Facebook will roll out an eBay-style marketplace in the coming days allowing users to sell clothing, books, furniture and other items to fellow Facebook users in their local area.
The buying and selling function on the social network began with its Groups function, which it says now has 450m users worldwide who use it to buy and sell items every month.
To facilitate that process it has launched Marketplace which it describes as “a convenient destination to discover, buy and sell items with people in your community. Marketplace makes it easy to find new things you’ll love, and find a new home for the things you’re ready to part with.”
Users can simply tap the shop icon at the bottom of the Facebook app to start browsing. Marketplace opens with photos of items that people near the user have listed for sale.
To find something specific, users can search at the top and filter results by location, category or price. The built-in location tool will adjust to the region the user is looking in, or it can be switched to a different city altogether.
Once the user finds something of interest, they can tap on the image to see more details from the seller, including a product description, the name and profile photo of the seller, and their general location. Items can also be saved to be revisited later.
If the user wants to buy an item they can contact the seller via direct message and the buyer and seller work out the preferred payment option. At present Facebook does not facilitate payment or delivery, unlike eBay.
Marketplace will be rolled out to everyone over 18 years old in the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand on the Facebook app for iPhone and Android in the coming days with additional countries added later. A desktop version will be available in the coming months.
