Being a dropshipper, you can use multiple platforms for performing dropshipping operations. Well, most of the dropshippers use dropshipping platforms like Shopify, Woocommerce, etc. but what about using social media as your most impactful weapon for dropshipping? What about the Facebook marketplace? In this article, we'll be going along with the question: How to dropship on Facebook Marketplace?
Dropshipping can be really tough, but if you have the right knowledge of where to use your dropshipping operations, you might step upon the gold mine of how things are to be done. I have seen multiple dropshippers using social media marketplaces in order to upscale their online businesses. Using Facebook Marketplace has been a great experience overall. The results were not as similar to using the proper dropshipping module, but can be an excellent option for dropshippers of using social media platforms.
One of the major reasons, I would recommend beginners to try dropshipping is because of ease and cost-effectiveness, where you might require comparatively more resources, using social media platforms can be manageable on a much easier level. Where using dropshipping across platforms might require some extra level of efforts, such as website making, product listing, brand engagement, and advertising operations, using the Facebook Marketplace is much easier.
Many dropshippers consider Facebook Marketplace one of the most profitable channels to perform dropshipping operations. So, let's dive in and understand how to dropship on the Facebook marketplace while covering some other important aspects of dropshipping over this social media platform.
Is it Possible to Use Facebook Marketplace to Dropship?
Facebook Marketplace was launched back in 2016, and it was primarily not available or used for dropshipping. The goal behind the launch of the marketplace was to help small business owners take their businesses online and reach out to potential customers globally.
But after a successful launch, Facebook added more features to the Marketplace in the year 2019. And here's where dropshipping got an entry sign.
So, to answer the question asked above,
Yes, you can definitely use facebook marketplace for dropshipping!
This is because,
Facebook allows users to create product listings, similar to product pages on websites. It allows sellers to reach out to Facebook and Instagram users with stories, live videos, and direct messaging.
It has its own onsite checkout system to process payments. And lastly, it even has an order management tool for users to manage their orders easily!
Everything looks good till now, but all these features unfortunately are not available for everyone as of now, and it's limited to the US sellers only.
So what's the trick here?
If you are located in the US, and are managing your inventory with any one Facebook's listing partners, then only you will be able to use Facebook Marketplace to its full potential.
However, you don't have to worry even a bit if you don't fall into any of these categories. Because many sellers out there have already earned huge dollars by dropshipping on Facebook Marketplace without even using any of their advanced features.
Why Dropshippers should consider using Facebook Marketplace for Dropshipping?
As I have just mentioned earlier, you can work over with Facebook marketplace as your channel, you can work over with several operations, and work accordingly to get the best results possible. Here are some of the common points that one should be considering in terms of choosing Facebook marketplace as your excellent choice:
No Setup Cost
Where you might need some resources such as website hosting, domain charges, and efforts over things like adding product description, product listing, integrating some other tools for better management, well, in simple words, too much technical stuff for a newbie.
Easy-to-Use Interface
From a user perspective, Facebook Marketplace can be considered an online business platform with a much easier user interface as compared to Shopify and other platforms. Since Facebook has been in this ecosystem for quite some time, it will have a much easier interface or general interface where your own dropshipping will be directly proportional to the amount of time and effort you spend on your dropshipping website.
Traffic
Where your own dropshipping website might require some paid campaigns, brand awareness, and other marketing operations to acquire an audience, Facebook has already got you covered for that aspect, Facebook has already got billions of users, now all you need to do is search for a potential hot selling product and tap over those potential customers.
Can I Do Dropshipping on Facebook Marketplace?
Yes, almost anyone can use Facebook Marketplace for dropshipping operations, but in order to perform dropshipping on Facebook marketplace, you will be required to look after the following points:
- You should have a Facebook account.
- Check that your dropshipping products don't break any policies from Meta/Facebook.
- Whether you can deliver these products in bulk or single product delivery.
How to Dropship on Facebook Marketplace?
Using Facebook Marketplace for your dropshipping business is pretty easy, and you can start your own product listing using some simple steps:
- Create your Facebook account, if you don't have any.
- Search for the hot-selling products that suit your dropshipping business model.
- Access in the Facebook Marketplace.
- List your products while filling in the required fields.
- Look out for the places where you want your product to be listed.
- Process your orders accordingly.
Some Important Points to consider while doing Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping
You can look into some of the basic prerequisites while doing Facebook Marketplace, but in addition to that, you need to consider some other points as a dropshipper yourself, these points include:
- Bulk Supply: You should also consider the point of bulk delivering as this will basically help you in making things even better in terms of dropshipping products in bulk, as a result, it will open up different opportunities for dropshipping operations.
- Having the right dropshipping supplier: Having the right dropshipping supplier can be an important thing to look forward to, whether it is in terms of fulfillment or customer satisfaction in terms of quality and delivery. You need to focus on these aspects as well while performing your Facebook Marketplace dropshipping.
In addition to all the points that are mentioned above, you also need to work on some other aspects as well, this basically includes the market analysis.
Market Analysis for Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping
Now that you are well aware of the basic stuff of dropshipping, here comes the market analysis, this basically helps in several aspects, these points include:
Finding hot selling products for Facebook marketplace dropshipping
Searching for the right hot-selling product for your dropshipping can be difficult and time-consuming. Whatever your niche is, a big chunk of your business depends upon searching for the right dropshipping products. While searching for the right dropshipping business you should focus on some significant aspects like whether have a proper profit margin and can deliver the product at right time, in addition, you should also be considering whether your products are deliverable for the bulk ordering, whether they offer white label dropshipping or not.
Have the right prices as compared to your dropshipping competitors
You should always consider how your competitors are performing in terms of prices, whether they have similar price ranges, and have the type of delivery is fulfilled overall. In addition to that, you should also look forward to things like whether the product you are selling or performing dropshipping on, has future selling eligibility, i.e. whether the product you are looking forward to performing dropshipping either has reached a saturation point in the market or whether you have substantial growth for that product in dropshipping aspect.
Use Ad Spy Tools for Better Analysis
As a dropshipper, you should have a proper analysis of the ads that are running over a certain platform. Since a lot of dropshippers use ads to perform their dropshipping operations, having the right analysis of these ads can be really helpful in order to perform the type of dropshipping that is really required. In addition to that, these ad spy tools can help in delivering a better analysis of how things are. Since these tools offer an excellent filtration process, you'll be able to make things better for your dropshipping and everything. You can try several ad spy tools such as BigSpy or AdSpy.
When will you Get Paid for Selling Something on the Facebook Marketplace?
Now that you have understood how to dropship on Facebook Marketplace, next comes the compensation part. Yes, nobody wishes to do business without getting paid fairly, so let’s see what Facebook has for you in terms of profits. First thing first, when you make your account on Facebook Marketplace, the team will ask you for your bank details. Make sure to enter every digit correctly, because the team will pay you on the same bank account you have entered.
If you have received a particular order from Facebook, and the order is further received by your customer, you will have to mark that order as shipped on your Facebook account. After 15-20 days of successful shipping, Facebook will deposit the money in your bank account. You will even have to enter the order tracking details for the Facebook team to check whether the order has been delivered or not.
However, the exact timing of your payment completely depends on your bank too.
To help users not face any inconveniences, Facebook even updates the whole payment process on your dashboard. From the dashboard itself, Dropshippers can check their balance, sales history, completed and pending payouts, and more.
Note that you will be charged a 5% of selling fee if you are using Facebook’s checkout system. The overhead cost as compared to other sites is very less here because Dropshippers are not charged a bit for listing items. You don’t have to pay the charges monthly, the team automatically deducts 5% fees on every successful sale.
Eligibility to Sell on Facebook Marketplace for the USA
The eligibility to sell on Facebook Marketplace for the USA is pretty simple and doesn't require anything which is going to be tough, the eligibility criteria are pretty simple, here are some of the points that you need to look forward to, these basically include:
- The dropshippers can use Facebook Marketplace for selling products nationwide as long as they have the checkout process set up along with the shipping process.
- As a seller, if you cross a selling limit of $500, you might be needed to verify whether you are a US citizen or not, this will be verified by providing the social security number.
This process might require some extra steps or things to look forward to, just in case you want to be well-versed in other policies and everything.
Basic Set of Rules for Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping
In order to perform dropshipping on Facebook Marketplace, here are some set of rules that you need to look forward to:
- Should have a Facebook Account.
- The user should be 18 or above.
- Users should perform proper product listing while having proper product descriptions, product images, shipping options, etc. misleading practices should not be performed as this might lead to suspension or ban of their Facebook account.
- Selling of prohibited products is not entertained, these include the selling of alcohol, adult products, etc. that do not lie with the policies of Facebook Marketplace.
- Selling of event tickets, vouchers, etc. is prohibited on Facebook Marketplace.
What are the Pros and Cons of Dropshipping on Facebook Marketplace?
Similar to normal dropshipping operations, Facebook Marketplace dropshipping will also have some pros and cons that are needed to consider before getting indulged in these operations:
Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping Pros
- Low startup costs: Dropshipping on Facebook Marketplace can be a low-cost way to start an e-commerce business, as you don't need to invest in inventory or warehousing.
- Wide selection of products: As a dropshipper, you can offer a wide range of products to your customers without having to purchase and store them yourself.
- Flexibility: Dropshipping allows you to easily test out different products and adjust your inventory based on customer demand.
- Use Facebook Ads: You can also use Facebook Ads for dropshipping on Marketplace, this basically can help in better reach to potential customers, since the users, ads management, and dropshipping are being performed on a similar place, you can look forward to it.
- No initial investment: With Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping, you won't have to worry even a bit about the investment part. And with the name investment, the first thing that pops up in any Dropshipper's mind is the website itself.
Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping Cons
- Low margins: Because you don't have control over the production and distribution of the products you sell, your profit margins may be lower than if you were selling products that you source and fulfill yourself.
- Quality control issues: If you're not handling the products you sell, it can be more difficult to ensure that they meet your standards and those of your customers.
- Shipping delays: If you're relying on your suppliers to fulfill orders, shipping times may be longer than if you were handling fulfillment yourself. This can lead to customer dissatisfaction.
- Limited control: As a dropshipper, you don't have as much control over the customer experience as you would if you were fulfilling orders yourself. This can make it harder to build a strong brand and loyal customer base.
Overall, dropshipping on Facebook Marketplace can be a good option for those looking to start an e-commerce business with limited upfront costs and flexibility. However, it's important to carefully weigh the potential pros and cons before deciding if it's the right fit for your business.
Top FAQs on Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping
What's the minimum age limit to do dropshipping on Facebook Marketplace?
The user should have a Facebook account and should be 18 or above to do dropshipping on Facebook Marketplace.
Is Facebook a good platform to perform dropshipping?
Yes, Facebook can be considered a good platform for dropshipping, since it has already got millions of active users along with its own ads platform, as a dropshipper, you can use these points in order to make your way around dropshipping.
How much selling fee does Facebook take from dropshippers?
Facebook takes a selling fee of 5% per shipment or a flat fee of $0.40 for shipments of $8 or less. You can also read more on Facebook's help section.
Can I dropship from AliExpress to Facebook Marketplace?
A free dropshipping importer tool. This extension allows you to copy Aliexpress products and paste them into Facebook Marketplace. Simply navigate to the Aliexpress product and click the save button that appears. On Facebook Marketplace, click the button to paste the images, title, price, and description.
Conclusion on How to Dropship on Facebook Marketplace?
Considering all the pros and cons attached to Facebook Marketplace, we believe that if any Dropshippers step in here in 2024, they will be benefited greatly.
As a dropshipper, Facebook Marketplace can be an excellent opportunity, one of the major reasons for Facebook being able to be used for dropshipping is its easy access to all.
More importantly, Facebook is not just a marketplace, but even a social media platform used by 2 billion plus individuals. That means, you don't really have to put much effort into bringing customers to your store. It's just a bit of advertising, and you will definitely get access to a bunch of people interested in your product list.
And if a dropshipper doesn't really want to invest in marketing, the public groups here come to the rescue. Dropshippers can constantly post product listings on the public or local groups for free for customers to view. Isn't this amazing? Just a bit of socializing and you have got it all!!
Another major factor that is worth mentioning here is, that Facebook has already got a good user base, as a dropshipper, you can look forward to utilizing this customer base for your dropshipping operations. At least, as a dropshipper, I would recommend you get along with Facebook Marketplace for dropshipping, you never know that this can be something that you were waiting for.
Hopefully, this article on How to Dropship on Facebook Marketplace might have helped you clear some of the common doubts you might be having on this topic.
Want to learn more about dropshipping? Stay tuned to Droptweaks, because here we simply bring out the best resources for you to kickstart your dropshipping business in 2024!