Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is classified-ad section of the social network that specializes in helping individuals and businesses sell items locally. Marketplace is Facebook’s expansion into markets to compete with services like eBay and Craigslist.

Facebook leverages the Marketplace through its social network. Facebook users often already have an account and there is no need to download another app. Users can quickly get set up to buy or sell from their existing accounts. This capacity makes it easy for people to quickly check what is available on the Marketplace and make easy purchases. It may also tempt other marketplaces to tap into a large new avenue, possibly drawing in new users who have previously avoided Facebook. For sellers, a vast audience of 2.2 billion users and the ease for users to browse while already on Facebook are big draws.

While in some cases having sales tied to existing accounts can help accountability, as always the buyer must beware. Like other marketplace sites where it is easy and free to set up a profile, some unscrupulous individuals may set up accounts specifically to defraud other users. As of this writing, there is no rating system for sellers and buyers only have the option to report sellers for items sold not as advertised. There is some inherent security in using Marketplace through their Facebook profiles as users don’t have to give their email addresses or phone numbers for communication.