Facebook Launches New Classified Advertising Service Marketplace

Facebook Launches New Classified Advertising Service Marketplace
Facebook

Facebook has launched a new service to pit itself against online classified advertising services such as eBay and Craigslist. Known as Marketplace, the new Facebook service offers a new place to buy and sell items within your community.

“Marketplace makes it easy to find new things you’ll love, and find a new home for the things you’re ready part with. We’ll continue to build new options and features to make this the best experience for people.“, said director of product management Mary Kuin a blog post.

Facebook tought alot about Marketplace and made it easy to access, simply tap the shop icon at the bottom of the Facebook app to find images of items for sale by people who live near you. You can search for specific items and filter your results by location, category or price. If you want a wider search, simply click on one of the available categories. You can also change the built-in location tool if you want to switch to a different city or town.

If you see something you like, tap on the image for a product description, the name and profile photo of the seller and where the seller is located or opt to save the item for later. You can also send the seller a direct message via Marketplace to ask questions or 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“, Ku said.

For those wishing to sell an item via Marketplace, the process is similar to other classified sites. Take a photo of your item, or add it from your camera roll and then enter a product name, description and price. Next, confirm your location and select a category. Once that is done, click post. You can keep track of current and past transactions in the ‘Your Items’ section.

Marketplace will first be available to Facebook users located in U.S, U.K, Australia and New Zealand, and is available for both iPhone and Android. Facebook said Marketplace will continue to roll out to additional countries in the coming months as will the desktop version of the app.