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. Of course Ebay is still a very popular website, but there are some new kids on the block in the form of social sites like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook first saw the potential in allowing people to advertise items on their site a very short time after they launched. 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?

Further more, with the likes of Twitter to your disposal you can flip the advertising process on its head by requesting second hand items that you are seeking. 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.

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