Thursday, October 8, 2015

Buying and Selling on Facebook

I am pretty new to the retail aspect of Facebook.  I started out with buying destash bead items and still love to do that.  The first bead related group that I joined years ago was Creative Bead Chat. With well over 10,000 members, it is a great resource for all things related to the beaders world.  I found out about new destash groups there (and many other groups), joined and started shopping. Paypal is the preferred form of paying and getting paid.  I have added lots of new goodies to my stash this way.

I am a ceramic bead artist, so my first experience with selling on Facebook was through the Ceramic Art Bead Market.  It is a juried group meaning I emailed photos to a group of judges or group administrators to be approved to sell.  This is not a destash group.  It is of the highest quality, original ceramic bead art sold with a minimum bid price of $9.  I will get more into bidding, bid increments and the buy it now feature in a bit.  This group is only about 6 months old and is quickly approaching 2,000 members!  The artists take turns doing a weekly giveaway which keeps the members excited and involved.  There is also a Ceramic Art Bead Market Gallery where jewelry designs made with the beads purchased are displayed.  Here is one of my bead sets that was sold through this group.

I have fun selling.  After you put up a listing, group members "like" your post and comment on it.  I get a notification every time someone does that.  Well, it could be a potential bid or buyer!  It is very exciting. Soon I discovered finished jewelry groups and handmade groups.  I design jewelry with my beads and make functional pottery.  I have been approved to sell in Art Beads, Heartfelt Handmade Auctions, Beautiful Artisans Auctions, Jewelry Makers Open Market, Elite Artisan Jewelry and Jewelry Designers Open Market.  Here is a pottery dish that sold through Beautiful Artisans Auction.
To find out more about the above groups, put the name in the Facebook search bar and read about the details and rules.  You will find this in the FILES or PINNED post.  So what terms do you need to know?  SB = starting bid or the minimum the artist will accept for their item.  BI = bid increments or what dollar increase each bid should be (usually $1 but it will be stated) and finally BIN = buy it now.  This amount is what will guarantee your purchase of the item.  Shipping is added and a Paypal invoice is sent to the winner.

Have fun, buy some art and maybe sell some art...all on Facebook!

2 comments:

Lynn said...

Loved your article, Michelle! Well-written and informative! :)

Unknown said...

A couple of years ago, I was leery about buying on Facebook, but it has really exploded. As I learned more about it, I got more comfortable and really find it convenient. I think it is also good for the sellers because I have to take a proactive action to go to someone's shop, but on Facebook with their beautiful wares right in my feed, I admit I'm more likely to make a purchase. I love Ceramic Art Bead Market. I feel like I have access to things I might not otherwise. Thanks for this post!