Craigslist is an online classified advertisement website. It includes listings for everything from motorcycles, apartments, furniture, jobs, and dating. Craigslist was founded in 1996 by Craig Newmark to help community members with their local activities. Since then, the company has grown into a popular resource for job seekers, buyers, and sellers.
Craigslist is now one of the biggest websites in America, with approximately 80 million users. Users can find almost anything on Craigslist they are seeking. Some of the most popular Craigslist categories include automobiles, housing, musical instruments, pets, and household items. The company currently operates in over 80 countries worldwide.
Craigslist generated revenues of over $1 billion in 2018. However, experts believe this number to have decreased over then. The company generates revenues from various markets. Despite this, its owners don’t consider it a profit-making entity. Craigslist focuses on facilitating online transactions and providing the best service to its users.
Craigslist has an e-commerce business model. This model creates competition for companies. Usually, the barriers to entry for the online market are lower than others. Despite Craigslist’s success, the company has attracted significant competition. Some of the company’s top competitors and alternatives include the following.
1. Trovit
Trovit was founded in 2005 to create an efficient, reliable, and user-friendly online classifieds website. Since then, it has quickly established itself as a market leader in the online classifieds market. It is a website where buyers and sellers can post their free classified ads. It includes categories such as jobs, cars, real estate, and other types.
Trovit also provides a premium ad service, for which users have to pay to appear in their search results. In 2006, the Spanish version of Trovit got launched with a small team of fewer than 20 employees. In 2008, the company established its first foreign market in Colombia. Today, Trovit is active in over 50 countries and has experienced significant growth in the past few years.
2. Gumtree
Gumtree was founded in 2000 by Michael Pennington, an entrepreneur from Cambridge. The company is a popular classifieds website in the UK and Australia that focuses on selling household items. These may include furniture and appliances, such as washing machines and video game consoles. However, it also covers other categories such as cars, pets, jobs, and real estate.
Gumtree’s primary focus is buying and selling second-hand goods as well as jobs and properties. Recently, the company also launched mobile apps for iOS and Android to make searching easier. It is not strictly local because anyone can post ads regardless of where they live. However, locals mostly use the UK site.
3. OfferUp
OfferUp is a mobile app for iOS and Android that lets users buy and sell locally using their phones. It was launched in 2014 and is currently available in the United States, Canada and Australia. OfferUp is an excellent alternative to Craigslist for people looking to buy or sell almost anything. Recently, it merged with the online marketplace LetGo.
OfferUp boasts millions of unique monthly visits and tens of thousands of new posts every day. Users can find quality offload used items, such as furniture, electronic equipment, or cars. Additionally, OfferUp provides discounts on apparel, accessories, and toys, making it an excellent choice.
4. Oodle Marketplace
Starting in 2003 as part of Freewebspace.com, Oodle began to serve as an alternative to CraigsList after 2009. Oodle powers eBay classifieds for several countries worldwide, including Canada, the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and many more. Oodle Marketplace lists public free ads from many categories, including cars, pets, jobs, houses for sale or rent, personals, etc.
The company offers a variety of categories that are hard to find on other websites, such as office space and event tickets. It has a simple process of registrations which is hassle-free. Anyone can sign up by registering their accounts, and they are ready to upload listings. Users can also use their Facebook accounts to join up for Oodle.
5. Poshmark
Poshmark is a website that enables users to sell used fashion items. It was founded in 2011 by Manish Chandra and was initially known as JustFabulous.com before changing its name to Poshmark in 2013. In August 2018, Poshmark was acquired by retailer Walmart. When it comes to specialization, Poshmark provides a substantial alternative to Craigslist.
Poshmark is a social shopping platform that enables users to buy and sell fashion items like clothing, shoes, accessories, bags, beauty products, and home decor. Poshmark boasts a community of over 70 million people in the United States, Canada, and Australia. A free app available on Android and iOS devices makes it possible to buy and sell items on the go.
6. eBay Classifieds
In Canada, Kijiji was the name given to eBay Classifieds, and it got renamed to eBay Classifieds. The platform operates under eBay, a well-known online marketplace. Later, it launched in the United States in 2007. eBay classified is a place to offer items for sale, whether new or used. It is now Canada’s most popular classified website, and it fuels eBay’s local classified business.
Many of the ads are free and open to everyone. However, some categories require a fee, which varies from $0.99 to several dollars per ad. Users can find toys, sporting goods, technological equipment, books, and more sold on the website every day. The website serves several countries besides Canada and US, like Argentina, Germany, Italy, and New Zealand, to name a few.
7. LetGo
As the market leader in mobile classifieds, LetGo connects people with locally-available products and services – anytime, anywhere. LetGo is an app that lets users buy and sell items locally. The app makes selling stuff as easy as snapping a photo, and within minutes, users can see offers from potential buyers. Recently, it has merged with OfferUp.
LetGo allows users to set their prices and avoid paying transaction fees on anything they sell on the platform. Its mission is to create a better world by empowering consumers through local offers. Since 2015, the LetGo app has been used by tens of millions of people in more than 50 countries.
8. ClassifiedAds.com
ClassifiedAds.com is another top competitor and alternative to Craigslist. On the site, users can post classified ads to sell or purchase anything from the global market. ClassifiedAds.com makes it very easy with a straightforward process. Users may buy or sell almost anything on this site, and it’s completely free to use.
ClassifiedAds.com has a section where users must enter information about their item for sale. After that, they must upload an image of that particular item or provide a link. It is great because it allows people to see the product before they even click on it. Additionally, the site’s layout is attractive and friendly to use.
9. Mercari
Mercari is a Japanese startup company invented to make selling and buying second-hand items easier. It was founded in 2012 by two 23-year-old entrepreneurs, Shintaro Yamada and Koichiro Kawashima. It is a free app that allows people to buy and sell used stuff quickly, hassle-free. However, it does not pose a significant threat to Craigslist in size and number of users.
Mercari’s products are designed for busy professionals with little time to shop or spend hours selling on Craigslist. It is also different from other resale apps because it does not require extra fees for using its service. Unlike Craigslist, which charges both the buyer and the seller a fee of up to 10%, Mercari’s listings are free. Users can sell almost anything—from clothing to electronics to furniture on Mercari for free.
10. Facebook Marketplace
Many Facebook users may now purchase and sell items faster, more conveniently, and securely. The one thing that differentiates Facebook Marketplace from Craigslist is the ability for people to message through Messenger. It means users don’t need to search through old emails or hunt them down when doing multiple transactions with the same person.
Users can sell something on Facebook by posting a status update that includes a photo of the item, a brief description, and the price. This status connects to a user’s profile, which others can use to message the seller. The user can also ask friends to share the post within their circle. Even if only a few people do so, the post’s exposure can swiftly grow.
Conclusion
Craigslist is a great resource for people looking to buy and sell goods. It was one of the first online classified platforms to achieve fame globally. However, as the internet has grown, the company has attracted many competitors. Some new entrants have also focused on specialized products to tackle Craigslist’s products. Some of the top Craigslist competitors and alternatives are available above.
