Facebook Marketplace Opens With Drugs, Guns and Babies

Did Facebook see this one coming?

According to CBS News, shortly after openings its new Marketplace section, Facebook was hosting ads that offered several illicit and strange items for sale. Some were obviously jokes, but others advertised illegal products, such as drugs and human babies, as well as guns and animals that ranged from birds to hedgehogs.

The rollout isn't a great start to the media company's latest attempt to ramp up commerce. They tried to get a similar effort off the ground about a decade ago. Interesting when you consider that Facebook was in its infancy then.

Many users also prefer to use the platform as a means of connection, rather than a commerce site. Only 20 percent of consumers said they would be interested in buying items directly on Facebook, research indicates.

Facebook blamed the illegal and weird postings on a "technical issue."

Hmm. We're not sure what "technical issues" would lead to these kinds of products, but sure, Facebook. We'll go with that.

"As we expanded Marketplace access, we encountered a technical issue that prevented our reviewing system from identifying some posts that violated our Commerce Policies and Community Standards," said Mary Ku, director of Facebook's product management.

"As a result, certain posts with content that violated our products were made visible to people visiting Marketplace," she continued.

Well, that explains it, right?

If you're one of the 20 percent who would try Facebook's lateset venture, you may have to wait. Facebook is gradually rolling over the next several days. The Marketplace icon will eventually replace the messenger icon in the mobile app.

The products appear to be more like the likes of what's found on Craigslist than Amazon, if you catch our drift.

Will you try it?

This story first appeared at Womanista.