Takealot vs Facebook Marketplace: Where to Sell Online in South Africa
Takealot charges R400 a month plus fees and delivers paid orders; Facebook Marketplace is free, local and cash or EFT. Who each suits, costs, payment, safety and how FLUF Connect runs both.
For a South African seller, Takealot and Facebook Marketplace are the two biggest places to sell online, and they could hardly be more different. Takealot is a store: you apply, pay R400 a month plus fees on each sale, and in return shoppers buy your new, barcoded products with a card and get them delivered. Facebook Marketplace is a noticeboard: anyone can list for free, buyers message you, and you meet to swap the item for cash or an EFT. Below are who each suits, the costs, how you get paid, the safety side and how FLUF Connect runs both.
Is this for you?
This comparison is for someone selling from South Africa: a small business with new stock, a reseller of second-hand goods, or a shop that has some of each. If your products are new, have barcodes and can be restocked, Takealot is the channel that can grow with you. If they are used, one-off or bulky and local, Facebook Marketplace is where buyers will find them. Many sellers end up using Marketplace to clear the stock Takealot cannot take.
Who can sell
Takealot is for businesses. Its seller page sets out an application, a review with a reply promised within 10 business days, account set-up with your business paperwork, onboarding where you choose a stock model, and then products going live. Products are sold against Takealot’s catalogue, so barcodes matter from day one.
Facebook Marketplace has no application. When it launched in South Africa in January 2018, ITWeb reported that anyone could photograph an item, add a description and price, and post it to buyers nearby. Individuals and businesses list side by side.
What each one costs
Takealot charges R400 a month per seller account, excluding VAT, and you can cancel at any time, according to its seller page. On each sale there is a success fee, a commission that varies by category. If you send stock to Takealot’s distribution centres, fulfilment fees apply per item, set by size and weight; Takealot raised them by 7% from 1 April 2026. Storage fees apply only to overstocked units above a free threshold. Takealot’s fee estimator works out your margin for a product, and it is the figure to trust over old blog posts.
Facebook Marketplace costs nothing in South Africa. ITWeb reported at launch that Facebook does not handle payment or delivery and takes no cut of any transaction; buyers and sellers arrange both themselves over Messenger.
The fair comparison is not R400 against zero. Takealot’s fees pay for a buyer who has already paid by card, delivery to their door, and returns handled through Takealot. On Marketplace you do all of that yourself, including the risk.
Getting paid
Takealot pays sellers four times a month, its seller page says. The customer has paid before you ship, so there is no chasing money.
On Facebook Marketplace, payment is whatever you and the buyer agree: cash on collection, or an EFT. There is no Facebook checkout to hold the money for you. Never release an item on the strength of a “proof of payment” screenshot; wait until the money shows in your account, or take cash in person.
Reach
Takealot’s seller page pitches access to more than 3 million shoppers. Its marketplace is now most of the business: independent sellers accounted for 60% of Takealot.com’s sales value in the year to March 2026, and the site had around 15,000 active sellers, TechAfrica News reported. That also means competition: several sellers can offer the same catalogue product side by side.
Facebook’s audience in South Africa is far larger. NapoleonCat counted about 33.6 million Facebook users in the country in September 2026. Marketplace shows listings to people nearby, so a sofa in Pretoria reaches Pretoria buyers, not the whole country.
Safety and effort
On Takealot, the work is stock and price. You keep products in stock in your warehouse or in Takealot’s distribution centres, watch competing offers on the same product, and meet delivery times. When Takealot changed its free-delivery threshold in September 2026, from R650 to R750 with a R75 fee below it, as EWN reported, it affected what shoppers put in their baskets, so add-on products near that price point can earn their place.
On Facebook Marketplace, the work is chat and handovers, and safety is part of it. In June 2026 the South African Police Service warned people buying or selling through platforms such as Facebook Marketplace to be vigilant, after a carjacking and armed robbery at a meeting arranged online in Motherwell. Meet in a busy public place, such as a shopping centre during the day, bring someone with you, and avoid carrying large amounts of cash.
What FLUF Connect does on each marketplace
| Capability | Takealot | Facebook Marketplace |
|---|---|---|
| How you connect | Your approved Takealot seller account, from the Channels screen | FLUF browser extension or mobile app, with your Facebook login |
| Crosslisting and inventory sync | Included on every plan | Included on every plan |
| What gets listed | Offers on products already in Takealot’s catalogue, matched by barcode, priced in rand, stock from your own warehouse | A Marketplace listing built from your FLUF product |
| Item sells on another channel | The Takealot stock for that offer is lowered | The Marketplace listing is marked sold |
| Item sells on this marketplace | Mark it sold in FLUF and your other listings come down | Mark it sold in FLUF and your other listings come down |
| Relisting and offer management | Not available | Not available |
Connecting Takealot in FLUF Connect
Once Takealot has approved you, choose “Already approved? Connect” on the Takealot card in FLUF Connect. If you have not applied yet, “Apply to join” on the same card opens Takealot’s seller application. The connection is for South Africa only. FLUF lists your products as offers on matching catalogue items; products without a barcode, or not yet in Takealot’s catalogue, are created with Takealot in its Seller Portal first.
Connecting Facebook Marketplace in FLUF Connect
Facebook Marketplace connects through the FLUF browser extension or the FLUF mobile app, using the Facebook account you already sell from. Items from your inventory can then go up on Marketplace, and a sale on Takealot or another channel, once recorded in FLUF, marks the Marketplace listing as sold.
Neither marketplace reports its own sales back to FLUF, so after a sale on either one, mark the item sold in FLUF. The other listing then comes down, and a one-off item cannot sell twice.
Start with 7 days for £1, then from £9/month.
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | You save | Crosslisted products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | £9/month | £59/year | 45% | Unlimited |
| Pro | £29/month | £199/year | 42% | Unlimited |
| Priority | Custom pricing — tell us what you need | Unlimited | ||
Automatic relisting, offer management, smart pricing and listing boosts are included from Pro upwards. Starter covers unlimited crosslisting, inventory sync, order sync and Instagram posting without them. Accounting integrations are included from Pro upwards. Yearly billing is charged once a year. New accounts get 7 days for £1, then move onto a plan.
Running both
Put new, barcoded stock you can replenish on Takealot, where buyers pay by card and expect delivery. Put second-hand, one-off and bulky items on Facebook Marketplace for local buyers, along with returns and slightly damaged units Takealot shoppers would not accept. For a wider view of the channels open to sellers here, including Yaga for second-hand fashion, read Selling from South Africa.
Sources
- Takealot: Sell on Takealot (checked October 2026)
- Takealot Help: Fulfilment fee adjustment from 1 April 2026 (checked October 2026)
- Takealot: Fee estimator (checked October 2026)
- TechAfrica News: Takealot reaches profitability, 1 July 2026 (checked October 2026)
- EWN: Takealot raises minimum spend for free delivery, 2 September 2026 (checked October 2026)
- ITWeb: Facebook Marketplace launches in South Africa, 23 January 2018 (checked October 2026)
- NapoleonCat: Facebook users in South Africa, September 2026 (checked October 2026)
- SAnews: SAPS warns against buying or selling goods through online platforms, 12 June 2026 (checked October 2026)
Frequently Asked Questions
Takealot suits a business with new, barcoded products it can restock, because buyers pay by card and expect delivery. Facebook Marketplace suits second-hand, one-off and bulky items sold to local buyers who collect. Many sellers use both.
Takealot charges R400 a month per seller account, excluding VAT, plus a success fee on each sale that varies by category. Fulfilment fees apply to stock held in Takealot's distribution centres and rose 7% from 1 April 2026. Use Takealot's fee estimator for a product's real margin.
No. Facebook does not handle payment or delivery for Marketplace sales in South Africa and takes no cut. Buyers and sellers arrange payment and collection themselves.
Takealot's seller application is aimed at businesses: you describe your business, wait for a review of up to 10 business days, then complete your account with the required paperwork. Individuals clearing out used items will find Facebook Marketplace easier.
In June 2026 SAPS warned people trading through platforms such as Facebook Marketplace to be vigilant after a robbery at an arranged meeting. Meet in a busy public place, bring someone with you, avoid carrying large amounts of cash, and only hand over an item once payment has cleared.
FLUF Connect lists your products on both from one inventory. A sale recorded in FLUF lowers your Takealot stock and marks the Marketplace listing sold. Neither marketplace reports its own sales to FLUF, so mark a Takealot or Marketplace sale as sold in FLUF to take the other listing down.
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