FACEBOOK LAUNCHES CLASSIC MARKET APP
New function allows users to search, buy and sell via mobile phone
‘Facebook does not offer the same kinds of protection or guarantees as eBay’ MARKETPLACE DOWNSIDE
Global social media giant Facebook has jumped on the community buy-and-sell business bandwagon with the launch of Marketplace – and classic cars are on the menu.
Having gone live on 3 October in the UK, US, Australia, and New Zealand, Facebook Marketplace is taking on the likes of Amazon,
eBay, Gumtree and Craigslist. The company says it is responding to the fact that the number of people using Facebook for buying and selling has risen significantly in recent years.
‘To help people make more of these connections, we’re introducing a convenient destination to discover, buy and sell items with people in your community,’ says a spokesman for the online brand, founded by entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg and Harvard roommates in 2004.
‘ We’ll continue to build new options and features to make this the best experience for people.’
As this issue of CCW went to press, Facebook’s own page for Marketplace (‘where friends and neighbours buy, sell and recommend’) showed 223,013 ‘ likes’. Mobile phone users can access Marketplace by tapping on the shop icon at the foot of the Facebook app to look at local items (the search area can be extended) – and cars, vans and motorcycles are top of the list. Sales are handled offline and by users themselves.
The launch of Facebook Marketplace has not been universally applauded, and some have expressed concerns about privacy and safety. Facebook does not offer the same kinds of protection or guarantees of companies such as eBay, or reputable car dealers.
CCW’s markets editor Richard Barnett says: ‘ What I can see is the whole marketplace being further diluted as vendors have to weigh up where is the best place to sell their car. What would you do? I wouldn’t use this app because it comes with the typical Facebook spying protocols, and I’d imagine I’m not alone in not liking that. Surely the best place to sell a classic, whatever its age or value, is through an advert in a newspaper or magazine.’