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.

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 allow buyers and sellers to interact with each other in many more ways, including being able to trade photos easily, see friend’s recommendations or even ask online experts before they buy. 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?

Another advancement has come about through sites such as Twitter, has been the ability for people to request the things they are looking for, rather than wait for someone else to advertise them. 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