If you enjoy buying and selling old stuff locally, the first place you should go is to an online service like Craigslist. Sellers on Craigslist have a lot to choose from. Craigslist is completely free to use for both listing and selling items.
Users can collect their money and get rid of their things swiftly because most transactions are nearby. If you don’t want to use Craigslist for whatever reason, or if you want other classified websites to pick from, here are some terrific Craigslist alternatives.
These services enable users to sell, purchase, and trade online. Continue reading if you want to make a change in your online selling experience.
In the realm of online marketplaces, Craigslist holds a legendary status. It’s a platform that has served millions of users over the years, connecting buyers and sellers, renters and landlords, and job seekers with employers.
Read Also:
But what is Craigslist, and does it still work in the modern age of e-commerce? This article aims to answer these questions and provide valuable insights into the history, benefits, safety, and pricing of Craigslist.
What is Craigslist?
Craigslist is an online classified advertisement website that was founded in 1995 by Craig Newmark. It began as an email list service for friends in the San Francisco Bay Area, primarily focusing on local events and announcements.
Since then, it has evolved into a massive online platform with local websites for cities and regions worldwide.
15 Best Craigslist Substitutes
If you’re looking for websites that are comparable to Craigslist, you’ve come to the correct spot. There are a number of Craigslist alternatives to explore. Here is a list of the finest Craigslist substitutes.
Look over all of the information on these websites. We are confident that one of the websites listed below will provide you with a superior option to sell items online.
1. Facebook
The majority of individuals use Facebook to connect with friends and view their most recent status updates, as well as watching viral videos. The majority of people are unaware that Facebook can also be used to buy and sell locally.
Because practically everyone has a Facebook account, “for sale” listings are going to be plentiful. In fact, the sheer volume of things available for purchase on this platform may astonish you.
If you are unable to sell something on Craigslist as soon as you would want, consider selling it on Facebook. To identify local selling clubs, simply type the name of their local city and online yard sale into Google.
Another option is to simply click on the “Buy and Sell Groups” button in the Explore menu. Users can also go to their Facebook page’s left sidebar and click on the Marketplace option.
If a user is seeking a specific product to buy, they can search within the group for specific keywords. If the user does not specify any search parameters, the output will be similar to a standard Facebook news feed. They’ll be displayed in the order in which they were submitted.
Before putting anything for sale, it is recommended that you read the group’s guidelines. In comparison to others, some of the groupings are more restrictive. Similar to Craigslist, users cannot sell firearms through any Facebook Yard Sale groups. It is completely free to sell items on Facebook.
2. Let it go
You must have seen the Letgo television commercials with the literal “cliffhanger” a year or two ago. Letgo is the most popular Craigslist replacement, aside from Facebook. In fact, when it comes to grouping product listings, Letgo outperforms Facebook.
Users can look for items in general categories or specific keywords, such as Accessories and Fashion. In some ways, this tool makes searching for things on Letgo easier. Furthermore, the Letgo website is more appealing in contrast.
Users will see photographs of recently listed for sale items as soon as they enter the website’s home page. When users click on a product listing, they can easily see the additional sale items from the same seller.
Furthermore, compared to Craigslist, Letgo is a lot safer. To create a Letgo profile, users must first verify their Facebook or Google accounts. Whereas Craigslist’s platform is very clean and basic, Letgo allows its sellers to be much more comprehensive.
Letgo, for example, allows users to upload videos in addition to images. Finally, Letgo is quite practical. While interacting with a possible vendor or buyer, users communicate through their application.
As a result, your email address and phone number aren’t required This feature makes it easier for some sellers and buyers to feel safe and secure when dealing with strangers.
3. Swappa
Swappa allows users to sell and buy a variety of electronic devices, such as cameras, video games, cell phones, tablets, watches, and more. Swappa also assists its users in the sale and purchase of smart home products such as streaming devices, voice assistants, and thermostats.
The best feature is that users don’t have to pay anything to sell items on Swappa as a vendor. Although purchasers are required to pay a modest fee to purchase on Swappa, this helps with the sales process and ensures that everything runs smoothly.
This cost, on the other hand, is fully refundable if the buyer is dissatisfied with the product after receiving it.
4. Recycler
If you live in a large city in the United States, Recycler can be a terrific Craigslist alternative for you. It began as a local classified newspaper in Southern California. Recycler became a national marketplace in 2010, and it now has 18 million monthly users.
People can use Recycler to discover places to rent, sell or purchase pets, use automobiles, and a lot more just like Craigslist. When selling on Recycler, users can very easily post their listings to Twitter as well as Facebook.
Users can also use some help from paid ads to improve their exposure on Recycler in order to target specific markets or consumers.
5. Offerup
As far as the alternatives of Craigslist are concerned, this particular alternative is relatively small. But, Offerup still has a wide range of product listings. It has become quite popular in recent years with around 23 million app downloads.
Offerup was also honored with the App of the Year award by Geekwire. Visitors and sellers can also broadcast their listings on Facebook.
Both sellers and buyers receive ratings on offerup. This helps in making the sales process more secure and keeping the scammers to a minimum.
The platform allows its users to make their own offer or accept the seller’s listed price in order to live up to its namesake. Moreover, users can also add listings to their watch list in case they are not ready to purchase it at once.
6. Oodle
This Craigslist has a slightly different way of helping its users sell or buy locally. With other websites, users can only see the listings which sellers physically posted on that particular marketplace.
However, with Oodle, some of the listings are posted directly on the platform. But they also comb the other alternatives on Craigslist to expand their listings.
For example, users might see cars listed on Cars.com along with the vehicles sold by an actual Oodle member. Oodle has also proved to be a great way of selling or buying antiques as they also list products from eBay for the sake of local pickup.
Moreover, it also allows its sellers to advertise listings through Facebook too. Oodle has a massive array of categories including personals, pets, and services.
7. Bookoo
Bookoo was started as a family-friendly alternative to Craigslist. Users can advertise a yard sale or list items in order to sell one at a time. There are various Bookoo locations situated all over the country. Most of the locations are in towns with military bases.
This made it easy for the military personnel to sell and buy their belongings according to their most recent move. In order to help become even more personal, it has made its sellers create a profile that includes a picture and a short bio.
In addition to that, the profile also lists the items users have listed previously. Although this website is kind of small in comparison to the others with 2,355,912 current members. But it certainly is an easy place for selling and buying.
Bookoo also has live chat support along with a social media feel which is also quite family-friendly.
8. Geebo
Geebo was founded in the year 1999. It allows its users to sell or buy merchandise, vehicles, services, real estate, and heavy equipment in 160 communities. If you live in some major city like Chicago or Los Angeles, we really think that you should give Geebo a chance.
It could also be a great choice if you are a resident in some mid-major cities like Tulsa, Virginia Beach, or Cincinnati. Geebo offers its users “Safe Trade” transactions in order to make selling and buying more secure as compared to other online classified websites.
A “Safe Trade” occurs if sellers and buyers agree to meet at the local police department. In case you feel hesitant in trying Craigslist because meeting at a random public parking lot makes you feel unsafe, Geebo can be the best Craigslist alternative for you.
9. Hoobly
In comparison to all the Craigslist alternatives on our list, Hoobly is the almost identical look and feel Craigslist alternative. Users can look for literally anything on this website. Moreover, the product listings are in Europe and Canada.
Users might have their most success with this site by buying or selling pets as there are a lot of listings for this particular category in comparison to other merchandise categories listed. In addition, it’s absolutely free of cost to shop and post on Hoobly.
10. PennySaver USA
Back in the day, you may have picked up the free PennySaver newspaper from a newspaper stand at the grocery store or at the street corner. Surprisingly enough, PennySaver has moved on to become a website now.
Users can find all sorts of local deals by simply entering their zip codes. Although they still publish their printed editions as well. Users can publish their paid ads on PennySaver too. It is just like the classified section in the local newspapers.
11. Ads Globe
It is an online newspaper classified advertisement service. Using Ads Global, people can post countless ads for almost any category including autos, rentals, merchandise, travel, real estate, and pets.
This Craigslist alternative also allows its users to advertise their business events or services.
12. ClassifiedAds.com
This website is completely free to use, and users can sell or buy almost anything they want. ClassifiedAds.com has a very decent layout and is reminiscent of classified ads that one would see in newspapers except with pictures uploaded.
Just like the other Craigslist alternatives, users will have the most success utilizing this website if they live in any large metropolis. Although, the site also has boards for a lot of smaller regions across each state too.
13. US Free Ads
This website has been in the business since the year 1999. US Free Ads has a quite basic layout which is reminiscent of circa-2000 sites.
Unlike the other websites on our list that allows their users to post unlimited posts for selling, a free US Free Ads membership enables, users, to only list 2 products at one time.
As a result, if you’re a frequent seller and want more selling options on US Free Ads, you’ll need to upgrade. The US Free Ads Golden membership costs $10 per year and allows you to post up to 25 ads at once.
If the Golden membership isn’t enough for you, you may upgrade to the Premium membership, which costs $9.99 per month and gives you access to unlimited advertisements.
To purchase items on US Free Ads, however, all you need is a free membership. Horses, horses, and dogs, according to US Free Ads, are the most popular listings on their website.
14. Locanto
This service offers online classifieds in over six different countries. A Locanto board can be found in almost every major city in the United States. This website accepts paid advertisements from national retailers, therefore not all of the listings will be local.
Users that live in Miami, New York, or Los Angeles will have the best odds with this website, as these locations are the featured boards of Locanto. There are no fees for posting advertisements on a city bulletin board.
Users can, however, pay extra to have the adverts extended to further cities. They can also pay to have third-party advertisements removed from their listing. Users can also pay an additional price to have their ad appear at the top of the purchasers’ search results.
15. Classifieds from USA Today
One of the most widely circulated newspapers is USA Today. It excels at presenting breaking news in an easily accessible style. For both the online and print editions of USA Today, there is a classified section.
Because the listing will cost you money to publish, this option is only appropriate if you have a high-ticket item to sell. However, in exchange, you will be exposed to a large number of potential buyers.
There Are Alternatives
For a variety of reasons, Craigslist is not for everyone. Because of security concerns or because the merchants’ things aren’t selling there, it may be a no-go.
Fortunately, there are numerous Craigslist alternatives that can assist you in selling your items and earning money.
Some of these Craigslist alternatives are better suited for you than others depending on where you reside. However, only time and experience will teach you how to create the best websites for you.
Give one of these websites a try the next time you want to sell something online, and we guarantee you’ll be amazed by the results. Thank you for taking the time to read this!
Is Craigslist Still Active?
Yes, Craigslist is still very much active. In fact, it remains one of the most popular classified ad platforms on the internet.
Despite the proliferation of new online marketplaces and social media platforms, Craigslist maintains its relevance, particularly for local transactions. Users continue to post listings for jobs, housing, goods, and services, attesting to its continued effectiveness.
The Founder of Craigslist
The platform’s namesake, Craig Newmark, founded Craigslist in 1995. His vision was to create a simple, user-friendly platform that could facilitate local interactions and connections.
While Craigslist has gone through many changes and growth, Newmark’s commitment to keeping the platform community-oriented and mostly free has remained intact.
Benefits of Using Craigslist
- Local Connections: Craigslist excels at connecting people within their local communities, making it a valuable resource for finding jobs, housing, services, and products nearby.
- Variety of Categories: The platform offers a diverse range of categories, from job listings and housing rentals to for-sale items, services, and community events.
- Free Listings: Craigslist is widely appreciated for its free listings in most categories, which allows individuals and small businesses to advertise without incurring any costs.
- Large User Base: The extensive user base means that there is a high likelihood of finding what you’re looking for or reaching a broad audience for your offerings.
- Anonymity: Users can maintain their privacy by communicating through Craigslist’s email relay system, ensuring that personal contact information remains confidential.
- Quick Transactions: Craigslist fosters quick and convenient transactions due to its local focus, allowing for in-person meetings and cash transactions.
Is Craigslist Safe?
Craigslist’s safety is a point of concern for many users. While Craigslist offers anonymity, which can be a double-edged sword, it’s important to be cautious when using the platform. Here are some safety tips:
- Meet in Public: Whenever possible, meet with buyers or sellers in public places for transactions.
- Trust Your Instincts: If something feels off or too good to be true, it probably is. Be cautious and don’t proceed with a deal if it doesn’t feel right.
- Use the Email Relay: Communicate through Craigslist’s email relay system to keep personal contact information confidential.
- Beware of Scams: Watch out for scams, including fake listings, fraudulent checks, and phishing emails. If it seems suspicious, it probably is.
- Avoid Shipping: Whenever possible, avoid transactions that require shipping items without a face-to-face meeting.
Is Craigslist Free?
Craigslist is mostly free for users posting in various categories, such as job postings, housing listings, and personal ads. However, there are exceptions.
In some categories, like job listings in specific regions or apartment rentals in certain cities, there may be nominal fees. Additionally, some users may choose to feature their listings for a fee to gain more visibility.
Read Also:
In conclusion
Craigslist is not only still active but remains a powerful tool for connecting people within local communities. Its founder, Craig Newmark, envisioned a platform that is simple, affordable, and community-focused, and that vision persists today.
While the platform offers a wide range of benefits, users must exercise caution to ensure their safety when using Craigslist. Overall, Craigslist continues to be a reliable and cost-effective platform for various online transactions.