In a bid to allow users to discover, buy and sell items locally, Facebook has launched its Marketplace. The feature will appear as a “shop” icon at the bottom of the Facebook app and will allow users to list or search for items on sale in their community.
Facebook said in a blog post that over 450 million people visit buy and sell groups each month from families in a local neighborhood to collectors around the world. Marketplace opens with photos of items that people near you have listed for sale. In order to find something specific, search at the top and filter your results by location, category or price. You can also browse what is available in a variety of categories such as Household, Electronics and Apparel. You can use the built-in location tool to adjust the region you are looking in, or switch to a different city.
Just tap on the image of an item which you like and see more details from the seller, including a product description, the name and profile photo of the seller, and their general location. You can also save the item to find it later. The Marketplace will also let you send the seller a direct message and discuss on the price.
The Marketplace is arriving first in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and New Zealand on Android and iOS. It will also be included in the desktop version of the app “in the coming months. Last year, Facebook said it was testing several ad features that allow users to shop directly through its app, an effort to move further into e-commerce.
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