Facebook Expands ‘Marketplace’ to Uganda

Facebook today announced the launch of Marketplace to 37 countries and territories in Sub-Saharan Africa and prior to the expansion, Facebook Marketplace was only available in South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria.

The U.S-based social media giants now expand Marketplace to Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome, Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Western Sahara, and Zimbabwe.

Increasing the availability of Marketplace to 37 more countries and territories in Sub-Saharan Africa reinforces Facebook’s ongoing commitment to helping connect communities and support buying and selling through one simple online destination.

The Covid-19 has disrupted how we do things impacting businesses mostly as a majority of businesses have been closed as a preventive measure to combat the coronavirus. Thus, restore to work online from homes. Facebook saw the need to expand its Marketplace to more countries and territories in Sub-Saharan Africa to help people easily buy and sell their services and products.

“As the effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic continue to impact people and businesses, the expansion of Marketplace will provide more people with a convenient destination where they can discover new products, shop for things they want, or find buyers for the things they want to sell,” Facebook Director of Public Policy Africa Kojo Boakye, said in a press statement.

Marketplace is a convenient destination where it is easy to find the things that you need to buy from people and businesses or sell on Facebook. A majority of people earn extra money off Facebook Marketplace, build side businesses, and support their families by engaging with their communities on Marketplace.

To discover products or services on Facebook Marketplace, people can look for the Marketplace icon in the Facebook app or visit/open the https://www.facebook.com/marketplace web link in your browser then you will be able to browse listings that interest you. With access to Facebook Marketplace as a buyer, you can filter your interest by distance or category to help you narrow down on what to buy and the reach.

Listing an item for sale on Facebook Marketplace, sellers share a photo of an item, enter a product name, description, and price, confirm their location and select a category. They can also choose to post their listings to Facebook Buy and Sell Groups. Interested buyers will find the item they are looking for and message the sellers. They can decide on the payment method depending on their own preferences.

However, with Facebook Marketplace there are a few things buyers and sellers should take note of;

• Items, products, or services sold on Facebook must comply with Facebook Community Standards, as well as Facebook Commerce Policies.
• Sellers are responsible for complying with all applicable Facebook laws and regulations.
• Buyers and sellers may offer or accept cash, i.e. Cash on Delivery, or Person-to-Person payments. If you choose to pay electronically using bank transfer or money order solutions, avoid payment links and log in directly through the payment method’s website.
• Keep in mind that personal checks or bank drafts can be counterfeit.
• If you’re meeting someone in person, we recommend arranging your meeting in a public, well-lit area, bring another person with you or share your meeting plan with friends or family.

Facebook advises all buyers and sellers to follow local guidelines to stay safe and help prevent the spread of coronavirus. They ask sellers to always Clean and Disinfect items, Use a digital payments service, and this way they prevent the spread of the virus.