Why wont Facebook Marketplace let me boost my listing?

In this article:

• Is listing services on Facebook Marketplace allowed?

• Selling products on Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is becoming a frequently visited platform and it allows individuals and businesses to browse, buy, and sell products to new audiences. Currently, more than 800 million people are using Facebook Marketplace each month.  

This makes it a great opportunity for businesses to sell their offerings and gain new business. But there are some caveats that business owners should be aware of. 

Please note: this article is intended for informational purposes only. You should adhere to all terms of service for all online platforms you use. Please read and understand them.

Selling services on Facebook Marketplace by boosting Facebook ads

Let’s start with local services businesses. In an attempt to reach new audiences and gain brand awareness, many businesses may try putting together a Marketplace listing for one or all of their services. These will probably not be approved by Facebook. 

Despite what some articles out there may say about Facebook Marketplace allowing home services to be listed on its platform, Facebook has clearly stated that all services are against its commerce policies. 

According to the social media giant, “All listings on Marketplace must comply with our Commerce Policies (which list what you can sell on Facebook) and our Community Standards (such as images and descriptions).”

So, you’re not likely to make it far if you try listing your services on Facebook Marketplace. And we recommend that you don’t even try, because the more you try to do something against Facebook’s policies, the more you risk getting your privileges on Facebook revoked. 

How to show your services on Facebook Marketplace

All that being said, there are still ways that you can advertise your local services business on Facebook Marketplace, even if you can’t place an actual listing there. (Of course, you should always conform to the rules of any platform.)

Facebook has several different options for advertising your content on its platform, but one way that you can get placements for your ads in the Marketplace is by boosting a post from your Facebook page. 

Boosting a post is a quick way to set up an ad on Facebook without having to set up an Ads Manager account. You can do this right from your business’s Facebook page. 

First, create a post about your services that you can boost to new audiences. Video content has the opportunity to get more placements and it generally has higher engagement rates, but you can reach Marketplace with general images and text too. 

Next, publish your post on your Facebook page and click “Boost Post” on the bottom right corner of your published post. 

Then, fill out all of the settings for your boosted post. This includes:

• Choosing the button label that you want on your ad and the exact URL that you want the post to link to

• Setting up a special ad category (if applicable)

• Choosing your audience

• Setting the duration and budget

• Selecting your goal (this generally defaults to “Automatic” and that’s fine)

• Set your placements (this allows you to include your ads on Instagram and Messenger if you want to, and if you have an Instagram account linked to your Facebook page)

• Payment method

After all of your settings are filled out, you can click the option to preview your ads in all of the different placements that Facebook allows. This will include:

• Facebook news feed on desktop and mobile

• Instant articles

• Facebook in-stream video on desktop and mobile (if you have video content)

• Suggested videos on desktop and mobile (if you have video content)

• Facebook Stories

• Marketplace on desktop and mobile (this is the entire goal, right?) 

• Marketplace search results on mobile

• General search results on desktop and mobile

When you are satisfied, click “Boost Post Now” and monitor your post as it starts to show up for more and more potential customers. 

Selling products on Facebook Marketplace

While selling products on Facebook Marketplace is allowed for businesses, there are some products that are not allowed that we want to bring your attention to. 

There’s the general “no drugs, drug paraphernalia, alcohol, gambling, sexual content” rule, but there are some other items that Facebook has listed as prohibited in its Commerce Policies. 

Other items that you might not have known about that are against Facebook’s Commerce Policies:

• Animals and animal parts (however products for animals like cages, toys, collars, etc. are fine)

• Hazardous good and materials, including chemical pesticides and flammable/combustible substances

• Ingestible supplements, including vitamins, protein bars, and protein powder

• Medical and healthcare products

• Subscriptions and digital products

• Weapons, ammunition, and explosives

• Events or admissions tickets

• Gift cards and vouchers

This is not a comprehensive list, it just includes items that are not generally frowned upon. For Facebook’s full Commerce Policies, go here. 

If you’ve determined your products are not against Facebook’s policies, then go forth and sell! 

We have just the guide to get you started: Facebook Marketplace step by step: how to get set up and list items

Another quick note about Facebook Marketplace if you aren’t familiar with the ins and outs of it all: Facebook Marketplace is not an ecommerce platform. There is no exchange of currency or shipping options for general listings. A general listing allows you to display your product in Marketplace so that customers can then choose to come into your store to make the exchange. In order to have ecommerce capabilities, you’ll need to set up a shop on your Facebook page (this is also explained in our guide above.) 

Tips and best practices for selling your products on Facebook Marketplace

As you set up your product listings, you’ll want to take special care to set them apart from the hundreds or thousands of other listings from individuals and businesses. 

Use these best practices to guide you along:

• Use professional photos on your listings. You can take good quality photos with your phone, or if you have professional product photos available, use those! Before posting, ask another person if the photos look professional

• Include helpful descriptions of the products. Don’t just list the name of the product, list the details that people are looking for: size, dimensions, weight, color, etc. (depending on the product)

• List the actual price. Don’t just list $1 or $123 to get people’s attention. They want to know what the actual price of your products are

• Always have a second person take a look at the listing before posting it. They can help check for spelling and grammar errors and give you a second opinion on how the post looks. 

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