How to Sell Baked Goods on Facebook

Your kitchen smells incredible, your countertops are dusted with flour, and you've perfected a chocolate chip cookie that makes people's eyes roll back in their heads. Now it’s time to turn that passion into profit, and Facebook is the perfect, low-cost place to start. This guide walks you through every step to sell your baked goods on Facebook, from navigating the legal stuff to taking your first order and building a loyal customer base.

Before You Start: The Legal Loaf

Before you post a single photo of your magnificent sourdough, you need to understand the rules. Selling food from home is regulated, but thankfully, most states have laws designed to help small-scale food entrepreneurs succeed. These are commonly known as cottage food laws.

Cottage food laws outline what you can and can’t do when selling homemade food. This typically includes:

• What You Can Sell: Generally, only non-perishable baked goods that don't require refrigeration are allowed. This means things like bread, cookies, cakes without cream cheese frosting, fruit pies, and brownies are usually fine. Anything with real cream, custards, or meat fillings is often prohibited.
• Where You Can Sell: Many states allow for direct-to-consumer sales from your home, at farmers' markets, and online for pickup or local delivery. Shipping across state lines is usually a no-go.
• Income Limits: Some states cap how much you can earn annually under cottage food laws. This could be anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000 or more.
• Licensing and Inspections: Requirements vary widely. Some states require nothing more than registering your business name, while others might ask for a food handler's permit or even a home kitchen inspection.

Action Step: Don’t guess. Your first and most important move is to search online for "[Your State] cottage food laws" or "[Your County] Health Department homemade food regulations." This will give you the specific rules you need to follow to operate legally and safely.

Labeling Is Not Optional

Most cottage food laws also have strict labeling requirements. Even if you're just putting your cookies in a simple bag, you typically need to include a label that clearly states:

• The name and address of your home bakery.
• The common name of the product (e.g., "Chocolate Chip Cookies").
• A full list of ingredients, in descending order by weight.
• Major allergens (e.g., "Contains: Wheat, Eggs, Milk, Nuts").
• The statement: "Made in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Department of State Health Services or a local health department." (The wording may vary slightly by state.)

This protects you and informs your customers, building trust right from the start.

Setting Up Your Facebook Bakery For Success

With the legal homework done, you can create your online storefront. How you present your business on Facebook makes a huge difference in attracting and keeping customers.

Create a Facebook Business Page, Not a Personal Profile

It's tempting to sell directly from your personal Facebook profile, but this is a mistake for several reasons. A dedicated Business Page looks professional, gives you access to analytics (so you can see what posts are working!), allows you to run ads later on, and keeps your business and personal life separate. Setting one up is free and easy.

Your Page Setup Checklist:

• Profile & Cover Photo: Use a high-quality, clear logo or a picture of your best-looking bake for the profile picture. For the cover photo, use a beautiful collage of your creations or a shot of you in your kitchen, smiling an "I-love-to-bake" smile.
• Username: Claim a clean, simple page username (e.g., @JaneBakesCakes) so people can easily find and tag you.
• "About" Section: Tell your story! Why did you start baking? What makes your goods special? Also include your service area (the towns you deliver to), how to order, and a link to an external menu if you have one.
• Call-to-Action (CTA) Button: Customize the button at the top of your page. "Message Us" is a great place to start, as it encourages direct conversations for ordering.

Leverage Both Facebook Marketplace and Your Business Page

Think of your Business Page as your home base for brand building with its own ecosystem, while Facebook Marketplace is your billboard for immediate sales. You should use both.

• Your Business Page is where you build community. You'll post behind-the-scenes content, share your baking story, announce menus, and connect with repeat customers.
• Facebook Marketplace is perfect for reaching a huge local audience that doesn't follow you yet. Use it for specific product listings or "flash sales." For example, "FLASH SALE: Six boxes of decorating-your-own sugar cookies are available for pickup today! $20 each. DM to claim."

Pro Tip: Create the detailed, beautiful post on your Business Page first. Then, create a listing on Marketplace with a great photo and a short description, and either instruct people to message you or mention your main Page.

The Secret Ingredient: Creating Mouth-Watering Content

For baked goods, people eat with their eyes first. Your goal is to make someone stop scrolling and think, "I need that *right now*." Your content - your photos, videos, and captions - is your most powerful sales tool.

Visuals are Everything: Your Photography & Videography

You do not need a professional camera. Your smartphone is more than capable of taking irresistible photos if you follow a few simple rules:

• Use Natural Light: Avoid using your kitchen's overhead lights, which cast a yellow, unflattering glare. Take your photos near a large window during the day. The soft, natural light will make your bakes look fresh and delicious.
• Focus on Texture: Get up close! Show the flaky layers of a croissant, the glossy swirl of icing, the gooey, melted chocolate in a cookie, or the airy crumb of a sliced loaf. Texture is tantalizing.
• Think About the "Money Shot": Don't just show a stack of whole cookies. Break one in half. Cut a slice out of the cake. Drizzle caramel over the cinnamon roll. This helps people imagine what it's like to eat it.
• Embrace Short-Form Video: Facebook Reels are a fantastic way to get attention. Film yourself pulling a tray from the oven, piping detailed decorations on a cake, or even packaging an order. Short videos bring your baking to life.

Writing Captions That Sell (Without Sounding Salesy)

A great photo stops the scroll, a great caption closes the deal. The goal is to connect, inform, and make it easy to buy.

• Tell a Story: People connect with passion. Instead of saying "Brownies for sale," try "My search for the perfect fudgy brownie is officially over. After a dozen test batches, I've landed on this secret recipe loaded with three types of chocolate. One bite and you'll get it."
• Ask Questions: Boost engagement by asking your audience questions like, "Cinnamon rolls with or without nuts? Let me know in the comments!" or "What dessert should I bake next week?"
• Be Extremely Clear About Logistics: Every single sales post should include the “who, what, when, where, and how much” to avoid endless back-and-forth DMs. Include the item name, price, quantity (e.g., "$18 per dozen"), pickup dates/times, pickup location (a general crossroads is fine), or delivery info. Most importantly, clearly state how to order (e.g., "DM me to claim your spot!" or "Comment 'SOLD' below and I'll message you for payment").

Building Your Community & Taking Orders

Once you're creating great content, it's time to build an audience of hungry, paying customers.

Go Where the Customers Are: Facebook Groups

Local Facebook Groups are a goldmine for finding customers. Look for groups in your town or county, such as:

• Your town’s general community page (e.g., "Living in Springfield")
• Local buy/sell/trade groups
• Local mom groups
• Local foodie or small business support groups

Important: Do not just join and spam your Page link. Read the group rules first. Many groups have a "small business promo" thread one day a week. Participate genuinely in the group. Answer other people's questions when you can. Then, when it’s appropriate, share a beautiful photo of your bakes and say something like, "Good morning, Springfield! I’m a local home baker, and I’m taking orders this week for my famous apple crumble pies. Perfect for the weekend!"

Streamlining Your Ordering Process

At first, you can easily manage orders through Facebook Messenger. Simply ask people to DM you what they want. As you get busier, this can become chaotic.

The Next Step: A Google Form. This is a free, simple way to create a standardized order form. You can ask for their name, phone number, what they want to order (using checkboxes or a drop-down menu), their preferred pickup time, and how they would like to pay. Just post the link to the Google Form on your Facebook page when you’re "open" for orders.

For payments, be clear about your accepted methods. Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, and cash are all common. To avoid no-shows, many bakers require payment upfront to confirm an order.

Final Thoughts

Selling your baked goods on Facebook is a fantastically low-risk way to start or grow a baking business. By understanding your local laws, creating a professional business page, posting stunning visuals, engaging with your community, and establishing a clear ordering process, you can build a thriving customer base that comes back again and again for your delicious creations.

Once your bakery starts gaining traction, managing DMs, comments, and planning content can become a major time commitment. I know because our whole team at Postbase has been there. We built our social media management tool to fix this exact problem. We help you use a visual calendar to plan all of your delicious-looking posts, schedule them at the perfect times, and gather all your customer messages from Facebook and Instagram into a single inbox, so you can spend less time being a social media manager and more time in the kitchen doing what you love.