A Facebook spokesperson said all posts listed on the platform`s marketplace and buy and sell groups must comply with community standards and business guidelines, and must not promote the buying or selling of animals. Before I get into the marketing details, I want to talk about selling puppies on Facebook, as most of us have been hit so hard by them lately. You can NOT sell puppies in the market or in buy/sell groups. Or in Facebook page shops or Instagram shops. CAUTION! Facebook often automatically changes your post to a Marketplace post when they think you`re selling something. DO NOT click to publish when they do. They will be spoiled! www.facebook.com/policies/commerce/prohibited_content/animals This change is bad for pets and livestock. The opportunity to inspect homes and get to know buyers and sellers will disappear. Reputable small-scale herders and farmers will lose their primary place to market their animals in good homes, forcing them to turn to high-risk alternatives such as auctions. But puppy mills and irresponsible breeders will continue as usual and make money with those who are not informed. At PETA, we love the pets that share our home, but we believe it would have been in the best interest of the animals if the institution of “pet keeping,” that is, the breeding of animals kept and considered “pets,” had never existed. The international pastime of animal domestication has led to a crisis of overpopulation; As a result, millions of unwanted animals are destroyed each year as “surplus”.
Policies that prevent Facebook users from selling animals and animal products on the platform pose a challenge for farmers looking for ways to market their products to consumers. Although Facebook has reiterated its guidelines that the sale of animals between individuals is strictly prohibited, a BBC investigation has revealed that pets are indeed sold through the platform. Prohibited items include drugs, medical equipment, veterinary services, animal parts, products derived from food animals, and live animals, including livestock and domestic animals. Rick McNary — who created a Facebook group, Shop Kansas Farms, to connect farmers with consumers looking for food during the pandemic — said this applies even to posts that included photos of eggs. Give them time. Facebook has tackled the problem in two ways. With millions of listings to browse, it just means it`s only a matter of time if they haven`t removed your pet listing for sale yet. The first was the rapid implementation of algorithms to recognize ads with everything related to animals and animal services.
It is an exaggeration to reject all kinds of ads because of keywords or even images. A man put a horse cart for sale with a picture of a horse pulling it. The horse was not for sale, only the buggy. It has been rejected even animal policy. Second, a new reporting option was developed and Facebook users were encouraged to help them browse Facebook groups to report ads selling animals. Pressure from animal rights activists, lobby groups and the public. Bad things happen to innocent animals that are offered for sale in faceless classifieds. McNary said that as the Facebook group grew, producers noticed that some of their posts selling animals or meat were blocked. Immediately, some of them thought McNary didn`t approve of their posts as a group moderator, but he told them they didn`t. He said some of the messages didn`t even reach him for the approval process. The competitors Facebook competes with have already taken steps to displace or heavily regulate anyone who sells animals. Facebook`s Marketplace feature has become a popular place to buy and sell gadgets, furniture, cars, and pets, including many puppies.
You will still be able to find dogs on the market, but only for adoption at a minimal price, not for expensive sales. All over Facebook, but the focus seems to be on buying and selling groups on Facebook around the world that use the “Sell Something” feature to list pets, pet services, and even some animal products to sell or adopt. The example you see was an advertisement for riding lessons. In Pittsburgh, a can of beer was listed for $25. In London, someone tried to “sell” his pregnant girlfriend for $400. And in New York, someone said “About 6 ounces of water (bottle not included)” for $56. Still, the app is spotty and many “puppies for sale” accounts remain on Instagram. When I asked a spokesperson for Facebook (Instagram`s parent company) about this, they told me, “We don`t allow the sale of animals on Instagram and we`ve removed the accounts we`ve been notified of.” What we`re also looking at going forward is finding ways to help farmers sell better,” McNary said. Yes, anyone can sell services and products on Facebook Marketplace by simply going to the marketplace, selecting Sell, and then creating a new listing. You can then share it with your groups. Deborah Niemann, an Illinois producer who sells lamb, goat and pork, has been using Facebook since 2006.
She said that in a wool-centric Facebook group she managed, people complained that her posts had been deleted. Don`t post your farm-to-table items on Facebook Marketplace if they`re animal-related. This includes meat, eggs, milk, etc. This includes anything with words like beef, cows, chicken, etc. Don`t use the “Sell something” option when creating a post. This change harms all pets, sellers and buyers. McNary also noted how producers can get their input beyond algorithms. On the Shop Kansas Farms page, he told group members not to post photos of live animals.
If the producers had deleted their posts, he would have told them to try again, but to delete the words “meat,” “beef” and “sell.” He said that after that, most of the messages were accepted. “While we strive to protect animal welfare from illegal trade, we cannot always ensure their safety in a peer-to-peer transaction,” the spokesperson told Agri-Pulse in an email. “Outside of our commercial spaces, we allow such sales if they are published by physical companies, animal shelters, adoption agencies and animal shelters.” Do not change the price without notice. Don`t sell an item to someone else if someone else is actively buying it. Do not sell stolen goods or items you received in the Do Not Buy Anything groups. Most of them should be self-evident. Facebook`s policies prohibit the sale of a dozen product categories on its platform, including drugs, animals, “adult items or services,” alcohol and firearms. Although Marketplace is a new feature, people have always been able to buy and sell things on Facebook. Things like stopping private arms sales have been a problem before. Instagram also prohibits the sale of live animals between individuals, although physical stores can offer these sales. No one should coordinate the poaching or sale of endangered species or their parts.
