Add A Flair
Are you one of those still waiting to shop for holiday gifts, dreading the crowded stores, besides knowing it's too late for online orders? How about trusting a local who can understand your needs and meet your expectations in these last minutes? You can support local businesses making a buzz already on Facebook Marketplace.
For starters, Facebook Marketplace is an ever-evolving online community of buyers and sellers, which gets its credibility by being local. As experts suggest, it's now an "e-commerce powerhouse" that draws around a billion motivated buyers already browsing social media.
Sabreena Bhanji is a mompreneur whose online business, Add some FLAIR, has personalized loot bags, jewellery bags and crayons that you can choose from. "One day, about four and half years ago, I started posting some of my creations for my kids to gauge the market, and I got my first order," Bhanji recollects.
She explains that though she has her business page on other social media platforms and an active website, she finds that Facebook Marketplace "has just more genuine followers", is convenient, and has greater reach.
Another local business owner, whose physical boutique closed during the pandemic on condition of anonymity, shared, "There are plenty of good buys here at a fraction of the price compared to the big retailers. To alleviate some of the financial stress, especially at this time of the year when some people may need to choose between food and gifts, why not give it a try."
If you are looking for handmade and locally manufactured signs with custom names for holiday décor, you have options too. You can reach out to Char & Beam with the sign name of your choice, font, length of sign and thickness of wood to place an order.
Krishna Patel, a co-founder of Char & Beam, shared, "This platform allows me to connect with locals who aren't necessarily shopping online but use Facebook for browsing." She wanted to focus on customization and bring personalized pieces to those who struggled with finding their names on items when she started the business two years ago as part of the Patel Family.
Buyers passionate about supporting a cause can look for sellers running a fundraiser. For example, a local mom, Leeann Innocent, can be spotted selling personalized Squishmellow ornaments to raise funds for a school in Haiti. "My husband is from Haiti, and all proceeds will go to support a school of 300 students there," she adds.
