In a move to rival the likes of Gumtree and eBay, Facebook has launched its very own selling application.
Marketplace will launch in Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK on the Facebook app for iPhone and Android in the coming days.
What is it?
It's basically a buying and selling feature on Facebook and works like many other selling sites.
The icon for the Marketplace feature will appear at the bottom of the screen on the Facebook mobile app.
Sellers take a photo of their item, enter a product name with a description, price and location.
The item will also need to be put it into a category before posting.
If you are a buyer you can use a search tool to find specific items, message the seller and negotiate a price.
What are the down sides?
Unlike eBay, the application does not facilitate the payment or delivery of items.
So it's more similar to Gumtree in the sense users still have to organise a place to meet and exchange the goods for money.
It's also not available on desktop, so sites like Gumtree will still have the competitive advantage.
Some people aren't convinced it's a move that will pay off.
Why bother if people already have buy and sell groups on Facebook?
In a statement Facebook director of product management Mary Ku said; "Facebook is where people connect, and 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 - from families in a local neighbourhood to collectors around the world."
What's the financial gain for Facebook?
Well, they aren't going to charge you for putting items up for sale at the moment.
Mary Ku said they will continue to build new options and features as the product develops.
When can I start using it?
In the new few days the program will be rolled out to everyone over 18 in the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand on the Facebook app for iPhone and Android.
Facebook plans to make it available on desktop in the coming months.
No comments:
Post a Comment