Facebook Takes Aim at Craigslist with Marketplace
October 3, 2016
There are 450 million people buying and selling items within “buy and sell” Groups on Facebook, and this number is growing. In response to the popularity of this Facebook has launched Facebook Marketplace.
Mary Ku, Director of Product Management announced via the Facebook Newsroom, that the platform was launching a new area within the network….”to help people make more of these connections, today we’re introducing Marketplace, 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 part with. We’ll continue to build new options and features to make this the best experience for people.”
Find Items Near You
To launch the new Marketplace just tap on the shopping icon at the bottom of your Facebook App (on mobile) and you can see what items are currently for sale in your area.
The Marketplace is arranged with a gallery of photos with pricing listed at the bottom. These items will be from sellers located in your immediate area.
Users can then sort and filter the results by category, location or price. To see items that are not in your area there is a location tool that allows users to adjust the area by region or city.
Purchase Items
When you see an item you are interested in just click on the photo to see the details of the specific item for sale. The details will include a product description provided by the seller, the location and the profile photo of the seller. If you are not ready to purchase the item or you wish to keep looking for similar items there is a feature that allows you to save the item for later.
If you have decided you want to make a purchase you simply send the seller a direct message in Marketplace alerting them that you are interested in purchasing the item. This is where the buyer and seller then work out the details of the transaction.
Facebook does not handle any of the payment process nor the delivery specifics. At this time you must use a third party payment site.
Post an Item to Sell
Posting an item in Marketplace is easy. Simply open Marketplace and either take a photo of the item or add it from your camera roll, enter in the product name and a brief description and price, confirm your location, select a category and post it.
Upon posting anyone in your area can find the item and message you if they are interested in making the purchase.
Facebook Marketplace also keeps track of all of your current and past transactions, as well as items you have saved, items you have posted and all messages you have received or sent via Marketplace.
Rolling Out Now
Facebook Marketplace will be rolling out to all Facebook users over the age of 18 in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand in the next few days. The Marketplace will be available in the Facebook app for iPhone and Android.
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