eBay & Craigslist & Web 2.0 Leo on 06 Jul 2007 08:33 pm
eBay Launches Craigslist Killer?
There has been a lot of talk since eBay quietly launched it’s free classifieds site, Kijiji.com, here in the states last week. Some people think this will be a major blow to Craigslist for sure- but let us not jump to conclusions…
Craigslist revolutionized online classifieds and continues to be a major force- and for good reason. According to Craigslist.org’s “factsheet“, it boasts more than 12 million new classified ads each month and more than 5 billion page views per month, making Craigslist the #7 most popular English-language website. And I am sure these numbers will not dramatically change much anytime soon.
Though I do not see this affecting Craigslist much, I do think there is a place for Kijiji.com in the online classifieds market. Since, Craigslist’s simple layout is not only its best friend, but also its worst enemy. People are familiar with seeing bright attractive logos with eye catching layouts, so when they see a simple looking, text based website, they get pretty worried about its safety.
Therefore, a classified site with some color, powered by such a trusted company such as eBay will be sure to bring in those afraid of using Craigslist. Also, loyal Craigslist users will definetly benifit from all of this, because they will have more options for reaching the public.