Meta tests eBay listings in Facebook Marketplace to resolve EU charges

Meta said Wednesday that it will allow some Facebook users to view eBay listings on its Marketplace service, as it tries out a possible way to resolve European Union charges of anticompetitive behavior that the bloc leveled last year.

The social media company said it’s launching a test that will let Facebook users in Germany, France and the U.S. browse eBay listings directly on its Marketplace online classifieds service but complete the transaction on eBay.

Meta is carrying out the trial after Brussels slapped the company in November with a penalty of nearly 800 million euros ($824 million) for what it called “abusive practices” involving Marketplace.

European Union antitrust enforcers accused Meta of illegally shutting out competition by tying Marketplace to its social network and automatically exposing Facebook users to Marketplace whether or not they wanted it. They also accused Meta of gaining an unfair advantage through ad-related data.

“While we disagree with and continue to appeal the European Commission’s decision on Facebook Marketplace, we are working quickly and constructively to build a solution which addresses the points raised,” Meta said in a blog post, adding that its solution could benefit people on both platforms.

The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s top antitrust enforcer, said it had “no specific comment,” saying only that Meta must comply with the decision issued in mid-November within 90 days.

Shares of eBay jumped on the news. The company said that starting Wednesday a “select number of eBay listings” in the three countries “will be seamlessly integrated and viewable on Facebook Marketplace.” The listings will be from a “variety of categories,” based on factors including shopping trends and listing quality, it said, without being more specific.

Buyers will complete their transactions following the same process as they would when buying directly through the eBay website and will be covered by the platform’s money-back guarantee and other protections, it said.

—Kelvin Chan, AP business writer

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