Mark Cuban Brings Classified Ads to Facebook

He’s a better businessman and technology leader then dancer. That’s an assessment that we think even Mark Cuban would agree with. With Dancing With the Stars behind him, the online entrepreneur has launched his latest project: Radical Buy, a Facebook application that allows users to buy and sell items. While hardly a “radical” concept, herein lies the twist. Sellers give the folks who help their item sell a piece of the action. Simply put, let’s say Maris is selling a Vintage Fender Strat guitar. If Andrew posts the listing on his profile, and the item sells, Andrew will get a percentage from Maris.

Selling prices and commissions are clearly indicated on Radical Buy, giving people the potential to make some serious money. With a popular profile and the right choice of products, Facebook users now have an additional passive revenue stream. The more you promote, the more you stand to earn.

What makes classified ads a nice add-on to Facebook is that both the buyer and seller know a lot more about each other. Sites like Craigslist and Lijit are effective, but the layer of anonymity can be frightening at times. Of course, should a Radical Idea buy go bad, you have a better chance of a malcontent buyer/seller showing up at your door. And that’s kinda scary in its own right.

Join Baratunde Thurston (left), The Onion’s Director of Digital and author of How to Be Black, for an entertaining look at creative social media campaigns in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. Other speakers include Morin Oluwole (Facebook), Tim Devane (bitly), and SocialTimes' writer Devon Glenn.   Register now.