How to Set Up Facebook Marketplace

You do not need a separate Marketplace signup. With an eligible Facebook account, open Marketplace and create a listing for the item you want to sell. On a computer, choose Create new listing > Item for sale. In the iPhone or Android app, choose Sell > Create listing. Add photos and accurate details, then select Publish.

This guide covers personal accounts selling and buying ordinary items locally on facebook.com and in the Facebook app for iPhone and Android. The available listing types, delivery options and controls can differ by region and account. A Marketplace listing is separate from a normal post in your Feed or a buy-and-sell group, and selling through a business Shop uses Meta’s Commerce Manager instead.

Check Your Access First

Facebook’s Marketplace eligibility guidance says you must be an adult (at least 18 in the United States) and live in a supported country. Use your main profile and sign in. New or inactive accounts, additional profiles, and accounts with policy restrictions may not have access.

If Marketplace is missing, check those conditions first and follow any age-confirmation or account-review prompts Facebook shows. Making a second profile won’t get around a restriction.

If Facebook has warned you about a listing or restricted your access, you can appeal a Facebook Marketplace restriction. Check Profile status for the specific issue; a listing review and removing an access warning have different outcomes.

Get Your Profile Ready for Buyers

Marketplace runs on your normal Facebook profile, so there is nothing extra to create. Buyers see your name, profile picture and Marketplace activity, such as ratings and how long you have been on Facebook. A few minutes of setup makes you look more trustworthy:

1. Use your real name and a clear profile picture of yourself. Buyers tend to skip sellers with blank or stock photos.
2. Confirm your email address and phone number if Facebook asks. Follow its prompts instead of messages from strangers.
3. Review what strangers can see on your profile, such as your workplace, hometown and friends list. The steps for making your Facebook account private cover each setting.
4. Turn on two-factor authentication in Facebook’s security settings. Marketplace accounts are common targets for scammers who try to take them over.

Set Your Location and Search Radius

Marketplace shows items near the location it has for you. To change it on a computer, open Marketplace and select the location shown in the left menu. Enter a city or ZIP code, choose a Radius, and select Apply. In the app, open Marketplace and tap the location near the top of the screen. The listing location you choose when selling is set separately inside each listing.

A larger radius shows more items but means longer drives for pickup. Start small in a city and widen it if you see too few results.

Prepare Photos and Item Details

Photograph the actual item in good light, including wear or damage. Write down its brand, model, dimensions, condition, included accessories and asking price. Compare similar items when choosing a price, but remember that asking prices aren’t the same as what items sold for.

For example, “wood desk, 48 inches wide, scratch on the right corner, pickup only” helps a buyer assess the item more than “great desk.” Keep your home address, passwords, verification codes and financial account information out of the public description.

A good photo set usually includes a front view, a shot with a common object for scale, close-ups of any flaws, and labels or model numbers. Make the clearest photo the first one, because it becomes the thumbnail buyers see in search results. Clean the item first, use daylight near a window, and shoot against a plain wall or floor.

Check Meta’s Commerce Policies before listing. Services are not allowed as ordinary Marketplace item listings. Event tickets and gift cards have approved-seller restrictions. Weapons, animals, alcohol, tobacco, prescription drugs, medical devices and counterfeit goods are among the items the policies restrict or prohibit. Do not select a misleading category to make a prohibited listing look like a physical item.

Post an Item From a Computer

1. Open Facebook and select Marketplace in the left menu of your Feed.
2. Select Create new listing, then Item for sale. Other listing types, such as Vehicle for sale and Home for sale or rent, have different fields.
3. Select Add photos and upload pictures of the item. Use Add Video if offered and useful.
4. Fill in Title, Price, Category and Condition, then add a Description with size, flaws and pickup details. Check the listing location and any delivery choices. Enter 0 only if the item is free.

5. Select Next. If it is disabled, complete the required information. Review the details and any extra places where you choose to list it, such as buy-and-sell groups you belong to.
6. Select Publish. Check your selling area to confirm the listing and see any review or rejection notice.

Post From the iPhone or Android App

1. Open Facebook’s Menu and select Marketplace. Use See more if necessary, or the Marketplace shortcut when it is shown.
2. Tap Sell, then Create listing. Choose the listing type that fits your item.

3. Add photos from your phone or take new ones. Add a video if the option appears and helps explain the item’s condition.
4. Enter a Title and Price, choose a Category and Condition, and add a description. Open More listing options for extra details and other places to list it, then check the location and delivery choices.
5. Review the listing and tap Publish. Check your listing afterward for its current status.

Facebook’s selling instructions have separate tabs for the computer and the app.

Choose Pickup or Shipping

Most Marketplace sales are local pickup, arranged in Messenger and paid in person. You can offer shipping instead or as well when Facebook offers it for your account and item. Shipped orders use Facebook’s checkout, so the buyer pays through Facebook, and you need to add a payout method (and, in the US, tax information) before you can get paid. Facebook deducts a selling fee from shipped orders; check the rate shown during setup before you choose shipping. Local pickup listings have no selling fee.

If you ship, use a tracked service, pack the item well, and ship within the time Facebook shows for the order. Facebook may offer to Boost a listing for a fee. That is paid advertising and is optional, so try a free listing first.

Know What Becomes Public

Facebook says listings can appear on Marketplace, in Feed and search, and in other places on or off Facebook. Do not treat a local listing as a private conversation. Review the photos for addresses, paperwork or other information you did not intend to show.

Posting does not guarantee buyers, immediate approval or unlimited listings. Review any limit or fee shown before choosing delivery or paid promotion. Shipping and checkout options aren’t available to every seller.

Edit the Listing and Keep Its Status Accurate

On a computer, open Marketplace > Selling > Your listings. Select Options > Edit listing, change the details and choose Update. Facebook’s editing help explains restrictions, including listings with active checkout orders.

Use Mark as pending from the listing’s options when you have agreed on a sale that is not final. Choose Mark as sold beside the listing after completing the sale. If it falls through, use Mark as available where offered. See Facebook’s listing-status guide for platform-specific controls.

Older listings drop lower in results. When Facebook offers Renew in your selling area, use it to move the listing back up. Deleting the listing and posting the item again starts from scratch, so renewing or editing is usually better. If an item sits for a week or two with little interest, try a lower price or better photos.

Communicate and Meet Carefully

Keep buyer conversations on Facebook so you retain a record. Agree on the item, price and pickup arrangements. Meet in a public, well-lit location and tell someone your plan. For electronics, back up anything you need and remove your personal data before handing the device over.

Decide your lowest acceptable price before the first message arrives. Then you can accept, counter or politely decline an offer without second-guessing. Many buyers open with “Is this still available?”, so a quick reply that confirms the price and pickup area keeps them interested.

For payment at a local sale, cash is the most common. If you accept a payment app, confirm that the money has arrived in your own app before you hand over the item. A screenshot or an email is not proof of payment. Avoid personal checks and money orders from strangers.

Never send a buyer a verification code or your account password. Reject overpayment-and-refund requests and gift-card payment demands. If something looks suspicious, stop the transaction and use Facebook’s reporting options. Its responsible buying and selling guidance says local person-to-person payments are not covered by Facebook Purchase Protection. If you did share a code and lose access, follow the steps to recover a hacked Facebook account.

Start Buying on Marketplace

The same setup lets you buy. Open Marketplace, search for an item or browse categories, and use the filters for price, condition and distance. Open a listing to see the seller’s profile and ratings, then select Message to ask a question. Select Save to keep a listing you want to check later. The same meeting and payment cautions apply in reverse: inspect the item before you pay.

If Marketplace Is Missing or a Listing Is Rejected

Most problems come from account eligibility or a policy review. Check these in order:

• No Marketplace icon: update the Facebook app, then check Menu > See more. On a computer, look in the left menu of your Feed. If it is still missing, the account may not meet the age, location or account rules above.
• Access restricted: open the notice to see the reason and request a review if Facebook offers one. The Marketplace appeal steps linked above walk through it.
• Listing rejected: open Marketplace > Selling, find the listing and read the reason. If it follows the Commerce Policies, request another review. Otherwise, edit or delete it.
• No views: make sure the listing is not still in review, add clearer photos, and confirm the location is correct.
• No shipping option: shipping depends on your country, account and category. Offer local pickup instead.

Frequently Asked Questions