I am an admin of many vintage-focused Facebook groups large and small. A very frequent question–especially in the 50k member group–goes something like this: “Why isn’t anyone seeing my sales posts?” It can be a frustrating experience to spend time photographing and describing and pricing you cards or items . . . post them for sale . . . and then, crickets. So let’s talk about how to get more visibility on Facebook sales posts.
Facebook Groups
First, note that I’m not talking here about Facebook Marketplace, which is designed as a sales platform. In this post I’m talking about listing cards for sale in any of the dozens of vintage Buy / Sell / Trade groups on Facebook. This is important because “groups” were not necessarily designed with listing and selling in mind. This being the case, there are some tricks and quirks to listing and selling successfully in a Facebook group.
Here are 10 strategies to get more visibility and hopefully make more sales in the process.
1. List Good Cards
If your listings of 1970’s commons aren’t getting much play, that’s because they are 1970’s commons. Desirable cards will almost always get action. If you are listing less desirable cards, try to do so as a partial set lot, or get creative and run a larger low-budget sale organized by team. The standard collector fare of 1960’s Hank, Mickey, and Willie in mid grade will always get bids.
2. Choose the Right Group
Some groups are better for those 1970’s commons than others. There are high end groups, low grade groups, set builder groups, and even, yes, 1970’s groups.
Also, bigger isn’t necessarily better. Big groups have more buyers but also more listings, and so it is easy to get lost in the shuffle.
3. Choose Day and Time Carefully
In my groups, activity is fairly even on most days. In the “big” group, we get more listings on Wednesdays because we allow all years on Wacky Wednesday. Check with your group’s admin to see if some days are better than others.
But time of day is key: list cards at noon, or about 7pm. Period. The lunch hour and the after dinner hour(s) are by far the most active.
Early activity on your listing is important. Most groups sort listings based on “Most Recent Activity,” and so if you list at an off time, your listing quickly gets buried.
4. List Multiple Cards Per Post
Listing more cards in one post multiplies your odds of engagement on the post. And engagement on the “big” cards will bring more traffic and visibility to the less desirable stuff. Try to always have one really desirable card in each listing.
5. Low Starting Bids
If your starting bid is around market price, be prepared for zero traffic. It might seem risky, but a low start will almost always attract some starter bids, which keep your listing at the top of the feed. Coupled with other strategies here, it generally pays off.
6. Competitive Prices
Just like with starting bids, prices sell cards. The number one reason for low interaction on a post with desirable cards is that the price is just too high.
7. BUMP the Post Strategically
“Bumping” just means making a comment on your own post to bring it back to the top of the feed. Some groups cap bumps at 1x / day. Bumping can backfire if you do it too much. But if you time them right (see #3), they can bring new views to a slow post.
If “BUMP” is new terminology to you, see the Cardhound help guide on listing jargon and lingo. There are likely other common terms you are not familiar with.
8. Take Great Photos
Personally, if a listing makes a bad first impression, I just keep scrolling. Cardhound has you covered if you need some pointers for taking good pics. But the basics are easy enough: good light, no glare, no shadows, no plastic, and also, for the love of all that is holy, no feet. The cropping tool is your friend.
9. Add Detailed Descriptions
If someone is searching for a card, they will only find it if your listing description contains the important keywords. The more detail, the better. Remember that vintage cards are about stories and history.
10. Try, Try Again
If a post flops, delete it and try again. If any cards sold, leave the post up but mark it as “closed” and then package the remaining cards in a new post that follows 1-9 above. Good luck!
Cardhound has a dozen resource guides like this one that aim to help you buy / sell / trade online effectively and safely. If you are new to selling online, there’s a lot to learn. Study up and take it one sale at a time until you have learned the ropes. Once you are established in a group, you will earn repeat customers who seek out your posts. Happy selling!
