While craigslist services offered, the e-commerce website, is still an option, there are plenty of other options for everything you want to buy or sell. There are safer & easier-to-navigate online alternatives to Craigslist for finding a job, a date, or a new roommate.
There are smartphone apps and e-commerce platforms dedicated to entire categories of items and services, whether you want to sell your car, buy new patio furniture, find a designer gown, or a new babysitter for your child. It can be difficult to the narrow down your options at first, but we’ve compiled a list of 10 Craiglist alternatives to help you buy, sell, and search for everything you need or desire, from a new home to new help.
Important Points to Remember
- While craigslist services offered is still one of the most popular online classifieds sites, there are a number of Craigslist alternatives.
- eBay has evolved from a auction to a selling model, and it now serves as a classified site with a classifieds section.
- Because of the high numbers of scammers on Craiglist, specialty housing sites such as Apartments.com, Zillow, and Trulia are often safer alternatives for finding a rental or a home to buy.
- With its Facebook Marketplace, Meta, formerly Facebook, has established itself as a major classifieds player.
Cons of Craigslist
Craigslist has a few noticeable flaws, despite its many advantages. For one thing, the site’s sheer vastness might be a hindrance to users. Sellers in prominent categories like real estate and automotive say that their advertising are relegated to the second page within 15 minutes of going live, having been displaced by dozens of more current ads from competitors. Scammers have long been attracted to Craigslist. Unscrupulous sellers frequently post deceptive ads that appear to be fantastic bargains, but their true goal is to extract and exploit financial information from naive and unwary buyers.
While craigslist services offered simplicity (you may search by town, city, state, and country) continues to be popular among users, the site does have several features that should be improved. Users can sort within categories based on price, distance, and other criteria, which is quite useful. Furthermore, the design of the interface template hasn’t altered much since its inception. The company released a basic app in 2019, but its no-frills appearance is very similar to that of the website.
1. Classifieds on eBay
In 2005, Kijiji, the world’s largest buy/sell site, opened a classifieds site in Canada under the name Kijiji. In 2007, the site was launched in the United States, and in 2010, it was renamed eBay Classifieds. 4 https://www.adevinta.com/press/regulatory-releases/adevinta-asa-ade-adevinta-completes-acquisition-of-ebay-classifieds-group-creating-the-worlds-leading-online-classifieds-group. 5 Users can still create Classified Ads, which are searchable ads that can be accessed from eBay’s home page. From trips to funerals, there are many categories to choose from.
Compared to craigslist services offered, this alternative offers purchasers with a number of benefits. To begin with, its sort feature is significantly more powerful and user-friendly. With a few clicks, a buyer can sort items within a category by price, distance, or how recently the post was made. Buyers save time by scrolling directly past advertising with worthless stock photographs or, worse, no photos at all, because thumbnail photos of the product accompany ad listings.
Notably, eBay Classifieds offers sellers a few advantages that Craigslist does not. In most categories, a craigslist services offered ad expires after seven days, though it usually becomes buried deep enough in the search results to become irrelevant much sooner. Ads on eBay Classifieds are only live for 30 days. 6 While an ad’s overall visibility declines with time, thanks to the site’s extensive sort and search tools, it continues to appear in more targeted queries long after it is posted. eBay is simple to use, and it includes useful seller and buyer information, such as ratings and positive comments, to help you avoid scams. 7
2. The Marketplace on Facebook
While Facebook is not officially a classified site, it has enabled many of its users to buy and sell things more quickly, conveniently, & securely than craigslist services offered. Facebook Marketplace and Facebook Buy & Sell Groups are the two options. A user can sell something on Facebook by posting a status update that includes a photo of the item, a brief description, and the price. The user can ask his friends to shares the post with their own social media networks. Even if only an few people do so, the post’s exposure can swiftly grow.
Because they are dealing with friends and, at worst, friends of friends, rather than strangers, many people prefer to sell on Facebook rather than Craigslist or other classified sites. Robberies and violence have been reported in the news as a result of botched Craigslist sales. 8 Using a social media site to sell an item adds an extra layer of security and peace of mind that most online classified sites lack.
3. Poshmark
Poshmark is a one-stop e-commerce shop for buying and selling secondhand clothing and accessories. You can sell or purchase items for your pets, children, men, women, and home. Consider it an online consignment shop with hundreds of designer items such as Nike, Calvin Klein, Coach, and Chanel.
Poshmark has more than 80 million members in the United States, Canada, and Australia, and over 200 million sale items.
Uploading a photograph with the item’s sale price to the app makes it easy to list your items for sale. You can have the all box picked up for free and drop it off at a USPS mailbox, and the company gives its sellers with a pre-addressed, free label to use when sending the merchandise to the buyer. Unlike craigslist services offered, you pay Poshmark a fee in the form of a flat commission ($2.95 for anything under $15) or 20% of the total sale price of an item over that amount. 10 Its end-to-end platform makes buying and selling a wide range of fashion and home-related products simple.
4. Apartments.com
If you’re looking for an apartment online, this site has a lot to offer, including a positive rental market reputation and a tool that allows you to search certain neighbourhoods or by keyword. There are millions of listings to choose from. The website includes a multitude of online tools for potential renters, from 3D interactive tours of apartments to market trends, surrounding schools, and other important information. At any given time, the site has 1.1 million apartments for rent and helps you to narrow down your search to just what you need, from a pet-friendly walk-up apartment to a luxury condominium.
14 Craiglist is still a key player in the rental business, and landlords and people looking for roommates can post their available apartment on the site. Still, Craigslist doesn’t always check posters well, and alternatives like Apartments.com may not be able to match in terms of tools (and, more importantly, peace of mind).
5. Indeed.com
Indeed.com is a full-fledged job-hunting website that lists practically every type of job, from freelance work to full-time positions. It’s a great alternative to craigslist services offered job ads. You can post your résumé and request to be connected with potential employers, and there is an accompanying app that allows you to job for jobs from your phone or laptop. Indeed has a variety of tools to help you in your job search, including company evaluations, an online career guide, and a salary search engine. 15
6. Match.com
As online dating became the norm, especially among millennials, the number of dating applications has exploded in the recent decade, from Bumble to Tinder (also owned by the Match Group). Match.com, on the other hand, was voted the top dating app for long-term partnerships by PC magazine in 2022. It is more expensives than some of the newer apps, with a monthly fee of $44.99 16 Despite this, it has remained popular since its inception in 1995, thanks in part to excellent user feedback. If you’re hoping for a long-term relationship rather than a quick hookup, the increased cost may be worth it
7. Zillow
On Zillow, you may buy, rent, or sell a home, as well as find useful tools and information for house seeking, finding a mortgage lender, real estate agent, or even an interior designer. Zillow’s browsing function allows you to search through various listings in your selected town, city, or state, sorted by price, lot size, number of rooms, and other criteria.
Some listings include a virtual 3D tour, and Zillow may help you find a real estate agent to show you the home. This alternative to craigslist services offered house hunting, which sometimes offers limited information, offers the professionalism, tools, and expert counsel required for such a major business transaction. Furthermore, the sheer number of houses, townhouses, and condominiums available on Zillow makes it a virtual heaven for home buyers.
Etsy.com is a terrific alternative to craigslist services offered for browsing and buying vintage and antique items without having to leave your home to go to a garage or yard sale that has been listed.
8. Carvana
Carvana provides an 360 degree view of cars online (all accident-free vehicles) and will transport your ride right to your home, making buying a used car online a bit of a gamble. You can purchase one of Carvana’s vehicles, trade in your car as a down payment, or pay cash for one. A seven-day try-before-you-buy period and a 100-day warranty are also available from the company. According to Carvana’s website, 80% of consumers pick Carvana to finance their purchase, although you can also utilise a third-party lender. 19 Carvana lets you filter their inventory by make and model, features, price, fuel efficiency (yes, they have electric cars), and other factors to help you search the best car for you.
You can also uses of Carvana to sell or trade your car by sharing information about it. After their app is approved, potential sellers will receive a firm offer, and a representative from the company will come to your home, inspect the car, and provide you a check or a trade-in car. 21. www.care.com
Care.com is a good alternative to craigslist services offered for finding a babysitter or child cares provider. Care.com was found in 2007 to provide a platform for carers and families needing help. Child care, geriatric care, special needs care, pet care, housework, and tutoring are all complete through Care.com, which offers background checks. Those in the caregiving professions can utilise care to find jobs and benefits, as well as tools to help them find coworkers in an online community. Families can use Care.com to search local caregivers by creating a basic (free) or premium (annual fee of $156) account. Etsy (number 22)
Etsy was hailed as an online community for makers, amateurs, and artists when it first opened its virtual doors in 2005.
23 Vintage and heirloom items found deals on Etsy as well. In the last 16 years, the site has grown into a large market. Etsy is a marketplace where you may buy and sell unique, handcrafted items such as home goods, toys, clothing, vintage craigslist services offered (items must be 20 years or older), and antiques, as well as original artwork and materials for your projects.
Scammers can be found anywhere, but they mostly operate online. Never pay for things in advance on sites like Facebook Marketplace, and never meet a seller anyplace you don’t feel comfortable, such as their home, or invite them into your home if you can help it.
Sellers can list their items for 20 cents each listing, with a transaction fee of 5% of the price plus shipping fees if they use the Etsy.com platform. The e-commerce site’s easy-to-navigate search options and check-out tools, such as Etsy’s Editors’ Picks, are available to customers. There are also specific categories such as Black-owned Etsy businesses, Gifts Under $30, and Etsy Weddings, and millions of entrepreneurs and customers use the marketplace worldwide. 25
Final Thoughts
Craigslist is an online marketplace competitor, but there are many more options for buying and selling products and services in 2021. Consignment shops and secondhand bookstores are also popular places to sell your items if you want to go beyond e-commerce.
Craiglist’s job boards may not be able to complete with LinkedIn and Indeed for job seekers, but gigs may be discovered online on sites like Fiverr and TaskRabbit without having to sift through Craiglist listings. Craiglist may have been the go-to for finding a rental or a home to buy in the mid-90s, but with Trulia, Apartment.com, Zillow, and other similar sites, finding a place to live via a dedicated site is far easier (and some might say safer) than Craiglist.
This vintage e-commerce experience may be more effective for finding local, used home items (think secondhand outdoor furniture or firewood) than for finding a new roommate, babysitter, or job.
Is There a Craigslist Personals Alternative?
Although Craigslist hasn’t published personal advertising since 2018, the online dating market is flooded with alternatives. Match.com, Bumble, and Tinder.com are three prominent dating sites where members can post a personal profile and tell others what they’re looking for, whether it’s a long-term relationship or a casual encounter.
What Has Taken the Place of Craigslist in the Dating World?
Although Craigslist’s personal advertising have not been replaced, there are a plethora of online dating applications and websites available, as discussed above. Some are free, while others charge a fee to post a profile.
Is Letgo a Better Alternative to Craigslist?
Letgo is a smartphone app that OfferUp purchased in 2020. It was absorbed by OfferUp and no longer exists as a standalone site or app. With over 90 million app downloads and millions of purchasers, this site claims to be the “biggest mobile marketplace in the United States.” 26 The business world OfferUp is a mobile app, not a website, like Craiglist.org, that allows sellers to establish profiles and use them to sell and buy items. Is it a better alternative to craigslist services offered? OfferUp is a powerful online marketplace with a user interface and experience that is more basic and modern than Craigslist. 27
Is Craigslist still used by people?
Absolutely. Craigslist can search you find used furniture, cars, rentals, and even jobs in your region. However, because there are so many Craiglist alternatives, it is no longer the one-stop shopping behemoth that it was when it first launched in 1995.
What’s the Deal With Craigslist’s $5 Fee?
In some categories, Craiglist posting is free. For instance, if you want to sell your grandmother’s porcelain, you can post it on craigslist services offered for free. It will cost you $5 to put an ad in Boston if you wish to rent your apartment. It could cost you anywhere from $3 to $75 if you’re posting job jobs. Craiglist usually only charges for advertising submitted by vehicle dealers or realtors in commercial real estate, as well as those posting short-term gigs and job opportunities. 28
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