Your Complete Guide on How To Sell on Facebook Marketplace To Make Extra Money

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If you’re looking for an easy way to make extra money in this economy, declutter your home with some timely spring cleaning or even start a simple side hustle, Facebook Marketplace is one of the best platforms to use. The site lets you list items for free without fees, sell locally or nationwide, and tap into millions of buyers that the internet considers friends.

Whether you’re selling unused household items or trying to build a small resale business, this guide walks you through how to sell on Facebook Marketplace, how payments work, and the smartest ways to maximize your earnings and protect your financial wellness.

5 Steps To Selling on Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is accessible through Facebook’s site or app and is a built-in feature that allows users to buy and sell items locally or across the U.S. You can list both new and used products and filter items by category, price and location. 

Selling on Facebook Marketplace is simple and beginner-friendly. Here’s how to create a listing.

Step 1. Create Your Listing

This is pretty straightforward. Whether you’re creating a listing online or via the mobile app, the platform’s interface is user-friendly and guides you through the listing process. If you find the selling fee for shipped items a bit steep, you can try to factor that cost into your item’s listing price.

It’s easy to get started right under your own profile. Here’s what you need to do:

• Log in to Facebook and click Marketplace
• Select ‘Create New Listing’
• Choose ‘Item for Sale’

Step 2. Add Item Details

Remember that high-quality images will help you sell your items quicker. Upload up to 10 photos and complete all required fields:

• Item title
• Price (enter 0 for free giveaways)
• Category and subcategory
• Item condition (new, like new, good, fair)
• Detailed description
• Click ‘Next’ when everything is filled out.

Step 3. Choose Delivery Options

When selling locally, sellers get paid by buyers directly when the item is picked up. When sellers must ship items, Facebook uses a payment processing service to facilitate the transaction. As the seller, you can choose to buy a prepaid USPS label through Marketplace or create your own label and ship through a preferred shipper.

You’ll be prompted to choose:

• Local pickup
• Shipping
• Both

To use the shipping feature on Marketplace and receive processed payments from Facebook, you must first set up your payment information. The first time you create a listing and select “shipping” as a delivery method, you will be prompted to provide the following information:

• Prepaid USPS label
• Seller-created label
• Your legal name
• Date of birth
• Address
• Bank account information, including the name on your account, the bank routing number and your account number

Step 4. Boost Visibility

Though this step is optional, you can choose to boost your listing for a fee. This places your item as an ad in targeted Facebook users’ feeds, which can help it sell faster. This can be a great marketing tool to expand your reach and increase your sales.

Step 5. Publish Your Listing and Collect Your Cash

Select any Buy and Sell Groups you’d like to post in for added visibility. Then click ‘Publish’ to make your listing live.Facebook uses a third-party payment processing service to collect the sale price of the item and the shipping costs from the buyer.

If you choose to use your own shipping method, you must mark an item as shipped and enter a tracking number to receive payment. If you purchase a prepaid shipping label on Marketplace, Facebook automatically enters the tracking number into the system and marks the item as shipped. Banks typically deposit the money from a sale into your account within 20 days, but processing times are dependent on the bank you use. Happy selling!

Lydia Kibet, Andrea Norris and Chris Ozarowski contributed to the reporting for this article.

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