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Facebook Launches Marketplace On App, Takes On eBay and Craigslist (betanews.com)

Posted by msmash on from the omnipresence dept.

Facebook today also announced the launch of "Marketplace," allowing users to buy and sell items on the social media platform. The company says more than 450 million people already visit buying and selling groups on Facebook each month. The new service will be available to people over 18 years of age in the United States, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand on Facebook's iPhone and Android over the coming days. BetaNews adds: The primary aim of Facebook Marketplace is to keep things as simple as possible. Both listing and searching for items is incredibly easy, and the focus is on putting would-be buyers in contact with sellers as close by as possible. The new feature sits alongside the many existing pages that have been set up to facilitate the buying and selling of goods, and Facebook has made it possible to post items to the Marketplace and individual pages simultaneously to help maximize your audience.

38 comments

  1. primary purpose... by WoodstockJeff · · Score: 2

    ... is to get a cut of the action on what people are doing already.

    1. Re:primary purpose... by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      ... is to get a cut of the action on what people are doing already.

      How are they going to do that?

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  2. I haven't had a FB account for 6 years... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And this was an already existing feature? Fuck this isn't even news. Who gives a shit about doing it on an app? Are you paid by FB to promote this shit?

    1. Re:I haven't had a FB account for 6 years... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think they're just egging the Appity-app-app guy on at this point.

    2. Re:I haven't had a FB account for 6 years... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, but have you seen a marketplace... ON APP?

  3. Launched Today? by darkain · · Score: 3, Informative

    Wait, this launched TODAY? I've had access to it for several months now. I know they do limited A/B testing, but I've also browsed it for curiosity sake, and countless others in my local area have it too. Maybe the A/B test was regionalized? Not sure on this one. Anywho, I hope they fixed it. On my phone, it has worked well, but opening the market place would instantly crash the app on my Nexus 7 tablet. This was even more annoying, because swiping left/right in the app changed between the different tabs at the top, one being timeline, the very next to the right was the market place. Accidentally swipe right even the slightest, and it would switch to the market place tab, and instantly crash the app. That's one way to keep users happy and keep coming back to your app! Accidentally do the wrong gesture, and have the whole thing crash.

  4. Dilbert by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Obligatory Dilbert:

    http://dilbert.com/strip/2004-...

  5. all eggs into basket please by The-Ixian · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I think we need just a little bit of data diversity... I am not going to use any single service for everything I do online.

    I am guessing that this view is not in the majority, however.

    --
    My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
    1. Re:all eggs into basket please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > I think we need just a little bit of data diversity... I am not going to use any single service for everything I do online.

      I'm with you on this.

      facebook is my social "space"
      google is my search engine
      hotmail (or whatever it is this month) is my email

      It would seem that corporates involved in trying to increase revenue and advertising don't understand the value that people put on anonymity on the Internet.

      criagslist is effectively an anonymous way to buy, sell, make contact, etc. And people know that. It's why it is used. Even for renting. The only place that might not be true is for job ads.

      Google+ got rejected almost entirely because it did not allow anonymity and wanted to link GMail accounts to Google+ to Picasa/Google Photos to youtube. Users did not take to this and Google+ became a lonely little child.

      Can you imagine your college room mate putting an ad on m4w/w4m/etc and having that linked to their facebook account to target those close by? Yeah, don't think so.

      People enjoy and exploit the anonymity of craigslist. Ignore that at your peril, executives.

  6. Size 12s by thunderclees · · Score: 2

    Zuckerberg really does want to know everyone's shoe size.

  7. Competition is good by phorm · · Score: 2

    Facebook has allowed item sales in their groups for awhile and there are some *very* good groups locally, so hopefully that doesn't get canned.

    But in terms of eBay, a little competition is a good thing. I used to be able find stuff at a reasonable price but nowadays it seems that prices end up higher for used auctions etc than I would have paid for brand new by any of the common vendors that ship to here.

  8. Great! by AnalogDiehard · · Score: 1

    Can I pay with Monopoly money?

    --
    Eternity: will that be smoking, or non-smoking? I Corinthians 6:9-10
    1. Re:Great! by Yvan256 · · Score: 1

      Will the Canadian version allow us to pay in Canadian Tire money?

  9. I can't wait to exploit the "nearby" functionality by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 2

    >> the focus is on putting would-be buyers in contact with sellers as close by as possible.

    Heh - I can't wait to exploit the "nearby" functionality. "Marco" (Target is 160 meters away.)..."Marco" (Target is 55 meters away)...

  10. Wow! What an Idea! by macs4all · · Score: 1

    ...Straight out of this season's "Halt and Catch Fire"...

    How innovative, those Facebook people!

    1. Re:Wow! What an Idea! by iampiti · · Score: 1

      Came to say just this thing. We'll see if it's just as good as Swap Meet :)

    2. Re:Wow! What an Idea! by macs4all · · Score: 1

      Came to say just this thing. We'll see if it's just as good as Swap Meet :)

      SHHHH! Don't tell me! I have the most recent 4 episodes DVR'ed I need to watch!

    3. Re:Wow! What an Idea! by iampiti · · Score: 1

      Don't worry. I haven't revealed anything :)

    4. Re:Wow! What an Idea! by macs4all · · Score: 1

      Don't worry. I haven't revealed anything :)

      Thanks!

    5. Re:Wow! What an Idea! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      they've had facebook marketplace for years, they just shelved it for a bit

  11. Wow! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You mean I can give marketers even more information about my life by conducting my business affairs on Facebook too. Whatever will they think of next?

  12. Do Not Want. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I really don't want to be friends with the people I do business with on Craigslist...

    Getting a handy for a used toaster-over is not the foundation of a long term friendship.

    1. Re:Do Not Want. by macs4all · · Score: 1

      I really don't want to be friends with the people I do business with on Craigslist...

      Getting a handy for a used toaster-over is not the foundation of a long term friendship.

      Since when is "handy" a noun? Is that a British thing?

    2. Re:Do Not Want. by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      "Handy" is pseudo-English originating in Germany. I'm guessing Anonymous Coward comes from a German speaking country.

      It's quite an interesting linguistic phenomenon, happens in a number of countries- an almost-English sounding word will appear in a foreign language "Anglicising" that language somewhat, even though the word doesn't exist in native English. Handy is far from the only example.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    3. Re:Do Not Want. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Handy...noun....Craigslist <----- this was the key word that you overlooked.

    4. Re:Do Not Want. by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      I think I'd rather get a cell-phone stuck on the German language than a Handy from someone who advertises on Craigslist.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    5. Re:Do Not Want. by macs4all · · Score: 1

      Handy...noun....Craigslist <----- this was the key word that you overlooked.

      Ah, NOW I get it!

    6. Re:Do Not Want. by macs4all · · Score: 1

      "Handy" is pseudo-English originating in Germany. I'm guessing Anonymous Coward comes from a German speaking country.

      It's quite an interesting linguistic phenomenon, happens in a number of countries- an almost-English sounding word will appear in a foreign language "Anglicising" that language somewhat, even though the word doesn't exist in native English. Handy is far from the only example.

      Well, since English is SUCH an etymological soup, which is both its strength and its weakness, it doesn't surprise me.

    7. Re:Do Not Want. by gweilo8888 · · Score: 1

      Of course you're assuming he's using the German version, but the British one is also possible. ;-) Handy as a noun in British slang has a *very* different meaning to handy as a noun in German slang. (The former means a handjob; the latter a cellphone.) But perhaps that's what the AC who started this discussion is into...

  13. I dunno if this is a good idea by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 2

    I imagine a lot of people may not like their Facebook profile linked to their sale of used vibrators.

    --
    "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    1. Re:I dunno if this is a good idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Those vibrators were used????
      Oh god.

    2. Re:I dunno if this is a good idea by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      That's why they cost more than brand new ones.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  14. Facebook too prone to editorial judgement by OakDragon · · Score: 1

    Suppose they don't approve of your selling those "Make America Great Again" caps?

    --
    Dark Reflection
  15. Prostitution? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When last I checked it, Craigslist had turned from a relatively useful flea market into a combination scam center and prostitution clearing house. Any idea how Facebook plans to avoid the same fate?

    1. Re:Prostitution? by Fjandr · · Score: 1

      Wait, that's not what Facebook is for now?

  16. Somebody at Facebook by Marble+River · · Score: 1

    Must be watching "Halt and Catch Fire"...

  17. OfferUp has been doing this already. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Offer Up originates it's functionality to Facebuck protocol as well as an independent directory. works better than Craigslist with the exception it is hard for me to sell things only for certain juris or political areas; such as marijuana peripherals only to be sold around Colorado, certain kinds of fishing outdoors equipment for certain areas, and dirty used dildos and needles for wherever that Slashdot server is hosting from.

  18. Well that will kill another app by WindowsStar · · Score: 1

    Bye bye let it go.