I think a lot of the success from facebook buy/sell groups is that the items will actually show up in people's newsfeeds once they have joined a regional/topic group for trading. This probably raises awareness of second hand items available in general. If the marketplace is going to be a separate part of facebook, It might not be as engaging.
Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community
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Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community
#22I don't know if its just me, judging by the ad's that facebook shows me 70% of them are not legit. Fake clothes, fake watches, scam companies etc. How can I trust a service that will be not regulated at all, I mean its a nice idea, although I'd be very careful on what am looking in there. (At least ebay is a bit more regulated I'd say)
Perhaps feed the AI? I started aggressively flagging scammy ads as such and ads I didn't want to see. Most of what I get now is legit and relevant.
Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community
#23Facebook has Marketplace concept since many years.. But this feature looks like competition for apps like Close5 and LetGo. Which have been very popular recently.
Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community
#24Neztdoor is just starting to try to monetize their network now. Would not be hugely surprised if Facebook ended up buying it.
Nextdoor right (sic)? That is a pretty astute observation... I could totally see that happening considering how Nextdoor users have their physical addresses verified, etc.
Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm part of a local Facebook community for trading and selling board games. You basically meet in a parking lot during the day and make the trade/purchase, and it's pretty hard to fake the components/packaging of a board game. Possible missing components is the biggest worry, since they're not likely to wait around as you count each component. Also a lot of these people can be vouched for since someone tends to have…
I think they would do better by allowing groups to convert their group into a marketplace and add marketplace features to groups.
I think they've done that. Certainly I've started seeing a buy/sell tab in some groups.
Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community
#26More services means more data for them to exploit. Weak on privacy guarantees = whatever services they offer are heavily mined for your data. When it comes to sales, craigslist is useful because it allows you to remain anonymous. With FB, I seem to be exposing exactly who I am, where I live, what I have for sale. In places with high crime rates, this opens me up to becoming a victim, as perps can search this informat…
If you are a seller of something, there is some upside to knowing who the buyer is. Seems less likely you'll just get held up at gunpoint if you have a link to their FB profile you could hand the police.
Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community
#27More services means more data for them to exploit. Weak on privacy guarantees = whatever services they offer are heavily mined for your data. When it comes to sales, craigslist is useful because it allows you to remain anonymous. With FB, I seem to be exposing exactly who I am, where I live, what I have for sale. In places with high crime rates, this opens me up to becoming a victim, as perps can search this informat…
If you are a seller of something, there is some upside to knowing who the buyer is. Seems less likely you'll just get held up at gunpoint if you have a link to their FB profile you could hand the police.
> link to their FB profile you could hand the police
Is this useful to police, when profiles can be forged?
Personally, when I sell something I don't want people to learn who I am. I'd rather just sell it and remain anonymous. There is more concern about the legality of a good from the buyer's perspective, not the seller.
Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community
#28I live in a geographically isolated area which is small enough to not get it's own Criagslist area, but big enough that there is a lot of 2nd hand selling and buying. This almost exclusively happens through a FB group. It seems like this is a good natural move for FB.
Purely personal experience, but I find individual buying and selling happens more (or is at least more important) in smaller communities.
Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community
#29Good for Facebook.
My wife has been buying and selling things on individual Facebook groups for years before this official marketplace.
Selling on Facebook is hands down a vastly better experience than selling things on Craigslist in every way - especially if you live in a market that is too small for a designated Craigslist area.
Our real world experience:
1) Hyperlocal - Our city of 40k-50k is 40 miles from the nearest Craigslist area (OKC). Facebook groups and now the marketplace ensures we don't have to drive 30 minutes or more to meet someone. Most people buy things that are either very close to them (i.e. already in the same city), or are more willing to drive to where you are.
2) Related to (1) - Since it is more local (we usually meet at a Walgreens or supermarket parking lot that is only a few blocks away), we can easily sell more items that are lower in value (like kids clothing, etc.). This is something that just isn't worth the hassle on Craigslist.
3) Way fewer scammers and spammers since you have to use your real name.
4) You know who you are meeting and what they look like (again - real name, single account requirement).
5) Built-in messaging allows you an easier way to communicate meeting details privately without having to give your phone number or email address.
6) You can easily block and report people who are problematic and they will never see your posts or be able to buy your stuff or message you again.
In short, Facebook has allowed us to sell a lot of things on a much more regular basis than Craigslist ever would, with much less hassle and spam/scammers.
Re: Introducing Marketplace: Buy and Sell with Your Local Community
#30Somewhat reminiscent of this Line / Instagram combo https://www.techinasia.com/line-instagram-ecommerce-thailand all together in a single app.