Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping 101: Stepwise Guide in 2024

Updated by March 18,2024

The Facebook Marketplace is the trending and one of the successful dropshipping selling platforms. While the Facebook Marketplace has been there for quite some time, dropshippers have recently begun to use it as an extra venue for building their dropshipping company. Although Facebook Marketplace is not a new concept, it is still underutilised. There aren't as many dropshippers on Facebook Marketplace right now, but organic traffic and sales are skyrocketing.

As a result, now is a perfect moment to begin dropshipping on Facebook Marketplace and reap the benefits (sooner rather than later). If you want to start dropshipping on Facebook Marketplace but don't know where to start, look no further. This guide will walk you through the process until it becomes enjoyable and rewarding. Prepare to go from having no prior expertise to making your first sales.

Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping - What Is It

Let's start with the basics for those who are brand new to dropshipping. Dropshipping is a method of selling things online that requires no upfront investment.

The dropshipping business concept involves three parties:

• A supplier or producer
• You (the dropshipper)
• A consumer (the client)

How Does Everything Work

• A consumer buys anything from your dropshipping store.
• You place the order to your preferred provider using your buyer's details.
• The goods are delivered to your customer by the provider.

You don't have to invest in the stock, keep inventory, or deal with transportation; the price margin determines your profit. The Facebook Marketplace is now one of the finest under-the-radar selling channels to start or build your dropshipping business, thanks to Facebook's ability to drive a ton of free organic traffic to our store on the Marketplace.

Stepwise Guide on Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping

So, first and foremost, you'll need a Facebook account, preferably a personal one. Once that's done, you can start thinking about your product. Let's assume you don't already have a Facebook Shop or an existing product inventory and go from there.

1. Select a Product and a Supplier

You need a lucrative product with a high probability of generating a lot of sales. Because dropshipping offers low-profit margins, volume can be your friend here. So, how do you go about finding the products? One technique is to start with a supplier and then assess the product from that perspective.

Making sure a supplier is close by is vital since Facebook needs speedy shipping and delivery, with the tracking number being posted no later than three days after the sale date. Searching for Walmart or Amazon-specific items (i.e., their own brands) on eBay and choosing one that displays at least 100 sales is another helpful technique. (When you access an eBay listing, the quantity will be shown to the right of "Quantity," just under the listing title.)

It's also crucial to remember that when choosing a product, you should make a selection based on commercial understanding rather than your personal likes and preferences. The best items are those with a high value that are simple to ship and unlikely to break while transported. You may either target a wide audience with things that many people require (like a bed frame) or target niche audiences who may be more willing to spend more money (e.g., Massage Gun). Or even recurring items like high-end electric toothbrushes and brush heads that will keep clients coming back to you.

2. List Your Product on the Marketplace

Next, create your listing. By clicking the market stall icon (), navigate to the Marketplace, then click "+ Create new listing" and "Item for sale”. Use the photographs you downloaded from your supplier's website in your listing. Copy the description as well; don't burden yourself with extra effort. If necessary, perhaps clean up the description a little; otherwise, continue to the product category and title.

These are crucial since they will affect who sees your listing. With your category (there are many subcategories available), try to be as exact as possible, and pick a catchy title. This may not always be the supplier's name. Consider a few possibilities and consider what would catch your attention if you were your target audience. Make sure that the only delivery option you choose is "Shipping," as pick-up plainly doesn't work for dropshipping.

Lastly, set your pricing The supplier's pricing should be added to your fees and a fair margin, like 15%, to get this price. When doing your calculations, you should be sure to factor in the 5% fee charged by Facebook Marketplace (or USD 0.40 for products priced at USD 8 or less). You don't need to worry about it here because Facebook does not provide checkout or payment through the website for nations outside of the US.

Once your listing is complete, you're live.

3. Ads on Facebook's Marketplace

After organising your listing, you may consider posting some advertising. For example, when you sell from a personal account, you have the option to "boost" your listings so that they show up higher in a particular search result.

Alternatively, if you're using a Facebook Business account, you may post targeted advertising with the possibility of A/B testing using the Ads Manager, which is available through your Commerce Manager. These advertisements will appear in your selected target audience's Facebook feed as well as in Marketplace search results (labelled "Sponsored").

4. Observe the Orders Coming in

It shouldn't take long for orders to start rolling in once your target audience sees your listing. In addition, customers may write to you directly on Facebook Marketplace and ask follow-up inquiries, which is a wonderful feature for customer care. This site is different from others like eBay, Amazon, or Etsy because you directly interact with the consumer. Yes, it could require a bit more work, but it guarantees that your consumers receive precisely what they want and are delighted.

Facebook Checkout isn't available outside the US, so you'll have to make arrangements for payment using Facebook Messenger, such as by emailing account information or something similar. Once an order has been verified, you must place an order with your supplier. When it asks for shipping information, provide the customer's address from Facebook instead of your own. If you confirm, the Item should soon be on its way to a satisfied client.

Don't forget to update the tracking number within Facebook, or your payment could be delayed. One downside to using Facebook Marketplace for Dropshipping is that Facebook only clears the money once the Item has been delivered, which works out around 15-20 days after the order has been placed. So you'll need some extra start-up capital instead of other dropshipping set-ups.

Tips on Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping

You've thus decided to try out this Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping stuff. Here are a few additional pointers and advice for your adventure.

Improve Your Listing

First impressions are crucial when visitors are visiting your listing. Therefore, the title and main picture should receive special attention since they will attract potential customers and guarantee a strong position in search results. The most crucial information about your product should also be included in the title, along with the primary keywords for whatever you're selling (i.e., what customers would enter into the Marketplace search field).

For example, if you were selling a Bluetooth speaker, you would want the words "wireless Bluetooth speaker" in the title as well as the condition ("Brand-new"), brand and product name ("UE Megaboom," for example), colour ("Lagoon Blue," and so on). In addition, the description should include other crucial semantic terms and information, such as battery life, accessories, and sound quality.

You'll probably use the photographs from your supplier's website when it comes to images. These ought to be of sufficient size and quality, but make sure you download the best-resolution version you can find at all times (as opposed to a thumbnail, for example). Then, after looking over your collection of images, pick the one that best captures the product visually and accurately. A few various titles may be tested over time, with each one being run for a few months to determine which generates the most sales.

Excellent Customer Service

We've repeated it several times, but customer service is crucial in eCommerce. The majority of individuals who have a negative experience frequently don't return for at least two years, which is why you want loyal consumers. You must thus be on top of your Customer Service game even in a setting as casual as Marketplace.

The good news is that people may contact you instantly for assistance via Messenger, but this necessitates a prompt response, especially because consumers can view documented response times for company Pages in the chat window. You can set an auto-response and an away message when you aren't near your phone or computer so that others will know when you'll be ready to react. However, this is not feasible for personal accounts; it is only allowed with Facebook for Business or those managing a Page.

When you start, you'll need to check Messenger regularly to ensure you're replying to individuals promptly. You'll need to do this if you manage your listings from your personal account.  In addition to your response time, you should ensure your tone is respectful yet approachable and consistently helpful and accommodating. A good rule of thumb is to imagine how you would like to be addressed if you consider making a purchase.

Automating & Expanding Dropshipping Processs

You can start considering automating your procedure if maintaining and updating your listings requires a lot of effort. Given that this is a developing trend, many more suppliers will enter this market soon. If you intend to automate your listings, one thing to watch out for is that they continue to come across as factual and professional. You face a larger risk of having listings blocked if you create them using a computer and the Facebook algorithm finds them, suspect.

Conclusion

Overall, it's clear that Facebook Marketplace has some intriguing possibilities, particularly for nascent dropshippers wishing to risk-free test the waters. However, managing all of the processes required outside of the US may prove difficult and time-consuming, raising the issue of whether it is worth it.

Hopefully, Facebook will keep releasing commerce tools and expand the availability of Checkout and Pay to every country, which would greatly expand the market. Sellers from the US are fortunate in the interim since they may thoroughly acquaint themselves with everything on the horizon of the new Facebook Marketplace dropshipping journey.