Facebook adds marketplace feature to its app

Facebook has announced its own marketplace feature. The feature allows users to buy items from others and sell them themselves. Initially, the option will only be available in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand.

In the coming months, the option should also be available in other countries, Facebook writes. Also, the feature will first only be available in the app and then on the desktop. The company itself says it does not facilitate the payment and shipping of purchased devices, so users have to arrange this themselves via the chat. Users can find available products by using the Marketplace button and filtering by location, price, and category.

Selling products consists of taking a photo, adding a name, description and price. After that, the seller still has to confirm the location and can publish the ad. It is also possible to view an overview of your own items.

Facebook says that its platform has already been used extensively for buying and selling stuff, with those activities taking place in groups that are set up for this purpose. The new feature is only suitable for buying and selling products, and offers no further protection. There are a number of categories of products that may not be sold via the marketplace function.