NEW YORK: Facebook has launched ‘Marketplace’, a move that will allow its users to buy and sell items through its platform and potentially pitching the social media giant against companies like eBay and Craiglist.
Marketplace will be rolled out to Facebook users, aged over 18 years old, in the US, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand on the Facebook app for iPhone and Android.
However, users in India, which is home to the second largest Facebook userbase after the US, will have wait for some time before ‘Marketplace’ is launched there.
“We will continue expanding to additional countries and make Marketplace available on the desktop version of Facebook in the coming months,” Facebook Director of Product Management Mary Ku said in the blog.
She said in recent years more people have been using Facebook to connect in another way: buying and selling with each other.
“This activity started in Facebook Groups and has grown substantially. More than 450 million people visit buy and sell groups each month… We’ll continue to build new options and features to make this the best experience for people,” the blog said.
To visit Marketplace, users need to tap on the shop icon at the bottom of the Facebook app and start exploring. It opens with photos of items that people near them have listed for sale.
To find something specific, they can search and filter the results based on location, category or price.
Once the user decides to buy something, they can send a direct message to the seller from Marketplace and make an offer.
“From that point on, you and the seller can work out the details in any way you choose. Facebook does not facilitate the payment or delivery of items in Marketplace,” the blog said. (AGENCIES)
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