5 Features of Facebook's Marketplace That Craiglist Do Not Have

Facebook is grooming its Marketplace feature to challenge Craiglist's position in peer to peer e-commerce. Marketplace will at least have five advantages over Craiglist.

Facebook Marketplace is Tough on Scammers

Only Facebook users can have access to Marketplace. This means that both vendor and customer have profiles that could put some sort of accountability on both parties. Reviewing the other party's profile could easily determine if it's safe to meet in person or not. Meanwhile, many Craiglist users are well aware of the presence of many scammers in the site.

Facebook Marketplace is Convenient

Many use Facebook at least once a day. Simply going to the Marketplace section is quite easy enough. Vendors and customers can also communicate with each other using another feature in Facebook, the Messenger. Any transaction in the Marketplace does not require the payment of any fee.

Facebook Marketplace Has a Huge User Base

Facebook  reported that almost half a million people visit its "buy and sell" sections every month. This presents a very big market for both vendor and customer. FB Marketplace manager Bowen Pen claimed that the service is filtered to suit the needs or interest of the user based on an algorithm they devised.

Facebook Marketplace Allows Virtual Window Shopping

Unlike Craiglist, Facebook allows video clips of products being offered for sale. Viewers may not necessarily buy them on the spot but at least it informs them that the product is there. If the time comes, customers can return and buy them.

Facebook Marketplace Browsing is More Fun

Craiglist is mostly text based since it was created during the early days of the Internet. Nowadays people would like to see the product before making the decision to buy. FB Marketplace programmers made sure that the site can handle a heavy amount of pictures and videos. Facebook also reported that clothing, motor vehicles and household items are the most widely searched in Marketplace.