Where to Sell: Craigslist

As I shared the last time I wrote one of these blog posts, as an online retailer, it’s nice to have as many markets as possible to list your products in. In late-April, I told you about Amazon.com. Today I’m going to focus on Craigslist:

Founded in 1995 by Craig Newmark, Craigslist is a cross between a virtual community center and online garage sale. Originally intended for just the San Francisco Bay Area, Craigslist has 700 unique Craigslist sites in 70 countries around the world. More than 50 million people use Craigslist in the United States alone.

Although Craigslist is very much a social site, with a personals section, discussion forums, help wanted ads, and more, it is perhaps best known for its free classified ads section. Craigslist users self-publish about 50 million new classified ads each month, and collectively, all of the site’s associated locations deliver more than 20 billion page view per month.

Classified ads are generally very short and simple—text only. Although HTML is allowed, it is somewhat rare. That should tell you something about the community that frequents Craigslist. If your ad looks too “slick,” buyers tend to shy away.

Pros

• Completely free to list (with the exception of job postings, therapeutic services, and posts in adult services, in the U.S.)
• Local market – great for selling items that are difficult to ship
• Access to a large and loyal group of potential buyers
• Ads with HTML are allowed
• Targets “buyers” rather than “shoppers”. (Buyers are customers who are shopping for one particular thing in mind, shoppers are looking for a good deal or browsing for something that strikes their attention)

Cons

• Craigslist is divided by region, so most buyers browse only their local listings
• It is difficult to reach markets outside your local region (duplicate posts in multiple regions are not allowed)
• Occasional scammers cause some reluctance from buyers

Doba Friendliness

Currently, no method is available to push Doba products directly to Craigslist. However, you are free to list any product from the Doba product catalog in the Craigslist marketplace manually.

Fees

Posting an ad is free in most regions. More information about paid advertising can be found at: http://www.craigslist.org/about/help/posting_fees. For more answers to popular questions, visit the Craigslist Help Page.

Features

• Target markets regionally
• Highly social community with discussion forums, personals, and more
• Simple design and layout is far less intimidating and easier to use than most marketplaces, such as eBay and Amazon.com