Have you been trying to list items for sale on Facebook Marketplace only to get an annoying “limit reached” message? This essentially means you’ve hit the maximum number of active listings allowed at one time.
It’s a common frustration faced by regular Marketplace sellers. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explain Facebook’s listing limits, why they happen, and most importantly provide solutions to resolve the limit reached issue.
Understanding Facebook Marketplace Listing Limits
Facebook imposes a limit on the number of active listings each user can have at one time in Marketplace. The exact limit varies:
- 30 active listings per week for newer accounts
- 40-80 active listings per week for established accounts
- 100 item limit for some seasoned sellers
“Active” means currently live and viewable in Marketplace. Sold items, expired listings, and drafts don’t count towards this number.
Hitting the allowed limit results in the “limit reached” message when trying to create a new listing. You must delete or sell current items to open up space.
Why Does the Limit Happen?
Facebook has a few reasons for limiting how many Marketplace listings each user can have active at once:
- Prevent overwhelming buyers with too many posts from one seller
- Encourage sellers to renew stale listings to keep inventory fresh
- Reduce spam and fraudulent listings
- Incentivize sellers to complete sales and delete sold items
- Manage server load from excess unused posts
For serious sellers, these capped listing limits can feel restrictive. But the intentions behind them are valid. Here’s how to resolve or prevent hitting your Marketplace limit.
7 Ways to Fix Facebook Marketplace Limit Reached
If you get the “limit reached” notification, use these tactics to open up listing space:
1. Delete Sold Items
Go through your Marketplace and delete any listings for items you’ve already sold. These are just taking up unused space against your cap.
2. Renew Expired Listings
Listings auto-expire after 30 days if not sold. Deleting old stale listings frees up your allowed allocation.
3. Mark Pending Items as Sold
Be sure to manually mark any “pending sale” items as sold so they no longer count against your limit.
4. Wait for Limits to Reset
Limits reset every 7 days. If near reset, you may have to wait it out.
5. Create a Facebook Shop
Facebook Shops have higher limits. Move your merch there.
6. Use Multiple Accounts
Spread listings over several accounts without exceeding per-account limits.
7. Request Limit Increase
If a high-volume seller, you can ask Facebook to increase your personal caps.
This combination of actively deleting old listings and waiting for renewal should resolve most “limit reached” issues. Avoid creating drafts or unpublished posts which still track against allocated slots.
Troubleshooting Tips to Remove Old Listings
To quickly clean out old listings, use these tips:
- Filter Marketplace for “Expired” posts and mass delete.
- Sort by “Oldest” first and remove stale items.
- Search for keywords of sold items to uncover any still listed.
- Double check Marketplace after removing an item to confirm it no longer appears.
- Ask buyers to mark their items “sold” if you can’t access a post.
- Review your commerce notifications for items marked sold that may still be live.
Thoroughly sweeping your Marketplace to identify and mass delete any inactive postings opens up your limits fast.
Best Practices to Avoid Hitting the Limit
Here are some best practices going forward to avoid bumping against Facebook’s Marketplace listing limits:
- Stagger new listings over the 7 day renewal period rather than batch posting.
- Limit the number of items listed at once according to your selling volume.
- Proactively renew unsold items every 25 days to keep them fresh.
- Immediately mark items as sold after purchase and delete listing.
- Build up your seller rating to earn higher listing limits from Facebook.
- Drive interested buyers to another selling platform like your own store for large inventory.
- Only post items you are highly motivated to actively sell to avoid stale listings lingering.
Facebook Marketplace Selling Alternatives
If consistently hitting the listing limit on Marketplace, consider expanding to other sales platforms as well:
- Facebook Shop: Create a customized online store directly through Facebook. Higher limits and more seller features.
- Facebook Groups: Join Buy/Sell groups related to your products for segmented selling.
- Facebook Pages: Leverage an existing business Page for sales posts and promote listings.
- Instagram: Post your items for sale on Instagram using relevant hashtags. Leverage shoppable posts.
- eBay: Long-standing auction platform perfect for selling collectibles, vintage, handmade, and hobby items.
- Etsy: Popular handmade and vintage seller community. Low listing fees.
- Craigslist: Classic classifieds site offering local sales without limits. Best for larger items.
FAQs About Facebook Marketplace Listing Limits
What is the exact listing limit for Facebook Marketplace?
The limit varies from 30-100 active listings based on account history. New accounts start with 30 item limits. Long-time sellers may get 100 slots.
How long until the Facebook Marketplace limit resets?
Your Marketplace limits will automatically refresh every 7 days. The day of the week varies by user. You can ask Facebook Support for your exact reset date.
Does Facebook Marketplace limit total listings?
No, only active live listings count against your limit. You can have as many drafts and expired posts as you want without issue. It’s specifically active posts causing limits.
What happens when you reach the Facebook Marketplace limit?
When you hit your listing limit, Facebook will display an error message that the limit has been reached and no new posts can be created. You’ll have to delete existing listings before adding new ones.
Can you get around Facebook Marketplace listing limits?
There’s no way to completely avoid the limits, which exist to improve the buyer experience. But you can request Facebook increase your personal limit if you are an active high-volume seller.
Do Facebook Shops have Marketplace listing limits?
No, Facebook Shops do not have the same listing caps as Marketplace. You can add as many items as you like to your Shop without limits.
In Summary
Facebook Marketplace listing limits aim to improve quality but can constrain sellers. Stay organized by deleting sold items promptly, staggering new posts, renewing unsold listings, and expanding to other sales platforms as needed. Follow troubleshooting tips to quickly clear old inactive listings. With some strategic selling practices, you can avoid pesky “limit reached” issues.
Conclusion
While Facebook Marketplace limits are necessary to ensure a quality experience, hitting your posting cap can disrupt selling activities. Carefully manage your active listings, promptly remove sold items, distribute posts over your renewal period, and diversify cross other platforms like Shop and Instagram. Use this [Quick Fix] guide to troubleshoot limits and adjust practices going forward. Sticking within Facebook’s guidelines while maintaining sales visibility is completely achievable with the right system. Happy limit-free selling!
