Selling craft products on Facebook is promising — with over 2.6 billion active monthly users and rising, Facebook can provide you with a substantial amount of customers for your homemade craft business.
If you already have a decent Facebook presence, then you potentially have a very easy source of new sales and customers.
Facebook currently offers a range of opportunities for craft entrepreneurs considering bringing their business onto the platform. With its latest ecommerce update, Facebook Shops, this feature elevates the traditional Facebook Page Shops into one that is customisable, cohesive and user friendly.
This promising platform provides various tools to help your business market its products. Facebook has recently introduced a new scheme, Facebook Checkout, where customers would be able to purchase products directly on Facebook.
Without further ado, here is the Craftybase guide on how you can sell your handmade craft products through Facebook Checkout.
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Start your 14 day free trialBenefits of Facebook Checkout
As mentioned, customers are now able to complete transactions through checkout on Facebook, which was not possible prior. This allows customers to not only pay on the platform, but also allow them to search and browse products without leaving the app, making it convenient and efficient.
Facebook Checkout is secure. With protected information of customers, this allows customers to purchase your products without the hassle of doing so on a different platform. This allows your customers to have a good experience with your business on Facebook.
Requirements
There are certain requirements which your shop will need to comply with, before using Facebook Checkout:
- Your business must be in the US
- You will need a US bank account
- A state registration number for your business
- A federal tax identification number, matching your business’
- Delivery options
Getting Started
A Facebook Commerce Manager account is needed to enable the Facebook Checkout feature. This is a self-serve tool allowing businesses to integrate checkout into their online shop.
On top of that, this commerce manager can help manage your shop, upload inventory, track orders an receive pay outs. The commerce manager also allows you to control who can access your business information, assigning permissions only to people who you work with.
To set up a Facebook Commerce Manager account, head to its Commerce Manager site and click “start selling”. As this tool has only started in the US, you will need US bank details and tax info. Once you have set up an account, you will be able to link your handmade business page to this account.
Now that you have created a Facebook Commerce manager account, you can create collections of your craft products. Here, you will be able to add a collection name, description, and media.
As marketing to potential consumers of homemade crafts, it is important to grab their attention quickly, ideally with high quality images and videos of your products. this will incentivise them to return to your page. Thus, remember to create a unique collection name with high resolution images and eye-catching videos.
With Facebook Commerce Manager, you will be able to personalise your store, to make it more you. Edit the layout and style of the page, suiting it to your own brand.
Once you have created your shop, and have satisfied all its requirements, you will be able to select a Facebook Checkout option, allowing your customers to purchase your products directly on Facebook. When setting up Facebook Checkout, you will need to provide Facebook with some information:
- Your business address
- States which your business will trade in
- Tax registration number
- Type of products you will sell
- Type of business
- Your name, social security number and date of birth
- Shopping and return policy
If your business is not based in the US
Unfortunately, you will not be able to use Facebook Checkout if your business is not based in the US. However, you will still be able to set up a Facebook Page shop for your handmade business.
Businesses not based in US will need to rely on another method to complete a sale, either through a “message to buy” method or a checkout on a different platform.
Facebook Checkout fees
Some fees apply when using Facebook Checkout. When making a sale, a fee will be deducted automatically from your pay out. This fee, also known as pay out fee, can either be:
- 5% per shipment
- Flat fee of USD$0.40 for products USD$8 or less
This selling fee includes taxes, the cost of payment processing and applies to all checkout transactions for products. This fee with help to fund other programs for a better buying and selling experience.
Do note that if a customer requests a chargeback, this checkout fee will be placed on hold, until the chargeback has been resolved. Incurred fees will be shown in your business’ financial reports.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Facebook is a great platform to start selling your handmade products. Using the Facebook Commerce Manager will help you keep your page user friendly while enabling them to checkout easily on the platform itself. Having a page that is user friendly provides your customers with a great experience, giving them an incentive to return for another purchase.
If you already have a website for your business, consider syncing it up with a Facebook shop. This will allow you to control inventory on both platforms in one place.
With an average of 2.8 billion Facebook users per day, Facebook is a great way to attract customers to your store. When creating your Facebook shop, bring it alive by personalising it to suit your own brand by including quality images and clear descriptions for your products.
