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Facebook Marketplace Ad Character Limits
Marketplace ads are nearly identical to Feed but show next to organic listings — so concise headlines win even more.
Facebook Marketplace ads sit inside the Marketplace tab, blending paid placements with organic listings. The character limits mirror Feed almost exactly — 500-character primary text, 255-character headline, 200-character description, with 125/40/30 visible windows respectively. The contextual difference is what matters: your headline is competing with price tags from real listings rather than other ads.
This changes the writing job. On Feed, your headline competes with other professional ad headlines for attention. On Marketplace, your headline competes with "$45 — Used IKEA Bookshelf — Brooklyn" — short, specific, transactional. A 40-character branded headline that performs well on Feed often underperforms next to organic Marketplace copy because it doesn't speak the surface's native language.
The most effective Marketplace headlines lead with a price or a quantity. "From $9 — fits in a backpack" feels native. "Discover the next generation of fitness" feels like an ad. Both fit in 40 characters; only one earns the tap.
Marketplace blends paid with organic listings. Your headline competes against price tags.
Inventory + urgency
Lead with price + benefit
Verified 2026 limits
| Field | Hard max | Visible before truncate | Warn at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary text | 500 | 125 | 110 |
| Headline | 255 | 40 | 30 |
| Description | 200 | 30 | 27 |
Source: https://www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide/marketplace · Last verified 2026-04-15.
Native-mode copy
The pattern that wins on Marketplace is "spec + benefit + urgency" inside the 40-character headline window. Skip the polished tagline. Write like you're listing the product yourself.
FAQ
- Are Marketplace ad limits actually different from Feed?
- Numerically they are nearly identical. The contextual difference is what matters — Marketplace ads compete with organic listings, not other ads, so the writing job is different.
- Do Marketplace ads support carousels?
- Yes, with the same per-card 40-character headline and 20-character description visible windows as Feed Carousel.
- Why does my Marketplace ad CTR drop when I use a 'branded' headline?
- Marketplace audiences are in transactional mode. Branded headlines feel like ads. Native, listing-style copy outperforms.
- Are there inventory categories that can't run on Marketplace?
- Yes — many regulated categories (firearms, alcohol in some regions, financial products) cannot run on Marketplace.