It is a relatively new phenomenon but social media accounts are being sold online as a side-gig for many, and a genuine revenue stream for others.
The number of Facebook users has been rising steadily in previous years. According to Statista, in 2022 there were 2.9 billion active users after all.
However, with people openly creating and selling accounts online. How many of these are genuine? It is known that Facebook faces a monthly battle to remove millions of fake accounts. One record quarter saw more than 2 billion fake accounts removed from that particular platform.
So, with the risk of accounts being removed, why would anyone want to buy someone else’s Facebook account?
Why would you want to buy Facebook accounts?
At first thought, it may seem a little strange to want to buy Facebook accounts. Yet, there are many reasons why you’d want to do so, one of the reasons being that it could be a very lucrative market for some people.
It is worth knowing that there is more than one kind of Facebook account that can be purchased. There are the established ones with thousands of followers, and there are the largely empty, new accounts.
The purposes for buying these accounts can differ too. Here are some reasons why Facebook accounts get sold on the net, sometimes for thousands of bucks.
- For shoutouts
- To sell advertising
- To boost marketing
- To flip it
- To gain the followers
The last one is where the empty or fake accounts can come into play. These accounts can be purchased cheaply and in bulk. Therefore, they can add large numbers to another genuine account quickly. What makes a good digital marketing agency is understanding all the online methods to gain likes and followers.
However, purchasing bulk accounts such as these may not be a good long-term strategy for marketing.
Alternatively, purchasing an established account can help with increasing revenue in other ways. Firstly, you can sell advertising through established accounts. You will need to keep posting and adding relevant content, but you will have an account with possibly tens of thousands of followers.
You can also use your newly established influencer account to broadcast your products or services. This can then have the effect of growing the following on your genuine account and increasing revenue this way.
Another option is to flip the account.
How do you flip Facebook accounts?
You’ve probably heard about people flipping cars or houses before. This is the practice of buying a vehicle or property for less than the market price and moving it on quickly for a profit.
Often, someone will look for a vehicle that needs no real repairs but is undervalued. They can then give it a good clean, change some basic parts such as windscreen wipers, and advertise it for a quick and reasonable profit.
Facebook accounts can be moved along the same way. Many entrepreneurs are now buying Facebook accounts that have established followings and then flipping them for a quick profit. If they can’t move them on, they will continue to grow them and then sell them later.
How do you find Facebook accounts for sale?
There are people selling accounts online individually, and there are dedicated websites that only sell social media accounts. These types of market places buy and sell, and offer advice on how to do so.
Prices vary wildly on social media resell accounts. Some go for a few dollars, while others have been sold on for thousands. The number of followers will have a huge impact on the price of the Facebook account for sale.
What happens if Facebook finds out how you have bought an account?
The terms of service are clear, no transfer, sale, or purchase, of any Facebook account, is allowed. However, it is very clear that this is actually a widespread practice.
According to one report in PR Week, perhaps up to 45% of influencer accounts on Instagram are fake so let that serve as a warning. Other reports put the number at more like 10% which still means that there are around 95 million fake accounts or bots running wild on the social networking platform.
If you are caught running Facebook accounts for fraudulent reasons then you are likely to be banned, or at least limited in what you are allowed to do on the platform.
Summary
The reasons for buying other Facebook accounts can be simply for financial gain. Flipping them, using them to promote other accounts, or selling advertising, can all help you make your revenue grow exponentially.
Others use these extra accounts to improve their following, get more shoutouts, invite more members to their group and the like.
If you are considering buying or selling Facebook accounts you should be aware of the terms of service, and also be aware of the vendor you are using for the transaction because everyone is using different methods to register those accounts.
