Craigslist is a great classified site, but one that has become increasingly unreliable over time. This Techspirited article lists some of the best alternatives to Craigslist in the market today.
Classified Data!
According to popular site Statistic Brain, on an average, around 40 million new classified ads are published on Craigslist every month.
Blasphemous as it may sound, you wouldn’t be too far off the mark if you called Craigslist the Bible of classifieds on the Internet. If you can buy/sell it, you’ll probably find it here. What’s most fascinating about the site is the fact that in the ever-changing online world where things change virtually overnight, Craigslist has more or less retained its simple understated look. Now, this may or may not be to everybody’s liking, but a few will argue with the fact that there are very few sites on the Internet that can quite stand up to the versatility and ease of use of this mighty site.
Having said that though, one would have to admit that over time, Craigslist isn’t quite as reliable as it used to be. Of late, a lot of spam and misleading adverts have popped up on the site. Although the site still draws tremendous traffic, its popularity has taken a hit, and it has become notorious for loads of spurious classifieds. Also, having a very large audience, or too many options also means that your advert would probably get lost in the crowd, or you need to scan through endless pages to find the perfect product/service.
If you are looking for sites that buy and sell stuff online, and want to steer clear of Craigslist, this article should really help. While these sites are, in essence, much like Craigslist, they offer features that make your online transaction a lot smoother and safer. Given below are some noteworthy Craigslist alternatives that you might want to consider.
Alternatives to Craigslist
eBay Classifieds
The online shopping giant, eBay’s classifieds site is probably one of the best alternatives to Craigslist. Formerly known as Kijiji, the site has an extensive category list that boasts of about 150,000 ad posts every month. It has a very easy-to-use interface that lets you scan through adverts, or post your own advert with just a few clicks. eBay Classifieds is a site that is perfect for businesses, but not so much for individuals as it lacks a personal ads section. Its mobile app too is rather useful and just as easy-to-use.
Website: eBay Classifieds
BackPage
This site has a very large user base, and has adverts from various countries. Adverts are further categorized according to regions, which makes it easy for you to locate adverts around your area, or you could choose to place an advert for a region where your product would sell better. These are further divided into various categories according to the product or service offered. Posting local ads is free, but you would need to pay for sponsored ads across multiple cities.
Website: BackPage
Oodle
Oodle is a site like no other, as it offers a platform that collates and displays adverts from similar websites. These include sites like eBay and even Facebook. The site’s personal ads section is particularly good and is very convenient to use. All adverts are displayed with thumbnails of the product or services offered, making it a lot easier to scan through. Oodle’s mobile app too is really good and intuitive.
Website: Oodle
Pawngo
Much like the name suggests, Pawngo is the perfect place to make a quick buck out of your used stuff. Offers are made according to the condition and resale value of the product. Once a deal is struck, Pawngo arranges for the product to be shipped to its warehouses. Once the goods are inspected and found to comply with the specifications on the advert, the money is wired to the seller. As your goods are pawned, you can always pay the amount and reclaim your stuff.
Website: Pawngo
Recycler
Recycler is one of the best places to sell or buy stuff online with minimum fuss. The site has a huge list of categories which give you easy access to classified ads with relevant images of the product. Its search option is extremely useful and helps you narrow down your search based on the category and location.
Website: Recycler
Adoos
Adoos seems to be inspired by Google, not just in the choice of colors for its logo, but also for its vast and well-organized database. The site claims to have more than 1.7 million adverts across various categories. This is probably one of the cleanest-looking classifieds site around, and it sorts out adverts in a very orderly manner. It even features tons of personal ad space. Posting an advert is extremely simple, and takes just a few minutes.
Website: Adoos
Hoobly
This is a rather minimalistic no-nonsense website which focuses on putting the information out there with no frills attached. While the homepage itself may seem a little cluttered, the search tool helps a great deal in finding what you’re looking for rather quickly. There are loads of categories, which are in turn classified into sub-categories so that you don’t need to scroll endlessly through non-relevant adverts. Posting an advert can be just a little time-consuming as you first need to register with your email address, although it is pretty much smooth sailing thereon.
Website: Hoobly
ClassifiedAds
The site has a fairly simple, yet appealing, layout with adverts listed under neatly stacked category lists. ClassifiedAds search is very refined, and lets you choose from a drop-down list of options about the product and the location so that you find your product without scanning through endless lists. Posting an advert too is simple and intuitive; a few clicks, some information, another click, and you’re good to go.
Website: ClassifiedAds
Locanto
Locanto is a very simple and visually-appealing classified site. The homepage is full of adverts listed according to location. Apart from this, you can also access tabs based on the type of product or service you’re looking for. The personal ads section is real good, but what really steals the show is the real-time advert notifications that pop up on the homepage. The search tool is also very effective, and lets you look for products or services in a particular area, and you can further specify how large an area you would like to cover in the search. Posting an advert is a very simple process, and a series of drop-down lists help you along the way. There’s also support for adverts from around the globe.
Website: Locanto
USFreeads
This website is great for businesses and offers a wide range of categories to advertise or choose from. USFreeads has been around since 1999 and has built up quite a reputation for itself. The site may lack all the bells and whistles of some newer sites, but it sure gets the job done. Posting an advert is rather simple, but you would need to register with the site before you do so.
Website: USFreeads
Classified sites are a great way to sell/buy stuff without too many hassles, and these websites match up to, and in many cases offer a better alternative to Craigslist. Take your pick then. Cheers.