eBay announced a partnership with Facebook Marketplace on Wednesday, beginning with a pilot program allowing eBay listings to appear on the social-media platform in the United States, Germany and France.
In Facebook Marketplace, eBay gains access to a platform with 1.2 billion shoppers (on average each month), according to statistics reported by Capital One Shopping Research in September, as well as a social network with more than 3 billion monthly average active users.
eBay reported 133 million buyers worldwide and 2.1 billion listings in Q3 2024.
The announcement comes after Meta was fined $822 million by the E.U. as part of an antitrust suit accusing the company of hampering competition from other online marketplaces in Europe. In response to the decision, which was announced in November, the company said in a statement the ruling “ignores the realities of the thriving European market for online classified listing services and shields large incumbent companies from a new entrant, Facebook Marketplace, that meets consumer demand in innovative and convenient new ways” and said it would appeal the decision.
In a statement Wednesday, Facebook Marketplace said while it continues to appeal the decision, it is working to “build a solution which addresses the points raised,” citing the newly announced initiative to allow its users to browse eBay listings on the platform.
“This could benefit people using both platforms. eBay sellers will gain exposure to Facebook’s audience, while people using Marketplace will be able to discover a broader array of listings from the eBay community," the statement said.
When an item sells through Facebook Marketplace, buyers will be redirected to eBay to complete the transaction in the same process of eBay-native users.
eBay shares were trading up over 9% on the news as of Wednesday afternoon, while Meta stock was down slightly.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.