Facebook has opened up its platform for its users to now buy and sell things within the Facebook ecosystem. While commerce has been among one of the top priorities for the social media player, and some Facebook markets are seeing more action on this than others, Facebook has now officially launched Marketplace.
Commerce 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 neighborhood to collectors around the world.
Facebook explains that Marketplace is designed as a convenient destination to discover, buy and sell items with people in the community. Marketplace makes it easy to find new things and find a new home for the things users are ready to part with. “We’ll continue to build new options and features to make this the best experience for people,” the company said in a post.
Facebook does not facilitate the payment or delivery of items in Marketplace. The beginning for Marketplace has been interesting as Facebook is still working on ensuring that users follow its commerce policy, and ensure a safe environment for people looking to trade.
Over the next few days, Marketplace will be rolling out to everyone over 18 years old in the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand on the Facebook app for iPhone and Android. Facebook will continue expanding to additional countries and make Marketplace available on the desktop version of Facebook in the coming months.
