Since its 1995 inception as a emailing list distributed among friends in San Francisco, Craigslist has evolved into a popular classifieds site where you can buy, rent, or apply for almost anything. However, the site is a little outdated when it comes to visual design and search functionality.
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For years, Craigslist has been the premiere website for scoring a free sofa and finding an available apartment, however, there are now plenty of other free services that do an equally fine job, but with a more attractive interface and fewer spam postings. They may not offer the sheer number of listings or familiarity of Craigslist, but they do provide a new audience and additional options not offered elsewhere, whether you’re merely looking for a short-term loan or to post your ad both online and in print circulation. Here are our top picks for the seven best Craigslist alternatives for online classifieds.
Close5
Part of eBay’s Classifieds Group, Close5 is becoming one of Craigslist’s largest competitors. Like Craigslist, Close5 covers most categories: selling, renting, job opportunities, and community events. Not included under this umbrella are personal ads, so you’ll need to head somewhere else to find your Missed Connection or potential love interest. Using Close5 might be an even better option than Craigslist, thanks to the user-friendly interface. You can sort items by price and view them in photo thumbnails, which is far more helpful than having to read all the Craigslist headlines and hoping the image attached is not some boring stock photo.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace has been around for years, however, the company relaunched the feature in late 2016. You’ll need to have a Facebook profile to get started. This allows buyers and sellers to interact in the Marketplace via their Facebook profile, adding a name (and often a face) to a listing unlike the anonymous Craigslist format. Marketplace is also available via the Facebook app. Simply set your filter options and search your local Marketplace up to 100 miles from your current location. Individuals already spend nearly an hour each day on Facebook, and Marketplace only makes impulse buys that much more tempting.
Oodle
Not only does Oodle act as its own classified ad service, but it also aggregates posts from eBay, ForRent.com, and other competitors to make your search experience more comprehensive. Oodle has also been a service of choice for many companies in the past who used to offer classified sections, such as Aol and The Washington Post Express. You can narrow your search by applying as many filters as you want. And yes, Oodle offer a personals section.
One thing Oodle has over Close5 is the ability to post if you’re a seeker – meaning if you’re looking to buy, rent, or procure certain services. It also boasts compatibility with social media sites, so you can link your Oodle account with your Facebook page and post status updates on the front page asking about services or specific items for sale. Moreover, connecting through Facebook attaches your face and name to an Oodle post, adding an element of trust and security not often found through Craigslist.
Letgo
Letgo is one of the most user-friendly classifieds websites we’ve seen, and the mobile app — available for both Android and iPhone — is similarly straightforward and easy to use. Unlike some of the other options out there, you do unfortunately need to create an account to use Letgo. Once you’re signed up, you can simply snap a photo of the item(s) you’re trying to sell and set a price (or utilize the “negotiable” option). You can similarly shop for items available on the site or app with the basic search tool and filtering options. The company recently announced it had raised more than $ 175 million to bolster its presence, so expect to see Letgo gain ground on Craigslist in the next few years.
Recycler
Recycler does exactly what its name suggests: help buyers and sellers swap items, using the site as the medium of communication. While you can also post home rentals, it seems more popular among sellers looking to get rid of used items. Recycler offers listings in most major cities in the United States – such as Atlanta, Boston, and Miami – but the site is rather useless if you’re not willing to trek to the nearest listed metropolis. Developers initially founded the site on the idea of exchanging goods and services instead of money, and although that component is still a major hallmark of the service, it’s expanded to include money offerings as the primary model for exchange. Additionally, Recycler pairs with a network of print publications dispersed throughout the country, allowing you to place the same ad online as in print circulation. This list of available publications is fairly limited, but ad exposure is still ad exposure.
Hoobly
Back on the minimalist front, Hoobly is a basic classified ads site that is helpful for those who want just snippets of photos to accommodate their search. The site can scour its listings from around the world or country-specific, and shows you each headline with a small excerpt to give you an idea of what the ad entails. Unlike Craigslist, Hoobly users need to register their email addresses before posting, rather than simply responding to a verification email prior to publishing. This could, however, help with cutting out the spam. The site doesn’t have a section for personals like Craigslist, but it does include job listings and property rentals, in addition to a swath of popular sale categories that range from electronics to jewelry. Though finding jobs and products in your particular city can be difficult — the site can only filter results down to U.S. states with available listings — the service is more than suitable for finding specific items and opening doors outside your region, or even the world.
OfferUp
Like Letgo, OfferUp is relatively new and has a helpful app available for both Android and iPhone. One of our favorite features is the haggle option, allowing you to negotiate a lower price with a seller. You can also keep an eye on specific items with the convenient “watch” feature. If an item hasn’t sold in a few days, you might feel more comfortable asking someone to lower the price. OfferUp also allows users to rate one another using a basic five-star system, enabling individuals to buy and sell more confidently.
This article was originally written by Emily Schiola on April 17, 2014. It was updated on April 10, 2017 by Dallon Adams to include Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, Letgo, and Close5.
