The Facebook Commerce Policies govern non-commercial buying and selling in Facebook Groups, in the Marketplace, etc. If you're hoping to create a business making afghans, you cannot do that on Facebook Marketplace. If you want to freelance and sell your afghans or plumbing expertise, this is good. This is non-commercial. Personal buying and selling. Non-business.

For those of you wanting the quick version: If it's age-restricted, you can't sell it. If it's illegal, you can't sell it. If it's restricted by law, you cannot sell it. If it's digital file, you can't sell it.

So if you've got concerns about your products you're trying to sell non-commercially, you probably can't sell it. If it's something you can buy at any store without being carded, you're probably fine.

Okay, onward!

Prohibited

• Anything that violates all those rules I just listed on the previous page, otherwise known as FB's Community Standards.
• Tobacco products or paraphernalia.
• Unsafe supplements (which is determined at FB's discretion).
  • Anabolic steroids are on this list, btw. As is comfrey, chitosan, ephedra, human growth hormone, and I'm sure there will be others added.
• Weapons, ammunition, explosives....
  • Duh, but this list includes BB guns and paintball guns as well as pepper spray and such.
• Animals
  • No livestock, pets, etc.
  • Animal parts, skin, or fur.
• Adult products
  • Sex toys, videos, lube, etc.
  • Nonprescription contraceptives are okay, as long as they focus on family planning/birth control and not the sexual act.
• Illegal, prescription or recreational drugs.
• Alcohol
  • alcohol glasses and mugs are okay.
• Healthcare products
  • Okay: Fitbits or yoga mats, etc.
  • Not Okay:
    • medical devices like thermometers, first aid kits, bandages or braces, and contact lenses.
    • smoking cessation products like patches or gum.
    • body parts and fluid (EWWWW, really?!) Hair extension and wigs are okay, but blood, urine, body parts, body tissue, or organs are not.
    • personal health products that suggest a before and after image of crazy weight loss, or images of people with too loose or too tight clothes, or infographics or medical diagrams with pain posts on people...
• Real Money Gambling Products
• Currancy - real, fake or virtual
• Products using overly sexualized positioning
• Digital products
  • Pdf files, digital movies, digital music, downloadable games
  • Digital accounts like Netflix accounts
  • Digital subscriptions including TV, Netflix, Pandora
  • Digital coupons
  • Only digital devices like smartphones, gaming consoles, and computers are okay.
• Digital media and electronic devices that are used to grant unauthorized access to content, jailbroken devices, wiretapping devices, descrambling or jamming devices.
• Commercial intent such as news, memes and jokes, awareness posts, lost and found.
• Copyright Infringement
  • Counterfeits and pirated content.
• Discrimination
• Fraudulent, misleading, deceptive or offensive offers or products.
  • This means no 'get rich quick' schemes, no before and after photos, no shocking or offensive or violent content to get attention.

Restricted Unless Granted Approval

If you're looking to offer any of these products or services, you need to get Facebook's written permission to do so,

• Event tickets
  • Train tickets, concert tickets, theme park passes, etc.
• Home Services
  • Lawn services, plumbing services, cleaning services, and electrician services
  • These services are allowed on FB pages at FB's discretion: photography services, automotive services, event services, personal care, and fitness services.
• Gift cards (digital or physical)

And in case you forgot what is NEVER allowed on Facebook

Is the Light Coming on?

Are you starting to understand just how complicated the rules for a place like Facebook is? This is pages upon pages I'm going through and trying to cut it down to as short as a list as I can on what NOT to do.

This is why you should always understand exactly what is allowed or not allowed on any website, service, platform or whatever before you start using it.

You might be thinking, "But, Rochelle, most of these things are common sense!"

Yet people actually do these things or there wouldn't have to be a rule against it, right?

This page of Prohibited Products if only for buying and selling on the platform itself in a non-commercial manner, as I mentioned before. If you're going to be using FB pages and FB Groups, you will be wanting to know the commercial policies.

Next: Pages, Groups and Events