Czech Republic, August 15 (BD) – The Czech Republic will join the list of 17 countries where Facebook Marketplace will be available, American social media giant said on Monday. Photo: Pexels
The new service of Facebook will allow Czech users to sell items and buy from other users. Marketplace was launched in the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand in 2016 and later in Canada, Mexico and Chile.
How it works
The listing function will allow users to list the items they desire and the items they have within their group of friends. Marketplace will be available both from mobile devices and desktops. Czech users will soon see the new blue icon appearing on their Facebook screen.
Among the options buyers can filter their search based on radius they want to shop, and use keywords for a more specialized search such as type, price and location. Product categories are also available.
“Facebook is where people connect, and in recent years more people have been using Facebook to connect in another way: buying and selling with each other. This activity started in Facebook Groups and has grown substantially. More than 450 million people visit buy and sell groups each month — from families in a local neighborhood to collectors around the world,” stated Facebook in one of its first official releases a few years ago.
How to sell and buy
To sell a product users have to simply upload photos of their items, choose category, price and location. Communication between the buyer and seller will start over the Facebook messenger app. The two users do not need to become “friends” over Facebook but they can check their history as sellers and what sales groups they are members of.
The sales activity will be only visible in the Marketplace and not in the personal profiles. Users can also report suspicious activities to Facebook.
Future by Facebook
Facebook also points out it does not facilitate payment or delivery and made clear that they’ll use the app to collect data about what people are buying or selling
Marketplace is now expanding into Europe. Facebook is counting 4.5 million Czech users,.
The Marketplace app received mixed reactions in the US and seems not to be a strong competitor against Craigslist or eBay, independent listing websites.
For example a couple found their stolen Xbox and TV for sale over the app and set up a meeting to buy them, but the police were waiting instead. The sellers are now awaiting a trial.
The marketplace will be newly available in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
