Some Facebook users now allowed to see eBay listings in Marketplace
Meta on Wednesday announced some Facebook users will be able to view eBay listings on its Marketplace features just months after the European Commission slammed the social media company with a hefty anti-competition fine.
The test is slated to begin Wednesday for some Facebook users in Germany, France and the United States, who will be able to browse eBay listings directly on Facebook Marketplace and complete the transition on eBay.
Meta said the changes are poised to benefit users of both platforms.
"eBay sellers will gain exposure to Facebook's audience while people using Marketplace will be able to discover a broader array of listings from the eBay community," Meta wrote in a blog post Wednesday.
It comes nearly two months after European Union regulators hit Meta with a more than $840 million penalty for breaching anticompetitive rules involving Marketplace -- Facebook's online classified ads service.
The fine followed three years of legal proceedings in which EU antitrust regulators argued Meta illegally shut out competitors by making Marketplace an automatic part of Facebook for users.
Regulators alleged Meta also has an unfair advantage as Marketplace gives the social media firm access to data from other advertisers on Facebook and Instagram.
Meta on Wednesday maintained it does not agree with the European Commission's decision, stating it "provides no evidence of competitive harm to rivals or any harm to consumers."
The company said it will continue to appeal the decision while launching the tests as a potential solution to the issues raised by the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union.
The market quickly responded to the news, with shares of eBay jumping 8 percent on Wednesday, its highest level since November 2021, CNBC reported. eBay has faced challenges in competing with other e-commerce companies like Amazon, Walmart or Temu.
The Hill reached out to eBay and the European Commission for further comment.