August 27th, 2007
"Appmrkt" wants to be the eBay for Facebook apps
Facebook apps are all the rage these days, with existing web services rolling Facebook versions of their offerings, as well as developers creating dedicated Facebook-only applications. And already a number of the latter have gone onto be acquired by larger startups, either for the application’s functionality, number of users, or the developers own talents in which they’re then put to work on bigger and better Facebook efforts on behalf of the company who bought them. It therefore should be of no surprise to see a site launch that offers a dedicated marketplace for these buyers and sellers. Think of “Appmrkt” as wanting to be the Ebay for Facebook apps.
“Appmrkt” uses the same Proxy bidding used on eBay, in which the winning bidder pays the price of the second-highest bid plus a defined increment. Additionally, sellers can list a “Buy it Now” (BIN) price, which if met, ends the auction immediately, as well as set a reserve price. Currently the site only lists five apps up for action, with BIN prices ranging from $1,000 to $20,000. The highest bid so far is for $5. However, as the site seems to have only just launched, the lack of activity to-date isn’t surprising.
Will it take off?
Despite competition from eBay itself, along with other sites dedicated to the sale of web apps, I still think there is room for one dedicated solely to Facebook apps, in the short term at least. Why not try to fill a need created by the crazy Facebook bubble that currently exists? (OK, maybe not a bubble, but this wave of hype and press coverage won’t last forever). I also like the way “Appmrkt” itself is a kind if mashup by making use of two third-party web services: RapLeaf for seller (and presumably bidder) reputations, and Adonomics (formerly Appoholic) to keep track of the number of current users for each Facebook app that is being auctioned. As mentioned earlier, one reason to buy a Facebook app is for its users.
Note: observant readers will have noticed that one Facebook app for sale is “Favorite Books” developed by Jawad Shuaib, which he wrote about in a guest post here on The Social Web titled ‘Monetizing Facebook applications‘.
Steve O'Hear is a London-based consultant, educator, and journalist, focussing on the Internet and all aspects of digital technology. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
