Tech
Facebook is testing an online marketplace in Sydney and Auckland
IMAGE: SCREENSHOT/FACEBOOK
In a move that could make eBay and Craigslist management lose sleep, Facebook is testing a new regional online marketplace feature in Sydney, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand.
A new "Buy & Sell" button is currently being rolled out in the platform's lefthand navigation panel, which will take users to a searchable marketplace of items available in their groups and local area. This marketplace, which looks a little like Pinterest, offers for-sale categories such as "Clothing" and "Computer & Electronics."
Of course, many people already buy, sell and trade things on Facebook using "Groups," but this will allow easier access for the masses.
Not everyone in those two cities has the feature yet, so if you're curious, try here.
Spotted in Sydney by Trevor Long on EFTM, the "Sell Something" tab in Groups now also offers the option to cross-post items publicly onto the local "Buy & Sell" feed, as well as the group.
IMAGE: SCREENSHOT/FACEBOOK
Facebook announced in February that new features to assist people buying and selling items would be rolled out over the next months, and the soft launch of "Buy & Sell" appears to be one of those steps.
"We are in the very early stages of testing a new way for more people to easily discover, buy, and sell items with other people on Facebook," a Facebook spokesperson told Mashable Australia.
No word if or when the feature will be available in other cities, or, most interestingly, whether Facebook will be developing its own purchase system on the platform.
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