How to Start Facebook Dropshipping + Requirements [2025]

Dropshipping is one of the most popular eCommerce business models.

Some of the key reasons for its popularity include — no need to manufacture products of your own, no inventory required, and no huge upfront cost to set up the business.

Most entrepreneurs start their dropshipping businesses with Shopify. However, today, we’re sharing one less-known option — Facebook Marketplace dropshipping. You can run this dropshipping business on top of your Shopify store OR run it as a standalone business.

In this blog post, we’ll take you through a detailed step-by-step guide on how to start a Facebook dropshipping business, its pros and cons, and the requirements you need to know.

Let’s get started with some basics first!

What is Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping?

For total beginners, “dropshipping” is a business model where you can source products from different manufacturers or suppliers and sell them on your online store. Meaning, no need to even hold inventory for those products.

Once an order is received in your store, the item is delivered by the manufacturer/supplier directly to the customer. You pay the supplier the base price — and keep the remaining amount as your gross profit margin.

Now, in Facebook Marketplace dropshipping, you’re essentially using the same business model, but instead of selling on an online store, you sell the items through Facebook Marketplace.

What is Facebook Marketplace?

Facebook Marketplace is a free eCommerce platform created by Facebook/Meta where Facebook users can list products for sale and other Facebook users explore and buy those products.

How Does Dropshipping on Facebook Marketplace Work?

We’ll go through the detailed guide on how everything can be set up, but for now, let’s quickly understand the process flow from a bird's-eye view:

• You list products on Facebook Marketplace for Facebook users to buy. Upload product images, write descriptions, and set the pricing.

• A customer buys an item, let’s say worth $100, from your Facebook Marketplace store.

• You notify your supplier with the order details and pay the base price (e.g., $75) to the supplier.

• The supplier will fulfill and deliver the order directly to your customer.

• You keep the $25 as a gross profit margin from this order transaction.

Rules or Requirements to Sell on Facebook Marketplace:

To sell on Facebook Marketplace, you must meet the eligibility criteria and follow Facebook’s commerce policies.

• Active/old Facebook account: You must have an active Facebook account. That sounds obvious, right? But here’s the catch — Facebook may restrict access to Facebook Marketplace if you're using a new account.

• Adult age: Based on your respective country's laws, you must be an adult.

• Eligible countries: Facebook Marketplace is available in certain countries only. Thus, you must be living in a country where it’s available.

• Consumer Seller: You must be a consumer seller to be eligible to list your products for sale on Facebook Marketplace.

• Delivery timelines: Facebook requires you to ship the ordered items within 3 business days once the order is confirmed.

Make sure you’re following all the requirements. Learn more.

How to Start Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping

So, we’ve gone through the process overview; however, there’s a lot more to the process. Let’s go through the step-by-step guide to start a dropshipping business with Facebook Marketplace:

Step 1: Research and Finalize Your Products

First things first, you must research and analyze what products are worth selling on Facebook Marketplace. You need to make sure that the product is in demand and has a lucrative profit margin too.

There are multiple methods to research potential winning products:

• Facebook Marketplace: Start your research with Facebook Marketplace itself. Research and explore what types of products are being sold by other accounts. Keep in mind — there could also be non-business accounts that have put used items on sale.

• Various eCommerce marketplaces: There are multiple giant eCommerce marketplaces that are good platforms for research purposes. These platforms include Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Walmart, etc. Research what products are selling best on these platforms. Identify patterns and trends through analysis.

• Product research tools: Product research tools are software designed to identify products with high potential to sell in the market. These tools use large data sets from existing trends, market conditions, competitors, etc. Use such tools to validate your product ideas.

• Use Google Trends: Google Trends is a free tool for finding and comparing the search popularity of keywords. It can be helpful to find the latest trends or evaluate the trends related to your own product ideas.

Typically, dropshipping businesses sell products within a certain niche as it helps position yourself better in the market. Also, it helps to target a specific niche audience when marketing and advertising your products. 

Similarly, you can finalize a niche for your Facebook dropshipping business and find various products within your niche.

Step 2: Finalize the Best Supplier

This is one of the most crucial steps in the entire process. You must ensure the product is sourced from a trustworthy supplier. You don’t want to end up receiving so many complaints, and even worse, product returns.

Customer complaints can negatively impact your rating and product returns can lower down your profits. So, make sure to find suppliers that deliver quality on a consistent basis.

Here are some important aspects to consider:

• Product quality: The product quality must be up to the mark. You can even test the product by ordering a sample.

• Reasonable base price: What price the supplier is going to charge you? This will decide your price point and profit margin.

• Shipping location: Where are the items going to be shipped from? You need to set up your shipping terms accordingly.

Step 3: Build Your Facebook Marketplace Store

Login into your Facebook account and go to the Marketplace tab on the left sidebar. You’ll be able to see the products available for buyers on the right side and the settings on the left sidebar. 

3.1 Check Account Eligibility & Status

Click on the “Marketplace access” tab on the left sidebar. As you can see in the below example, the Marketplace access status says, "You have full access to Marketplace — You can sell items and message sellers on Marketplace." Meaning, we’re all good to go so far.

You can further check the details for your profile by clicking on the “Profile status” button.

As you can see, the Account status confirms there are "No restrictions" on this account. Also, it confirms that the Marketplace is already active.

3.3 List Your Product(s)

Now, it’s time to list your products. Make sure to follow the guidelines provided by Facebook. Learn more about Facebook’s Commerce Policies.

To start listing your product, go back to the Facebook Marketplace tab, and click on the “Create new listing” button on the left sidebar.

You’ll have the following options under — “Choose listing type”:

1. Item for sale

2. Vehicle for sale

3. Property for sale or rent

Choose “Item for sale” and proceed further to complete your listing.

Now, you can complete your product listing with the following elements:

• Product photos

• Title, Price, and Category, 

• Condition

• Brand and Description

• Availability: “Listing as single item” or “Listing as in stock”

Apart from the public Facebook Marketplace, you can also list the product in your Facebook group if you want to. “You can list up to 20 groups.”

Step 4: Start Marketing and Promotions of Your Listing(s)

Once you’ve listed the products, they’ll be live for the public. But the job doesn’t get done there. You may want to put effort into making sure the product reaches the maximum number of people possible.

Paid ads in Facebook Marketplace: You can boost the reach of your products by running a paid ad campaign in Facebook Marketplace. Make sure to set up the right target audience to increase the chances of conversion.

Organic marketing: If you already have an audience or following with your account, you can also start promoting the products on your own account or Facebook page. Additionally, if you’re comfortable, you can ask your friends to share the product listing within their contacts and groups.

Step 5: Manage and Fulfill Your Orders

Once you start receiving the orders, make sure to manage them with proper care.

Fulfill your order through the supplier in a timely fashion. Automate the system wherever possible. Depending on the tools you’re using, you can ensure that all communications are done seamlessly to avoid any unnecessary delays.

Track your fulfillment process and shipments to make sure the customer receives the ordered items as per the committed timeline.

How to Start Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping with Shopify

If you already have a Shopify store or are planning to build one, you can add Facebook Marketplace as an additional channel. 

In simple terms, the product you’re listing on your Shopify store can also be listed on Facebook Marketplace to expand the reach of your products and increase your sales and revenue.

Here’s a quick guide on how you can do this:

Step 1: Create and Set Up Your Shopify Account

Building your Shopify store is a relatively lengthy process as it’s an advanced platform designed for commerce. But don’t worry — we’ve got you covered.

We have a complete step-by-step tutorial that you can follow along and create your Shopify store. Here’s the link to the article:

Shopify Tutorial: Everything You Need To Know For Success

Step 2: Set Up Your Facebook Marketplace

So, we’ve already covered this topic in detail within this article only. Just follow those steps to set up your Facebook Marketplace.

Step 3: Install a Dropshipping App on the Shopify Store

One of the biggest advantages of using Shopify is its huge ecosystem. You can install great apps for various purposes including product sourcing for your dropshipping business.

Shopify App Store has many popular dropshipping apps. For your quick reference, here are some of the popular Shopify dropshipping apps:

• DSers‑AliExpress Dropshipping — 5.0 Out of 5 Stars (31,530 Reviews)

• CJdropshipping: Much Faster — 4.9 Out of 5 Stars (9,596 Reviews)

• Auto DS: AI Dropshipping & POD — 4.9 Out of 5 Stars (11,711 Reviews)

• Zendrop ‑ Dropshipping & POD — 4.8 Out of 5 Stars (10,374 Reviews)

• Dropshipman: Easy Dropshipping — 4.9 Out of 5 Stars (2,210 Reviews)

• Spocket: US/EU Dropshipping POD — 4.7 Out of 5 Stars (6,801 Reviews)

• Oberlo: AliExpress Dropshipping — 4.9 Out of 5 Stars (1,218 Reviews)

You can review these apps to find the best suppliers for your dropshipping business. Finalize an app and install it on your Shopify store.

Step 4: Product Listing on Shopify Store and Facebook Marketplace

Once you have your dropshipping app ready, you can start listing products on your Shopify store — and simultaneously, list them on your Facebook Marketplace as well. 

Of course, you’d have to manually import the listing into your Facebook Marketplace. But doing the product listing activity together on both platforms can save you a lot of time.

If you already have an existing Shopify store with products listed on it, you can export those product listings to easily list items on your Facebook Marketplace.

Step 5: Start Marketing Your Shopify Store and Facebook Marketplace

Once you have enough products listed on both platforms, you can start your marketing campaigns. Now, since both platforms are completely different, you’ll have to use different marketing strategies.

For example, search engine optimization and content marketing are great ways to start organic marketing for your Shopify store. However, those strategies won’t help your Facebook Marketplace.

Thus, you may need to look into paid ads or other marketing strategies for your Facebook Marketplace.

What Products You Can’t Sell on Facebook Marketplace?

Facebook's business policy specifies that "Commerce content" covers any practice of buying, selling, or trading products even if it's for free. 

These terms apply to commerce services (not just on Facebook but also on associated platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger) including but not limited to:

— Facebook Marketplace

— Shops on Facebook and Instagram

— WhatsApp Business Catalogue

Based on these policies, certain products or product categories are prohibited from being sold on Facebook Marketplace. Here’s a summary of such products or product categories:

Important note: You can read more on the official page for Facebook’s Business Policies > Commerce. Also, it’s advisable to check this official resource from time to time as Facebook/Meta may change or update their policies in the future.

Why Use Facebook Marketplace for Dropshipping?

The biggest reason to use Facebook Marketplace would be its gigantic user base.

According to Statista — with nearly a whopping 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the most widely used social media platform in the world.

India, the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, and Mexico are among the top five countries with the highest number of Facebook users. This is a great indication that if you’re planning to sell products in these countries, there’s a huge potential customer base.

Also, if you don’t have an eCommerce store set up on Shopify or any other platform, Facebook Marketplace could be used as your eCommerce platform.

That said, if you already have a Shopify store, and you’re looking to add another sales channel, you can use Facebook Marketplace.

Other Pros and Cons of Dropshipping on Facebook Marketplace

If you’re planning to sell through Facebook Marketplace alone, here are some benefits and drawbacks that you should consider:

Benefits of Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping

• Easy setup: No need to set up an online store of your own, directly list products in a ready-to-sell marketplace. Thus, you won’t have to go through a lengthy process of setting everything up.

• Cost-effective: Facebook Marketplace is a free platform to start and grow your online business with a Facebook audience. You may need to pay only for ads. Thus, overall, it’s a cost-effective business model.

• Paid and organic marketing tools: Facebook Marketplace makes it easy to market and advertise your products. For some quick traction, you can run paid ads if you have the budget.  For organic content marketing, you can use your personal account and Facebook page.

Disadvantages of Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping

• Lack of eCommerce infrastructure: Although you can manage to dropship products through Facebook Marketplace, it is not originally or dedicatedly designed for eCommerce or dropshipping. Thus, you won’t have the advanced tools and automation that you’d find on a platform like Shopify.

• Lack of uniqueness: Your product listings would look similar to hundreds and thousands of other listings. You miss the element of custom branding which you can leverage if you’re building your eCommerce store through a website.

• Long fund transfer cycle: Facebook Marketplace payment transfers can take up to 20 days to be credited to your account. As a business owner, you would want to ensure your cash flow is smooth. So, this long payment cycle can create a challenge if you don’t have backup funds.

• Finding reliable suppliers: You must make sure that you have a reliable supplier to deliver quality products. This drawback is with any type of dropshipping business and not just Facebook Marketplace.

• Risk factors on the seller: As a seller, you will be responsible for any risk, not the supplier. For example, if a customer files a complaint for any issue, you’re the responsible party to address the complaint and provide a satisfactory resolution regardless of whether it’s your fault or the supplier’s.

Final Thoughts on Facebook Dropshipping

Facebook Marketplace dropshipping could be a good business for someone who wants to test the waters of the dropshipping business. 

Even if you’re starting with Facebook Marketplace only, you’ll have the scope to expand further in the future. For example, once you start generating good revenue and have proven product idea(s), you can also launch an online store.

To learn more about eCommerce marketing strategies, trends, and best practices — check out more resources on the GemPages Blog. Also, join the GemPages Facebook community to network and learn from like-minded entrepreneurs and experts.

FAQs About Facebook Marketplace Dropshipping