The recent launch of Facebook’s new Marketplace service has been met with more than a little acclaim in Australia and elsewhere. It’s now possible after all, for individuals to buy and sell items among people in their immediate local communities.

Will Facebook Marketplace eventually kill off the suburban garage sale? Probably. The service, after all, is available directly through Facebook Messenger, an app used by over 450 million people each and every day.

Why Local Businesses need to Start Looking at Marketplace

However, while Facebook Marketplace is being marketed as an easier, more localized alternative to platforms such as Ebay for everyday users, Marketplace has phenomenal potential for local business owners also.

Unlike direct sales made through Facebook, Marketplace doesn’t facilitate payment for any items listed or purchased. Instead, sellers and buyers who use the Marketplace feature, have to arrange payment and collection of items among themselves. This being the case, local retailers especially stand to start benefiting from using Facebook Marketplace by listing flash sale items, discounted products, and a variety of similar special offers.

The benefits of Facebook Marketplace are simple. If you are a retailer or even if you simply sell bespoke handmade products from home, you can now use Facebook Marketplace to engage and interact with real people in your local community. This will then benefit you in the form of increased direct sales, as well as significantly increased local awareness of your business.

How Facebook Marketplace Works

• Are you already realizing how you personally could benefit from Facebook Marketplace? If so, it’s easy to get started. All you need to do is:
• Take a photo of the item you have for sale or select it from your camera roll
• Enter your product name, description, and price
• Confirm your real world local location and select a category to list your product in

However, for even better local marketing results, you can also add your own business branding to product photos. This way, even if people don’t decide to purchase an item, they will start to recognize you and will be more likely to make a purchase at some point in the future.

Are you ready to start realizing the benefits of Facebook’s new Marketplace feature? If so, make sure to sign up today. Just remember that at present, Marketplace services are only available in the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. That said, Facebook does plan to roll out their new Marketplace feature to other countries in the coming months.

In the comments below, Let me know how else you plan to use this feature