California, United States

Facebook on Monday launched a new feature called Marketplace which will allow users of the social networking site to buy and sell with each other. 

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The feature will appear as a "shop" icon at the bottom of the Facebook app and will allow users to list or search for items on sale in their neighbourhood. Users can adjust their location and search for specific items or categories like clothing, household items or electronics.

"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," product manager Mary Ku said in a blog post.

Facebook said the new product formalises what some members have already been doing in Facebook Groups for years.

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"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 neighbourhood to collectors around the world."

The new feature, which is free of cost, puts Facebook squarely in competition with local online selling platforms like Craigslist and eBay.

It will soon be made available to members above 18 years in the United States, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand in the coming days on the Facebook app for iPhone and Android. A desktop version will be launched in the next few months.

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(WION with inputs from agencies)