Facebook isn't giving up on its digital dream of being a replacement for Craigslist.
The company recently announced that over the next few days it will be rolling out a new service designed to help users buy and sell items in their local area - many may have already seen it within their news feed in fact.
The new Marketplace program, which will be introduced in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and New Zealand, is actually an extension of Facebook's existing "For Sale" groups feature which is reportedly used by some 450 million people each month.
Available through Facebook on Android and iOS, Marketplace is accessible through the little shop icon at the bottom of the app. Users will be able to see a default grid of photos of items for sale nearby, or search by keyword or category. Users can also list an item for sale directly through the app.
The app even permits negotiating, with would-be buyers able to message sellers and make them an offer. Facebook, of course, does not want to get involved in the actual transaction or delivery process (not yet anyway), so payments will need to be made in cash, or through PayPal or another alternative digital payment system.
