Facebook launches Marketplace in Romania

Facebook Marketplace, the service through which users can sell and buy products on the social network, is expanding to Romania, reports local Startupcafe.ro. The process to launch this service in Romania began on Thursday, November 9. The new function will be available in the coming days in the Facebook app. Those using the desktop version of the social network will be able to access the service in the Explore category (right side of the web page), through the Marketplace button. Users can list products on Facebook Marketplace by uploading pictures, descriptions and a price for each product, or they can see products for sale by category - auto, real estate, electronics, clothing, or jewelry. They can choose to see the products based on the seller’s proximity or ordered by price. Those who sell on the Marketplace are not charged for the listed products, Karandeep Anand, head of Product, Facebook Platform, told Startupcafe.ro. He also said that the service is not addressed to large retailers. Moreover, the service doesn’t allow online payments and, according to the company official, such an option will not be introduced just yet. Romania is the 27th country in which Facebook launches this service. The Marketplace was launched in the US one year ago and expanded to Europe in August this year. In Romania, the main competitors of Facebook Marketplace are Olx.ro, Okazii.ro, and Lajumate.ro. More than nine million Romanians enter Facebook at least once a month and 7.2 million open the social network every day, according to the latest data presented by the company, quoted by Startupcafe.ro. Data from local social network monitoring services Facebrands.ro and Facebrands Pro showed earlier this year that the number of Facebook accounts in Romania went up to 9.6 million, with most of them being registered in Bucharest. Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com