How to Add Your Yard Sale to Facebook Marketplace

Are you excited to have a yard sale? Facebook Marketplace is one of the best places to spread the word to your local community. With millions of users checking out Marketplace every day, you will reach way more potential buyers than you would just posting signs in the neighborhood. Here is everything you need to know when posting your yard sale.

What You Need Before Getting Started

Before creating your yard sale listing, please ensure that you have:

• An active Facebook account that is a few weeks old
• Clear photos of some of your best items
• Your address ready to include, but be sure to confirm that you are comfortable sharing that information
• A good description of your items sold

To use Marketplace, Facebook requires a “real” account, so make sure that you have real pictures of yourself in your profile, and fill out some basic information to help your account look “real”.

Step 1: Access Facebook Marketplace

Accessing Facebook Marketplace is simple. When you open Facebook on your phone, you will see the shop icon at the bottom of the screen. When you open Facebook on your computer, you will see “Marketplace” in the left sidebar of your Facebook homepage.

Once you click on a Marketplace, items for sale in your area will appear. You will see a button that says “Create new listing” or a plus sign, which you will need to create your yard sale.

Step 2: Choose the Right Listing Type

When creating your listing, you will be prompted to select what type of item you are selling. There are a few good options to choose from for yard sales:

Option 1: “Garage Sale” (Property for sale or rent) Listing – Perfect if Facebook allows this listing type in your area. Garage sales are specifically for selling multiple items. 

Option 2: “Miscellaneous” or “Everything Else” – If there isn’t a garage sale listing, you should select a general item type and you can clarify with the title that it is a yard sale.

Step 3: Write a Perfect Title

Your title is the first impression people will have, make it a good one! Here are a few good examples of yard sale names:

"SUPER Sale - Multi-Family Yard Sale- June 15-16"

"Moving Sale - Everything Will Be Gone"

"Annual Neighborhood Garage Sale"

"Estate Sale - Antiques, Furniture and More"

Keep your title under 80 characters and only 1-2 items or information that they will need/want, such as a date.

Step 4: Add Eye-Catching Photos

Pictures are key to getting people to stop and look at your listing. Here are some tips on how to take good yard sale pictures:

Get multiple pictures of your sale, particularly different sections or sets of like items

• Make it a little organized – the more clean and organized it looks, the more likely it is to sell
• Make the first picture the best picture – if you have anything valuable or rare, be sure to include it in the first picture or in the picture set
• Take pictures in the daytime – if you can see everything clearly, a stranger should be able to see it as well
• Show types – it’s a good idea to show pictures that represent that you have different types of items

You can add up to 10 pictures, please use them all to display your offering.

Step 5: Write a Detailed Description

Your description should provide people with an understanding of what they are purchasing at your sale. Below are some ideas to include in your description:

• Date and times – be specific about when your sale begins and ends.
• Address or general location – you can put the specific address or just the area.
• Types of items – Item category such as “Clothes, toys and books”.
• Special highlights – Anything special, valuable, or one of a kind.
• How you take payment– If you only accept cash or if you also accept digital payment like Venmo.

Here is an example description that might be helpful:

"Big yard sale this Saturday 8am-4pm, at 123 Oak St. We have tons of kids clothes (sizes 2T-10), toys, books, kitchen appliances, home decor, and furniture. Special highlights, barely used treadmill, antique dishes, designer purses, all priced to sell! Cash preferred but we also take Venmo."

Step 6: Set Your Location and Price

For location, you can put the exact address, or you can list your general area. Most people will choose the specific address anyway, since yard sales are at people’s homes.

For pricing, you have a couple of options:

• Price everything at “$1” and explain in description that items are priced individually
• Put a range like “$1-50” to show price spread
• Put “See description” if you’ve put individual prices in the description.

Step 7: Choose Your Audience

Facebook will ask you who you want to be able to see your listing. For yard sales, I suggest you select “Public” so that anyone in your area will be able to find it. This will give you the most eyeballs on your listing.

Additionally, you can share your listing in local Facebook groups or neighborhood pages and garage sale groups and get even more exposure.

Tips for a Successful Yard Sale Listing

• Post early – Be sure to post your listing at least a few days before your sale.
• Update if needed – If you change dates or add items, you can edit your listing.
• Respond quickly – If a buyer has a question about your listing, be sure to answer it quickly.
• Be honest – It’s very important to be honest about the items you are selling so that your customers aren’t disappointed by their purchase.
• Follow up – You can repost for future sales once people have experience and know you have some good stuff.

What to Avoid

Don’t announce your sale too far in advance – people will forget about things they saw weeks ago. Don’t announce too late at night, too, when there are less people online.

Make sure your photos aren’t blurry or too dark. Bad photos make people think you don’t have quality items.

Wrapping Up

Facebook Marketplace is a free way to advertise your yard sale and successfully reach thousands of local people who are actually looking for deals. Unlike newspaper advertisements or signs put up on the side of the road which only reach people who happen to be driving by, Facebook Marketplace allows you to post photos and descriptions of your items for people searching for yard sales in your area.

Be patient and keep a friendly demeanor with all the questions. The better experience, the more people will watch for your next sale and perhaps tell their friends.

Happy selling!