The internet’s primary function has always been to serve as a medium for people to connect through. From that network we’ve built millions of different platforms from which to utilise the power the internet gives us. We use it to watch videos, listen to music and of course, to shop. In the UAE alone there are numerous online marketplaces, from Dubizzle to Souq.com to JadoPado where consumers can buy things. But now it looks like the world’s biggest social media platform wants to get in on the action. Facebook has just launched Facebook Marketplace.
Now you may wonder “Why shop on Facebook?”. The truth is, Facebook has long been an illegitimate marketplace of sorts through its “Groups” feature. An unbelievable amount of people already use the feature to both buy and sell, 450 million people in fact – and that’s per month. As a result, Facebook Marketplace isn’t the sort of hairbrained scheme you may think it is.
“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 to part with. We’ll continue to build new options and features to make this the best experience for people.”
– Mary Ku, Director of Product Management
To visit Facebook Marketplace, all one has to do is tap on the shop icon near the bottom of the Facebook app. This then opens a feed with photos of items that people near you have listed for sale. To find something specific, search at the top and filter your results by location, category or price. You can also browse what’s available in a variety of categories such as Household, Electronics and Apparel. Furthermore, you can use the built-in location tool to adjust the region you’re looking in, or switch to a different city altogether. When you find something interesting, 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. You can even save the item to find it later. Once you’ve settled on a product you can direct message the seller and negotiate a price and work out the delivery.
Meanwhile, selling is just as easy if not more so. All you have to do is:
- Take a photo of your item, or add it from your camera roll
- Enter a product name, description and price
- Confirm your location and select a category
- Post
Facebook Marketplace will roll out over the next few days to everyone over 18 years old in the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand on the Facebook app for iPhone and Android. The list of countries will continue expanding and a desktop version is currently in the works.
It looks like Facebook has a busy week ahead of itself as it is also launching the Lite version of Facebook Messenger,
