Digital technology has opened up many new ways to launch and manage a business. To survive in this highly competitive market, entrepreneurs must keep up with the latest business trends. Dropshipping is one such way. This model was popularized by Amazon and Flipkart. The companies act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers. Today, many businessmen extend this practice to Facebook, which is the most used Social Media Platform in the World. It is affordable for customers and businesses, and has grown in popularity over the years.
This article will cover the key features of Dropshipping and Facebook. This article will provide step-by-step instructions on how to set up a Facebook Dropshipping company. The article will also list the drawbacks of the Facebook Dropshipping business model. Continue reading to learn more about this model.
Introduction to Facebook
Facebook is a very popular Social Media platform. Nearly everyone has signed up. Facebook allows users to create profiles and connect with friends or strangers for engagement. You can upload images, videos and thoughts, as well as promote your business or services to a wider audience.
Facebook boasts over 1 billion users. Users can connect with others to share their thoughts, social updates, or chat with them. Facebook acquired Instagram and WhatsApp, allowing users to access their content on the platform.
Facebook’s Key Features
These features make Facebook a popular social media platform:
- News Feed is the main feature that Facebook uses to provide its users with content shared on its network by others. Facebook chooses a few updates that are most relevant to you and displays them to you each time they open their feed.
- Friends – You can become friends with someone on Facebook by sending an ” friend request ” to another user. You will become Facebook friends once the friend request is accepted by the other user. You have the option to decline your friend request, or hide it by using the ” not Now” feature.
- Timeline – This is an additional Facebook feature which shows you the history of your activities on that platform. You can control who has access to it among your friends or the general public.
- Posts Facebook lets you post personal and business content. Facebook allows you to share photos, videos and links with your friends.
DropShipping: Introduction
Dropshipping allows you to sell a product directly from the vendor, without having to own it. Amazon, for example, is an E-Commerce site that does not hold inventory. It acts as a mediator between the customer and seller by selling products from third-party vendors. It receives an order from the customer and passes it on to the seller. Then, the seller ships the order to you.
DropShipping: Key Features
Dropshipping can be a great way to get started in a business. Dropshipping offers many benefits:
- Minimums Lower Capital Dropshipping allows you to sell products without having to keep inventory. This makes it possible to start a business without spending thousands of dollars.
- Dropshipping is simple to start Only a few sellers are required to do business with your dropshipping company. You do not need to handle the inventory, shipping, and return. The seller will do all of this, and you’ll be acting as a mediator.
- Flexibility Dropshipping does not require that you be in a particular place. As long as you can communicate with buyers and sellers, your business can be run from almost any place.
- Wide Range – You can sell multiple sellers’ large range of products without having to maintain inventory.
- Scalable Dropshipping is simple to scale. Dropshipping is easy to scale. You can easily add sellers to meet demand.
Facebook Dropshipping
Facebook is the most popular Social Network, with over 1,000,000 users. It’s a great place for users to interact and build a community. Dropshipping via Facebook can help you reach a wide range of sellers and customers. These are the 2 ways to easily set up Facebook Dropshipping.
1) Facebook Dropshipping via Groups
Facebook offers the concept of groups, where users can join together and share their thoughts on a topic (generally the group’s subject). You can list your household to rent, sell products, or offer services in a variety of groups.
These steps will help you get started with Facebook Dropshipping on groups.
- Step 1 – Open the Facebook app, and log in using your credentials. Register with the group you feel is most relevant to your services.
- Step 2 – Once you have joined the group, you will be able to create a post about you services. Add photos, relevant details, product descriptions about your product.
- Step 3 : Specify the product’s price. Include shipping details, contact details, as well as any other pertinent information.
- Step 4 : Soon, other members of the group notice the product and contact you if they are interested. After the product is received, close the deal and ask for feedback from the customer.
- Step 5 – You can do similar tasks with other groups and also sell multiple products simultaneously.
2) Facebook Dropshipping via Marketplace
Facebook Dropshipping via Marketplace is very simple. Here are the steps for applying Facebook Dropshipping to Marketplace
- Step 1 – Open the Facebook app, and log in using your credentials. Navigate to the Marketplace and select the side category as shown in this image.
- Step 2 Click on ” Register” to continue.
- Step 3 Specify the title of the product you want to sell. Upload good resolution photos. Mention the item’s price. Click on submit to complete your product listing.
- Step 4 Once you have purchased the product, you will begin receiving messages from customers requesting information about it.
- Step 5 You can now chat with multiple customers to close the deal.
It’s that simple! This is how you can seamlessly use Facebook Dropshipping with Marketplace.
Dropshipping on Facebook: The disadvantages
Based on the above benefits, we see Facebook Dropshipping to be an attractive business model. Anyone can start it with minimal investment. There are some drawbacks to using Facebook Dropshipping.
- Low Margin: Facebook Dropshipping tends to have low margins. This method is easy to set up and allows for a lot of competition in the market. They also try to sell products at rock bottom pricing.
- Inventory issues: Managing In-stock inventory can be a difficult process. You may not be able to see real-time inventory information because the seller of Facebook Dropshipping could be involved with other dropships.
- Return and Shipping Complexities: It can be difficult to manage shipping and returns. It can happen that the seller refuses the product return, in which case you are entitled to a refund according to the Facebook Dropshipping business model.
It can be difficult to manage shipping costs if customers order more than one product and each product is available from different sellers.
- Supplier Mistakes: Sometimes even the most reliable suppliers to your Facebook Dropshipping company can make mistakes when fulfilling orders. These are the errors that you must own up to and apologize for to your customers. Suppliers can also cause chaos by late or missing shipments and poor packing. This can all be detrimental to your business’s image.
- Branding: The supplier designed and branded Facebook Dropshipping products, so it is unlikely that your brand will be embossed on the product. You must pass your branding information on to the sellers to avoid additional costs.
What are the Requirements to Dropship on Facebook?
Dropshipping can be done by almost anyone who has an account . A different set of rules applies, due to the nature of Facebook, a social media platform.
Facebook also requires that the seller have US citizenship to send nationally within the United States . These rules cannot be ignored due to Facebook’s -integrated verification process.
US Citizenship
Facebook allows American citizens to confirm their citizenship by asking the sellers to verify that they have a valid Social Security Number. We can initially sell items without verifying. Facebook will require SSN verification once we reach the $500 sales threshold.
Dropshippers can’t list additional items without verification. Facebook holds payouts.
Facebook also requires that American citizens connect an US bank account with their Facebook account. Facebook also accepts Transferwise or Payoneer as bank accounts.
Can Non-US Citizens Dropship On Facebook?
What can non-US citizens take to get the Facebook marketplace’s benefits? The platform prohibits international sellers to sell on Facebook.
The non-US citizens can only list items in one location , compared to the shipping options for US citizens . This alternative brings heavy organic traffic and sales.
Facebook is not available as a profitable option for non-US dropshippers. International dropshippers can benefit more from other platforms due to the many restrictions.
However, international dropshippers may sell on facebook as a bonus to a Shopify or eBay store.
Many dropshippers from outside the US have reported making a profit selling products via Facebook Marketplace. It remains to be seen if such an operation is profitable and scalable.
Start Budget for Facebook Dropshipping
Although not required by law, should be considered before listing on Facebook.
Facebook delays payment on every order for a few days until the buyer receives their product.
You should therefore start small and pay the order until you receive payment. This will ensure smooth cash flow.
Tips on Facebook Dropshipping
We now have a better understanding of Facebook dropshipping rules and requirements. Let’s look at strategies and tips that will help us to maintain and grow a successful Facebook store.
Dispatch Time
Facebook requires you to send out items within 2-3 business days from order placement. It does not allow for faster fulfillment. Dropshippers should only list products from suppliers that ship items quickly
Dropshipping to US suppliers is a good option. It allows for fast shipping. We will be able to ship orders on time and gain customer satisfaction.
How to Check for Shipping Options Eligibility
How can we tell if the product can be shipped, since we depend on shipping options to ship products?
Listing the item is the easiest way. Once we reach the “Delivery Method” window, you can check if Facebook offers shipping options.
We can visit the Facebook Help page if the item doesn’t offer shipping. Dropshippers will be able to find the categories that are eligible to ship. The help page will also notify us if we are eligible for shipping.
Dropshipping via the Facebook Marketplace has been deemed a top-kept secret by our community. Dropshippers can still sell on Facebook even though they are just starting to do so.
Facebook is an unique platform that offers its own set of benefits . Dropshippers should already be grabbing this low-hanging crop because of its high traffic and little competition.
Apart from Facebook’s rules we need to treat Facebook like any other business, and plan accordingly. This means that we must ship orders on time, provide customer service, and ensure that we have the tools necessary for scaling.
Semi-Automating Facebook’s store is the best way to grow our business and reach big numbers.
Conclusion
This blog introduced Facebook Dropshipping and highlighted their key features. The blog also provided steps to help you set up your Facebook Dropshipping company. To connect sellers and customers, you can either use Facebook Marketplace or Facebook Groups.
