How I Made $700 in 2 Weeks: The Ultimate Guide to Selling on Facebook Marketplace

In my first three days of selling items on Facebook Marketplace, I pocketed over $300. By the end of week two, that number crossed $700.

If you have a garage, closet, or attic full of clutter, you are sitting on a goldmine!

Selling on Facebook is incredibly straightforward once you know the unwritten rules of the platform. This guide breaks down the exact three-step process I used, along with 19 first-hand tips to maximize your profit while staying completely safe.

The biggest reason that I like selling on Facebook Marketplace is the fact that it’s a very simple 3-step process.

I’ll walk you through each of those 3 steps and share my best tips for newbies who want to know how to sell on Facebook Marketplace and get the most money for your items.

Facebook Marketplace vs. Buy/Sell/Trade Groups: What’s the Difference?

Newbies often get confused by the terminology. You might hear people call it “Facebook Buy Sell Trade.”

Here is the reality: Facebook Marketplace is the main, overarching platform. Within that platform, there are thousands of localized, user-run Buy/Sell/Trade groups (e.g., “Spring Hill Garage Sale” or “Nashville Yardsale”).

The magic happens when you cross-list your items to both the general Marketplace and these specific neighborhood groups simultaneously—which I will show you how to do below.

The 3-Step Blueprint To Listing An Item On Facebook

The wording & layout of the items in each of the following steps appears slightly differently on a computer vs. on a phone. I prefer to list items on my laptop — it just seems easier.

Open Facebook Marketplace, click “Selling,” then select “Create New Listing,” then select “Item For Sale.”

Select which audience(s) on Facebook you want to see this item. “Marketplace” is already checked for you by default. That’s a good start. Eventually, you’ll want to select additional Facebook Buy Sell Trade groups as well. (To find some, simply search for “Buy Sell Trade [and your town’s name]” on Facebook. You can join as many as you like — they’ll show up here after you’ve joined.)

Okay, so that’s HOW you sell on Facebook Marketplace.

Next are some things I’ve learned firsthand that will help you GET THE MOST MONEY for your items!

My Best Tips For Selling On Facebook Marketplace

Following are some important things I’ve learned firsthand after selling on Facebook Marketplace for awhile.

19 Battle-Tested Tips for Maximum Success

Tip #1 – Initially, I thought selling items on Facebook would be like yard-sailing — where people always try to “bargain” and get you to drop the price down really low, but they don’t.

At first, I posted my items $2 to $5 higher than the price I was actually willing to let the item go for. However, it turns out that very few (hardly any people) actually try to talk you down on the price. That, or my pricing is spot-on — I’m not sure which.

I’m just happy that I don’t have to negotiate back & forth about pricing every time I sell things on Facebook Marketplace.

Tip #2 – The biggest issue for me when selling on Facebook Marketplace is staying safe. I’ve never had any issues — but that may be because I take a lot of extra precautions.

These are my best ways to stay safe when selling items on Facebook:

1. Never post personal details about your house or your phone number in your item listing. Only give those types of details in private messages (PMs) when you’re responding to individual buyers’ questions. Stick to using Facebook’s own messaging system (NOT private texts) when you’re communicating about items. I’ve had TWO different scammers try to catch me off-guard by sending me through loops: “Please text my husband this info, he’s very interested” AND “I can pay using Venmo, but since I’m new there, they require YOU to do xyz first.”
2. Always check the potential buyer’s Facebook profile before responding to them. If someone looks questionable, or their photos look questionable, or their “friends” look questionable, or their “groups” look questionable… then just don’t reply. You need to have a good feeling about the person before you go meet them in person OR invite them to pick up the item on your porch.
3. For meetups, pick a very public place that is near your home (or office) where you would feel comfortable getting out of your car to exchange the item for their money. Some ideas:

Ideally, the spot you choose to meet a buyer will be super close to your home or job and have more than one way that you can leave to go back to your house or office. (I let the other person “leave” first — that way, they won’t know which way I’m going to go and can’t follow me.)

If heavy traffic is an issue in your area, then be sure to pick a spot that is easiest for YOU to get in and out of (not them) — because if you’re inconvenienced in any way, then it’s simply not worth it. Choose porch pickup instead.

If you’re really nervous about safety, then take another person with you to the meet up location.

BONUS TIP: If you ever feel that you’re being followed after a sale, don’t go home. Instead, go to the drive-thru window at a nearby restaurant and order something, or go to a police station, fire department, or other public service building where you can park for awhile — or get help if you need it.

Tip #3 – Keep in mind, whatever you’ve posted as ‘public’ on your personal Facebook profile page can be seen by people who are interested in buying your items.

So, before you start selling items on Facebook, take a look at your own personal Facebook posts to see all of the things that you’ve shared PUBLICLY.

Here’s how:

• On mobile… click the 3 dots in the corner of your banner image. On desktop… there’s a row above your posts that says “About, Friends, Photos, Following” (or something similar) — click the 3 dots at the end of that row.
• Click “View As” and your own PUBLIC posts will immediately appear. You can’t make any changes there though.
• After you click “Exit View As,” you can change posts from “public” to “friends” by clicking the 3 dots next to each individual post.

Tip #4 – I’ve found that people from many miles away will sometimes ask if the item is still available.

Personally, with low-value low-priced items… if I think they’re too far away and it wouldn’t be worth their while to travel to my town, then I just won’t respond to their questions. (Because once you start the conversation, it could go on for awhile and it’s just not worth your time.) Most want you to SHIP the item to them! For me, the convenience of using FB Marketplace is to sell items quickly and easily without having to ship things.

So, in order to avoid getting into a round of back & forth messages with someone about it, I’ve found that the best option is simply to not reply at all. That way, they will generally assume the item has been sold and you simply forgot to mark it as sold.

However, with high-value high-priced items… I know that people will drive from many miles away to get a good deal on an item that would otherwise be expensive to buy. So I answer those questions promptly. And yes, sometimes (for the right price) I will ship. For example, once I shipped almost 2 dozen Harley-Davidson shirts, vests, and a jacket to someone. I practically DOUBLED the price for each individual item — but it was still a good deal for her, so she didn’t mind. And I got almost double the price I was hoping to get for each of those items, so I didn’t mind either.

Tip #5 – If you’ve posted your item on one or more Facebook groups, people in those groups will voice their interest in your items directly on that group’s page (in the comments) — rather than using Facebook Messenger (the default for Facebook Marketplace).

As long as you have notifications turned on, Facebook will notify you every time someone comments or inquires about your item — whether they did so via a group page or via FB Marketplace.

BONUS TIP: Instead of going back & forth “publicly” with each individual who inquires on the group’s (public) page, I always reply to questions on the group page this way:

“Hi Lisa, I’ll PM you.”

Then I immediately click “Message” next to that person’s name and be as detailed as I want to be with that person privately on Facebook –– instead of publicly. (You don’t have to be “friends” on Facebook to do this.)

Tip #6 – The default message that you receive whenever someone clicks the “Ask For Details” button on Facebook Marketplace is: “Is this item still available?”

Rather than just replying “Yes” and then going back & forth in a chain of messages with the same person, say something like this: “Yes the blue tablecloth is available. When can you pickup? (near the Walmart on Main Street)”

That way, you’re:

In my experience, when you reply to their very first question this way, they almost always say “I can leave right away to pick up the item.” (Or they at least give you a specific time when they will arrive within the same day.)

When you relay a sense of urgency, people naturally feel compelled to act quickly. It really works!

For porch pickups… I am very guarded about giving out my actual address. I make sure that only ONE buyer (per item) actually knows my address at a time. And that person only gets my address IF they can state a specific time that they will pickup. It’s not a “free for all” where the first one to come by gets it. If the first porch pickup that I’ve scheduled happens to fall through (which is rare), then I will “write that one off” and give my address to the next person who voiced an interest AND gives me a specific time that they will pick up.

For meetups… It needs to be worth your time AND your gas to go out of your way to meet someone. (Actually… to personally deliver an item to a stranger!) If your return on an item isn’t that great, then porch pickup is the best option.

Tip #7 – I absolutely love the fact that you can post a single item for sale to several different Facebook groups all within one single listing. (It’s the 3rd and final step when posting an item for sale on Facebook Marketplace — shown above.)

That means you don’t have to write a separate listing for it to appear on each group’s page.

This makes it a breeze to get your item seen by the biggest number of people… quickly… and with a single click!

Tip #8 – In order for “porch pick up” (or PPU) to work effeciently and not be an inconvenience to you, you have to run your porch pick up’s like a small business.

The downside of porch pick up’s is MANY people who say they’ll come pick up the item never actually show up.

It’s hard to blame them — because we’re all busy, get distracted, work late, or have kids’ activities, etc. I’ve had people tell me several days in a row that they’d be here… yet they never showed.

Most simply change their mind about the item:

“I don’t want to drive all the way over there.”

“I don’t really need it that bad.”

The lesson here is… when there’s absolutely no commitment on the buyer’s part, they will have more reasons NOT to show up than reasons that they SHOULD go out of their way to show up.

That’s why I stick to these requirements with all of my porch pickups:

1. What time can you pick up?
2. You don’t get my address until you give me a time.
3. If the item isn’t picked up within 2 hours of that time, it goes to the next person.

These are the actual statements I use with my potential buyers:

EXAMPLE #1

BUYER: “Is this available?”

ME: “Yes the blue tablecloth is available. When can you pickup? (near the Walmart on Main Street)”

BUYER: “I can pickup after work today.”

ME: “Okay. Approx what time?”

BUYER: “Around 5pm”

ME: “Perfect! My address is ____ (in the ___ subdivision). If not picked up by 7PM, I’ll let it go to the next person. Unless you want to pay with Venmo for me to hold it for you.“

BUYER: “Sounds good!”

ME one hour before their scheduled pickup time: “The item is on my front porch for you now. Please leave money under the doormat. Unless you prefer Venmo — here’s my Venmo:”

EXAMPLE #2

BUYER: “Is this available?”

ME: “Yes the blue tablecloth is available. When can you pickup? (near the Walmart on Main Street)”

BUYER: “I can pickup tomorrow. I’m not sure exactly what time yet.”

ME: “Ok. Check with me tomorrow before you head this way to make sure it’s still available – then I’ll put it on the front porch in a bag with your name on it. Unless you’d like to pay with Venmo for me to hold it for you – here’s my Venmo:”

The bottom line… no one gets my address unless I have an exact time!

Tip #9 – There are 2 times when porch pickup definitely makes the MOST sense:

BONUS TIP: When I do a porch pick, here is how I package it:

Tip #10 – Look around your house (and garage… and attic… and basement) for larger, more valuable items that you could sell.

Larger, more-valuable items bring big dollars faster.

Smaller, less-valuable items aren’t as popular among buyers. Plus, you have to sell a bunch of low-value items just to feel like Facebook Marketplace is worth your time.

On the other hand, a single high-quality item typically sells very quickly and brings the big bucks — which means immediate satisfaction!

Tip #11 – Personally, I think Home & Garden is the most popular category on Facebook Marketplace and the best place to sell MOST items.

I even think it’s better than the Miscellaneous category when you’re not sure where to list a certain item. Since Miscellaneous is mostly just a catch-all category — you have to sift through a lot of unusual items just to find something that you’re even familiar with. It’s very hard to find many meaningful items that you would truly be interested in buying. (For me, Miscellaneous is a “junk” category.)

On the other hand, the types of things found for sale in the Home & Garden category tend to include anything that’s used inside of, outside of, and around the house. Home & Garden includes household items of all types — from appliances, furniture, and decorations to gardening supplies, sporting goods, pet supplies, and outdoor living items. Home & Garden items are generally better quality and higher priced than items found in the Miscellaneous category.

Other popular categories on Facebook Marketplace are:

Tip #12 – Facebook Marketplace pricing is very similar to yard sale pricing — so don’t expect to get “top dollar” for things!

I see people all the time pricing their items way too high on FB Marketplace.

Yes, $xyz might be what the item is truly worth. But if you really want to get rid of the item, then you’ll need to price it lower than it’s worth.

Trust me on this. Otherwise, you’ll just be wasting the time you spent listing the item… and you’ll still have the item in your possession because it will not sell!

I usually price Facebook Marketplace items for sale this way:

• Anything in “excellent condition” (non-used, brand new, or only used once or twice) — 1/2 the price that they could buy it on Amazon.
• Anything in “used but good condition” — 1/4 the price that they could buy it on Amazon.

Here are some examples of items that I’ve sold on FB Marketplace and their prices:

• Winter coats (adults) – $20 or $25. If it’s leather OR has a removable zip-out liner, then $30 or $35 because it’s like getting 2 jackets in one. (I sold a Harley Davidson leather jacket with removable H-D hoodie for $80 — Harley items cost more to buy, so they sell for more as well.)
• XL Dog bed – $15 fits in XL dog crate.
• Shoes (adults) – $15 to $20, but only if they’re brand new or hardly worn at all.
• Robot vacuum – $55 for a no-name brand that works great.
• Dog toys – $15 for 4 large dog toys in good shape.
• Jeans (adults) – 3 pairs of the same “style” (Levis 505’s, for example) – $20. Or 4 pairs of the same “style” (Levi’s Curvy 529’s, for example) – $25.

BONUS TIP: My general feeling is that clothing just doesn’t sell well on Facebook Marketplace unless it’s got a unique/valuable logo (like Harley-Davidson, North Face, etc.). For that reason, it’s best to sell 2, 3, or 4 of an identical clothing item for a really low price — like the Levi’s mentioned above. Anyone who’s even mildly interested will usually bite on that kind of a deal on clothing.

If you don’t like these pricing guidelines and you want higher prices for your items, then consider selling them on other sites like eBay or Craigslist instead.

Tip #13 – You’ll get more money for your items if you have the original box that the item came in.

Be sure to show the item — both inside and outside of that box — in a couple of your pictures.

BONUS TIP: The same is true if the item still has its original tags from the day you purchased it.

Tip #14 – Post as many pictures as possible.

I notice that many people only post 1 or maybe 2 photos for each item.

Heck, post as many photos that will adequately show every angle of the item. (You’re allowed to post up to 10 pictures per listing.)

Make sure that buyers can see these things in your photos:

You can post up to 10 photos per item. Once uploaded, drag each photo right or left to change the order that it appears in your listing. Be sure to put the “best” one in the very first position (far left).

BONUS TIP: Zoom in close on the item. It’s okay to include your hand holding the item or your finger pointing to something important in the photo. But don’t include any items in the photo that are NOT included in the sale of this item. Otherwise, the buyer will balk, claiming that they thought they also got the other item(s) that appeared in the same picture.

Tip #15 – In the product description, always try to tell a very short but very personal story about how you used this item… and why you’re selling it.

People pay more for honesty.

When you’re able to relay your own personal attachment to the item (without going overboard) — how much you’ve enjoyed and cared for this item — potential buyers appreciate that and they tend to place a higher value on that item.

BONUS TIP: If your item is from a non-smoking home and/or a pet-free home, be sure to state that in your description as well.

Tip #16 – Don’t list several different items for sale in a single listing.

That’s just lazy! Plus, your items won’t show up properly when people use the Facebook Marketplace ‘search’ feature.

People don’t want to dig through everything you’re selling in one long listing. Who wants to try to decipher the way you’ve chosen to photograph and list each of the individual items’ prices?

If you have 2 or more of the exact same item for sale, then yes — include those in the same posting. But the best rule of thumb if you really want to sell your items is to post a separate listing for each and every different item you’re selling.

Tip #17 – The majority of your inquiries will come on the first day that you post the item for sale — in fact, within the first few minutes of posting it.

Hardly anyone will find your item the next day and onward unless you:

• Pay close attention to the words you use to describe it in your listing
• Choose words that people tend to use when searching for such an item online

That’s because after the first day, your item will become buried among all of the other items that were listed AFTER yours.

The newest items always appear first in the Facebook Marketplace stream. So if your item no longer appears toward the top of the list, people will have to manually search for that specific type of item in order to find your listing.

BONUS TIP: If you change anything in your listing (wording or price), it gets bumped up in the feed — as if it’s a new listing. For that reason, I constantly tweak my listings if I’m not getting many interested buyers. Another way to bump your listing to the top is to “renew after 7 days”. You can do this a total of 4 times (keeping the same item listed for 4 weeks) without changing the wording or price.

Tip #18 – For what it’s worth, I’ve found that it’s best to post your Facebook Marketplace listing on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

I think it’s because more people are willing to go out of their way to pick up an item on weekends. While their weekdays are often set in a “routine” that consists of many different scheduled activities. It’s harder for them to add something new into an already busy schedule.

Sundays are definitely my most popular days for sales on Facebook Marketplace!

Tip #19 – If you happen to “delete” (instead of “mark as sold”) any of the items you’re selling in the Facebook Marketplace, remember to remove those items from the individual group pages as well.

Items marked as “sold” are automatically removed from the group pages, but items that are “deleted” are not always removed from the group pages.

Pro-Tips from a First-Time Mom

To give you another perspective, I asked a friend (a first-time mom) who routinely clears out baby gear on Facebook Marketplace for her top insights: