Facebook has launched its new Marketplace service, a social media mobile app that allows users to buy and sell items that range from furniture to houses.
It’s expected the new feature will be rolled out to the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand within the next few days , said Mary Ku, director of product management for Marketplace.
Marketplace appears as an icon at the bottom of the Facebook app with users able to click the ‘shop’ button to begin using the feature. When opened, it presents users with photos of items that other sellers are willing to part with. The feature filters the results by location or price; and includes categories such as household, electronics and apparel.
One Marketplace user has already listed a house using the feature, a move that has potential to disrupt the property classifieds industry.
Nick Baldwin, an administrator of the Facebook Group Lab Coat Agents, has taken advantage of the new feature by posting a $699,000 listing in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, website Inman reports.
Watch an instructional video of Marketplace
Baldwin states the fact that it’s possible to include links in listings on Facebook’s marketplace is a “major differentiator” from Craigslist, which prohibits the practice.
“The reason I feel agents should pay attention to this is because [Facebook] rearranged their app for it,” Baldwin added.
