"Gifting is just a natural extension of that behavior. It makes a lot of sense for us not to just say 'Happy Birthday' but to send a gift, not just say 'I love you' but send some flowers."
Current gifts cost $5 up to several hundred dollars for a Jambox stereo by Aliph Inc, said Linden, who joined the company in May. His previous start-up, Karma, was acquired by Facebook in a deal announced on the day of Facebook's high-profile IPO.
Facebook had experimented with a "virtual" gift-exchange feature years ago, but shut it down in 2010. The original gifts were no more than digital trinkets, cartoon images of flower bouquets, teddy bears and even women's underwear.
Linden said Facebook now aims to provide effortless shopping and shipping of real goods. Users are alerted when their packages are shipped and received, and every package comes with a customizable card stamped with a Facebook logo.
Recipients who do not like their gifts can discreetly swap colors or sizes for no charge.
"We think we can make an end-to-end way to buy a product that is very seamless," Linden said. "We take care in the photos, in the packaging, in everything."
The service will be initially available to a random group of U.S. users logging into Facebook through its website and an Android app. An iPhone app is still in development, Linden said.
(Reporting by Gerry Shih; Editing by Richard Chang)
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