JUNE 2, 2020 BY COURTNYE77 LEAVE A COMMENT (EDIT)
It doesn’t matter if you are just getting started with reselling, have a couple of items you want to get rid of or are a business owner that realizes how profitable it can be to leverage a large Instagram following, reselling on Instagram can prove to be beneficial. Reselling on Instagram doesn’t have to be difficult or costly if you are familiar with the best practices discussed below.
If you sell physical items, then you will undoubtedly want to use Instagram for buyers to shop your store. Here are three free and low-cost routes to successfully selling on the platform.
WHY SHOULD YOU BE RESELLING ON INSTAGRAM?
There are a couple of reasons you should be reselling on Instagram if you haven’t already considered it.
- In 2019 a survey done by Instagram indicated that 83% of users looked to the platform to help them discover new products and services and 81% used it to research these items.
- You keep the profits, unlike selling on a platform like Poshmark or eBay there is no middle man to take a cut of your profits. Depending on how you sell on Instagram, you have the potential to keep all of your profits.
- It’s easy, especially if you already have a following
- You have quite a large audience. According to recent research, approximately one billion people use Instagram. This makes Instagram is only second to Facebook as being the top traditional social network available.
HOW TO RESELL ON INSTAGRAM
1. Use Instagram Shopping
Instagram shopping or using shoppable posts has been in place since 2018 and is vital to most Instagram business owners. It features a click to buy button directly on your post so those interested can get directly to your shop quickly. To use Instagram Shopping, your Instagram account and business must fulfill the following requirements:
- Comply with our merchant agreement and commerce policies
- Have an Instagram business account
- You must be in one of the United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, or Australia
- Have a connected Facebook Page
- Primarily sell physical goods
- Have your business account connected to a Facebook Catalog
If you already have a website with an e-commerce store it’s pretty simple to connect it to Facebook and then Instagram. If you don’t you will have to open a store using an e-commerce shopping cart such as Shopify, Ecwid or Woocommerce which connects to your Facebook page and then Instagram. Basically, your Facebook page acts as the bridge between your products on your store and Instagram.
See the video below on how to connect them
2. Use A Link tool
As every business owner that is Instagram savvy knows, you can only place one link in your bio for visitors to click. This coveted space should be tailored for optimal monetization and the way to do so is to either link directly to your store or use a link tool such as Linktree, Milkshake or Link.inbio.
Most of the tools available are easy to use and each has a unique feature, so try out a couple and see which suits your style.
3. Sell directily on the platform
Many sellers opt to place their listing directly onto the Instagram feed, stories or IGTV and ask that buyers contact them directly via messenger.
This is by far the easiest and most cost-effective method of reselling on Instagram. It’s simple because you don’t have to go through the steps of setting up an e-commerce store on a separate website. This option also cuts out the middle man of having to go through another online platform, such as Poshmark or eBay to make a sale. As the seller, you are in control and this cuts out the middle man when reselling on Instagram so you keep all of the profit earned.
The only cost will be if you pay for shipping and the fee for whichever point of sale platform you choose to use, such as Paypal.
4. Use a combination
The fourth option is what I choose to do. I have my store connected to Instagram via Facebook, sell directly on the app, and have a Linktree that gives viewers the option of visiting my store. While it may take a bit more time to set up all of these avenues, in my opinion, this is by far the best option since you have all of your bases covered.
HOW MUCH DOES IT (REALLY) COST TO RESELL ON INSTAGRAM
It all depends on which option you choose. Using the options above the most expensive would be opting to set up a store using a hosted website. This is because you will have to pay to set up a store. However, if you use an e-commerce platform that is free like Ecwid or Woocommerce (which has free features) then you can come out with a cost of nothing.
HOW TO MARKET YOUR ITEMS ON INSTAGRAM
Gain a following
Make sure you do your due diligence in creating an Instagram page that has engaged and interested followers. While it may be tempting to pay a service or run contests to up your follower count, this isn’t always the best move as many of the resulting followers may not be that active or engaged with your material. Along with these tactics, make sure you are acquiring an authentic and organic following.
Ads
Using Instagram ads can be helpful in bringing attention and likes to your post, but it isn’t necessary. However, research from video technology company VidMob showed more than one-third of the 1,000 survey respondents between the ages of 16-45 using Instagram have bought something directly from the platform. While it can get to be quite costly, you have to option to run ads for as little as one dollar a day.
What other tips would you add? Place them in the comments below
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