Craigslist Review

I have used the internet to conduct hundreds of personal and business transactions and I have used most of the well- known retail web sites at least once. When I already know what I want and insist on something new, I generally turn to the retail store web sites where only new merchandise is offered. But when I'm in the mood for a little shopping adventure or have something specific in mind that isn't likely to be sold brand new, I will often turn to one of the auction sites or one of the classified sites. Ebay is the first place I go, but I have also been known to shop at Craigslist.com, a web service for finding just about anything for sale.

Web Site Commentary:

Craigslist.com is a web site that has slowly become a part of my household's weekly internet surfing routine. There was a time when we were strict Ebay loyalists when it came to searching and/or purchasing rare or used goods and we wouldn't consider any substitutes. But we slowly got to know Craigslist.com and have found it a nice alternative to the Ebay system thanks to its more localized nature and the wide range of goods and services offered.

If you have never logged into Craigslist.com before, you are in for quite a treat and I mean that in the most sarcastic way possible. Craigslist.com is U-G-L-Y from the start and offers nothing at all to grab one's attention. There is no design, no images, and no decorations of any kind. It is very much like opening up the classified ads in a local newspaper: lists and lists of things for sale and service offerings with only a few images and nothing to hold your attention. It reminds me of the way many web pages looked when the internet first started. Remember how bland and unexciting the web sites were when the internet was first launched? Because it was a new medium, there was very little in the way of web design and most web sites were nothing more than a plain white page with words. Craigslist.com, in terms of appearance, is like a throwback to those early internet days.

Craigslist.com offers products for sale and allows its users to post goods for sale. The greatest advantage with Craigslist.com is that there is no charge to post an advertisement. Adding electronic images doesn't carry any charge, either, and a person can add up to four. There is no way to add more than four images, however, and this could prove to be too restrictive to some users. Still, the fact that everything is free is probably the best reason to consider using Craigslist.com. There is also a large number of products and services offered for sale, and they range from ordinary merchandise to specific services like childcare and legal advice. Yet another positive aspect is the fact that members can remain anonymous and thus protect their identity, using a "shadow" e-mail account. Messages are accessible through the Craigslist.com only and they do not indicate a person's true e-mail address.  

As for the cons, there are a few and the greatest among them is the potential for fraud. Quite simply, Craigslist.com is a scam artists' paradise. Anyone can go into Craigslist.com and post anything they want, virtually without restriction and without verification. It is common to find ads like "Work from home for $100 per day", or "Take Surveys and make thousands of dollars". Some of these ask for money up front, and that means there is a good chance they are total scams. Craigslist.com tries to keep things like this under control, but the sheer size of the Craigslist.com operation makes this task next to impossible. This is why you have to be very careful when you logon to Craigslist.com and decide to pursue certain services and offers. The general rule of thumb that says "if it's too good to be true, it probably is" certainly holds true for this web site. It also needs improvements to its search function. There are very few ways to customize your search at Craigslist.com.

Bottom Line Viewpoint:

Overall, I cannot say that Craigslist.com is a great web service and it is certainly lacking in many areas when compared to a used goods site like Ebay. But it is still a very useful site and it has come in very handy for me and my family. We have used Craigslist.com to sell baby products and other odd household goods and we have used it to lookup different local services, like babysitters. The site is very unattractive and sports a horrendous search mechanism. But I still like the fact that I can use Craigslist.com to find goods and services in my local area, then meet with the seller and exchange the goods, often in less than an hour after posting. It all adds up to a good web site and a decent alternative to Ebay.