too low and other people are hoping you won’t notice.

If the item you want to sell is brand new or in excellent condition (AKA barely used) then pricing at half of the retail value usually results in an item being sold pretty quickly…sometimes within an hour.  

Sometimes your best market research on guessing the selling value falls a bit short and you have an idle item in your listings where you haven’t received any messages asking about your posting.  This could be one of two problems: 1) the item is not priced correctly or 2) the item is not a desired item (and so fewer people are actually searching for it).  We know that a proper description isn’t the problem as this was solved with the tips above, right?

4. My items are not selling…now what?

First step, lower your price.  If you are not receiving at least one question about your item from a potential purchaser within 1-3 days, your item may not be priced properly.  Sometimes we may know the true ‘new purchase value’ of an item but you need to remember that an item is only worth what someone is willing to pay. 

You may have better luck with moving items more quickly when you post them over a weekend time-frame like Thursday, Friday or Saturday.  I have noticed that I have quicker pick-up times when items are posted closer to the weekend. This may be because people may have some extra time and then arrange their schedules to pick up their purchase from you.

If ensuring your item has a proper description (so that it can easily appear in searches) or lowering your price has not resulted in messages from any interested buyers, then maybe…just maybe…nobody wants your stuff. 

This happens and it’s okay.  

When I cannot find a buyer for an item I have listed within a certain time frame, I then post the item for free in trading/no-sell Facebook groups or donate to a local organization that accepts used items.

5. How to close the deal and settle on a selling price

Your buyer says they are interested but want to pay you half the price of what you have listed your item for.  Ummm…no.  If you have done your research on pricing you know the value of your item.  You can tell this person that there are ‘others interested in the same item’ (as you will typically have more than one person messaging you to ask questions) and you state what dollar amount you are willing to accept.  

If you have been sitting on this item for a week or more, then you may want to consider the offer more seriously.  Sometimes your first offer is your best offer.

6. And what about those ‘no-shows’?

Well, this will happen.  It comes with the territory of buying and selling so don’t be surprised when it happens to you, too.  

To avoid these annoying situations, consider listing your item and stating in the description things like “no holds”, “quick pick-up” or any other variety of words that suggest that you're not wanting to sit around and wait for someone to get their ‘poop in a group’ to get over to your place and pick up the item they want.

So is all this fuss really worth it?

Sure, you will need to invest your time, flex your photography skills using the camera on your smartphone, create a clear and concise listing and then communicate with potential buyers through the Facebook messenger app.  Each listing will take you about 3-5 minutes to create and post and about the same amount of time to arrange pick-up/drop-off of your listed items.  

If you are interested in keeping some of the hard-earned dollars you have, then yes.  

If you are interested in selling your children’s items to teach them about earning money in other ways, then yes.

If you are interested in helping your children identify when they are done with a past favourite item/toy/collectible that they can sell for a profit and keep the new-found funds, then yes.

If you are looking for a way to generate additional money to donate to a cause/charity that means a lot to you, then yes.

There’s no harm in trying - you may be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

**Remember to be a cautious and careful seller.  Do a Google search to become familiar with tips for selling items online safely.**