Many people first got a real opportunity to experience online sales for themselves when Ebay launched and revolutionised the whole trading market. It gave people the power to release a few quick funds by selling objects that they had lying around, find an obscure item that they’d always wanted, or set up an online business and start trading properly from the comfort of their home. It is likely that Ebay will remain a highly used site for many years to come, but the prominence of online trading has now been taken to a new level by sites such as Twitter and Facebook that boast a more social capacity.
One website that was quick to see the potential in allowing their users to trade items online was Facebook. They termed their new section ‘Facebook Marketplace’ and it soon became very popular, with many people even setting up their own shops to trade their goods. Being able to advertise online is nothing new however and sites like Gumtree and Craig’s List have done very well through allowing people to do this, but they find themselves struggling to compete against the newer socially-led networking sites. They encourage a more discerning buying process whereby you can do some background research on the seller, request more information, or even ask the opinion of some experts in the field. For example, before you make that commitment to buy one of those second hand bikes you can request more pics, query your friends about it, or ask those people who are hanging out in the cycling community section if you are making the right choice, and if not, what is the right one?
Moreover, people now even have the ability to actually seek out items that they are looking for via sites such as Twitter. For example an extreme sports enthusiast might post on their twitter profile that they are looking for 7’6” surfboards, and because of the potential size and power of the networks here, they will likely find multiple people very quickly who have suitable surfboards for sale