Facebook Apps Get A Marketplace

It has only been three short months since the launch of the Facebook Platform, which gave developers an opportunity to integrate other services into the growing social network via widgets, and this first quarter proved quite impressive.

Now, there are well over 3000 applications to choose from in the Facebook application directory. Some Facebook apps have even received noticeable attention from investors and interested companies. Where I've Been is one such example, which was rumored to have sold to TripAdvisor for $3 million (although TripAdvisor has denied the claims).

Now, AppMrkt, which was developed by Jonathan Otto and Ben Bleikamp, is out to provide the first marketplace dedicated to the buying and selling of Facebook applications.

Upon first entrance, you are warned that the site is currently in Alpha mode, so don't expect a perfect user experience. The site works on an auction system that is based on eBay's proxy bidding, and registration is required to prevent spamming and fraud (good idea ).

We want to provide Facebook developers with a marketplace that is safe, efficient, and legitimate and allows them to find the best price for their application.

To sell an application, AppMrkt requires the app name, Facebook Application ID, Number of users, and creation date. If desired, sellers can also denote a reserve price and a Buy-It-Now (BIN) price similar to eBay. There is also an option to choose the length of the listing, although there are only three choices (3, 7, or 15 days).

For those looking to buy an application, AppMrkt provides a simple, uncluttered interface with a listing of the apps available. From the listing page, users can easily see the current bid, buy-it-now price, and number of users for each application.

What seems to be missing are categories for applications, or the ability to filter listings. This currently seems unnecessary, as there are only 3 application for sale, but this could be much more vital as more and more applications are listed for sale.

It is interesting to see a marketplace come out that is solely dedicated to Facebook applications. I guess it shows how much Facebook has grown since its days as a college-only network.

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