Joining MyKade is free, and you can sell without spending a rupee on stock. Facebook ads are different: they cost your own money. Sometimes that money comes back with a profit. Often, for beginners, it does not. This post helps you tell the difference before you spend.
What ads really cost
Here is what real Sri Lankan online shops paid for Facebook ads:
- About Rs 342–612 per enquiry (a person who messages or asks).
- About Rs 750–860 per order.
- About Rs 1,200 per delivered order, close to 40% of the item price.
Why is the delivered figure so much higher? Because not every order arrives. Ads bring mostly strangers, and selling to strangers, 30–37% of parcels came back. You pay for the ad whether the parcel is delivered or not, but your profit only reaches your wallet when it is delivered.
The one-line test
Before you run an ad for a product, ask:
Is my profit on one delivered order clearly more than about Rs 1,200?
If not, the ad is likely to cost you more than it earns.
A worked example (illustration only). Imagine two products:
- Product A: your profit is Rs 450 per delivered order. If each delivered order costs about Rs 1,200 in ads, you lose about Rs 750 on every sale. More sales means a bigger loss.
- Product B: your profit is Rs 1,500 per delivered order. After about Rs 1,200 of ad cost, about Rs 300 is left. It can work, but there is very little room for mistakes.
These are only examples. Your real ad costs can be higher or lower. The point is to do the sum before you spend, not after.
When ads can make sense
- The product already sells without ads. You have shared it on WhatsApp, Facebook or your shop link and people order it. An ad then helps more people see something that is already proven.
- Your profit per order is high enough to pass the one-line test.
- You can reply fast, especially from 7 to 11 pm when enquiries peak. Each enquiry from an ad costs you money. Letting it go cold wastes that money.
- You confirm every order. A refused parcel from an ad costs you the ad and earns nothing. See how to confirm every order.
When to wait
- You are just starting. Learn to sell to people who already know you first. Customers who knew the seller and reordered had about 96% of parcels delivered.
- Your profit per order is small. A profit of a few hundred rupees will not cover an ad cost of around Rs 1,200 per delivered order.
- You don't have time to answer messages on the days the ad runs.
- You are hoping the ad will fix a product nobody wants. It won't.
If you decide to try
MyKade has one-tap Facebook ads, paid from your own ad account, starting from Rs 300 a day. If you try them:
- Start small. Use the smallest budget you can for a few days.
- Pick your best product, the one that already sells and has a good profit.
- Write an honest ad. Real photos, the real price, and delivery clearly mentioned. No exaggerated claims.
- Count delivered orders, not likes. Likes and views do not pay you.
- Do the sum. Total ad spend ÷ delivered orders = your cost per delivered order. Compare it with your profit.
- Stop if it doesn't pay. There is no shame in switching an ad off. Keeping a losing ad running is the expensive mistake.
Free ways that often work better at the start
- WhatsApp Status, shared every day. See selling with WhatsApp Status.
- Your MyKade shop link, shared with people who already trust you.
- A thank-you message after every delivery, which brings repeat orders.
- Posting at the right time: evenings, and especially Sundays, when enquiries are about 50% higher.
Spend only what you can afford to lose
Ads are a tool, not a shortcut. Use them when the numbers work, and only with money you can afford to lose while you learn. Until then, free selling builds the skills and the customers you will need anyway. Download the MyKade app and start with the free way first.