I decided to research the main websites... Like Craigslist, US Free Ads, and eBay before choosing which would be the best place to sell my unwanted items. Key criteria was going to be ease and speed at which the items were sold, and of course how much I would get from the total sales. A quick visit to each of the sites had me acknowledging there was no simple answer when it comes to selling your unwanted items. Finding the website offering the best free advertising online was to be no walk in the park.
I commenced by categorizing all facets of the selling process, making a note of the strengths and weaknesses of each of the online advertising services I was to research. Here's a few notes on my findings.
Craigslist - Free Advertising Online
The Craigslist web site works in much the same way as an old fashioned classified ads portal, with the main big difference being that you are able to add images with your text, and buyers are able to browse advertisements in their own physical area (city and state) by category or simply by the date, making contact with the seller either online or by phone number, assuming one is provided. Sellers choose a city area, and category, create an ad (with or without photos) adding their phone number if they wish. The seller's email address is hidden from would be consumers. Contact with the seller is made through internal email. The seller thereby controls how they wish to be contacted by prospective buyers. The great thing about Craigslist is it's free, with no charges for seller or buyer. Shipping costs are rarely an issue as the web site works locally giving potential buyers the opportunity to visit, inspect and collect merchandise. A couple of down sides with Craigslist are firstly your advertisement is limited to one particular city area, and secondly, because of the open nature of the bulletin board, it has become a haven for spammers and con artists usually, so you need to be on your toes and never release any goods until you've been paid in cash.
US Free Ads - Free And Paid Online advertising Services
US Free Ads has been featuring free advertising online since 1999, and the web site offers both free and paid online advertising services to its 800, 000 members.
Right at the end of the day, I guess I was unable to discover which was the best free online advertising portal. My advice to anyone interested in cleaning out the garage, looking for a new job, buying a used car, selling your old bike, lining up a babysitter, or simply heating up to your kids' plea for a puppy, is to keep your options open. Use all three of these fine online advertising companies to full advantage, and I'm sure, like me, you'll be ecstatic with the results.
For Information: Free Advertising