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(Wall Street Journal)   Why Craigslist is happy to be a trailing-edge technology company that underperforms by more than 90 percent   (opinionjournal.com) divider line
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2823 clicks; posted to Fandom » on 17 Jun 2006 at 7:53 PM (16 years ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook



22 Comments     (+0 »)
 
Nerdlinger
2006-06-17 5:30:14 PM  
I know I've said it before, but I just don't understand why anybody uses craigslist for anything. Ugly, useless waste of time and electrons.
 
DJanomaly
2006-06-17 5:35:52 PM  
I bought a futon off of Craigslist for $10....the guy just didn't need it anymore

and I bought a charcoal BBQ for $10 too.....that guy was moving.


Who cares if Craigslist ugly?.....they were TEN BUCKS, MAN!!!

Do you think they would be selling them for that price if they were charged a fee?.....HELLS NO!
 
dpryan
2006-06-17 5:41:53 PM  
Nerdlinger:
It's because it's quick and easy to use. There's also the fact that in many places (like here in San Francisco) almost all real-estate and job listings are placed via Craigslist. As for looks, people don't care if it's not all "Pink Ponies" if they can use it easily and get results (which is certainly the case).

/Lives about a block from Craigslist
//Runs something similar and equally as ugly at UChicago
 
aerojockey [TotalFark]
2006-06-17 7:38:17 PM  
Nerdlinger

I know I've said it before, but I just don't understand why anybody uses craigslist for anything. Ugly, useless waste of time and electrons.

Right. Everyone should stick to the much more aesthetically pleasing and useful newspaper classified ads.
 
pjabbott
2006-06-17 7:52:08 PM  
If I want to get rid of something, I post it on craigslist. I usually get responses in less than 30 minutes and someone comes by, cash in hand, the same day. Compare that to eBay, where you need to wait 3-7 days for the auction to close, have to pay fees, and then find out that the winner wants it shipped to Nigeria and, by the way, wants to pay you with a money order over the amount so you can mail the balance back to him.

I even found someone who was interested in an old HP9000 workstation I had, which would (a) never have sold on eBay and (b) would have cost 10x it's value to ship.

Oh, and the last time I sold something on eBay I was stunned that the seller's submission form is up to something like 4 full pages now. It takes almost a full page just to select the category, then you need to answer volumes of info about shipping, images, "featured auction" and "gallery" status, etc. It's too much of a pain now.
 
Doc Daneeka
2006-06-17 8:17:14 PM  
pjabbott: If I want to get rid of something, I post it on craigslist. I usually get responses in less than 30 minutes and someone comes by, cash in hand, the same day. Compare that to eBay, where you need to wait 3-7 days for the auction to close, have to pay fees, and then find out that the winner wants it shipped to Nigeria and, by the way, wants to pay you with a money order over the amount so you can mail the balance back to him.


This is EXACTLY my experience.

I tried both Craigslist and eBay in the past couple months, both for the first time.

I posted my fridge on Craigslist - had a dozen responses withing 24 hours. Sold it within a week to a guy willing to come and pick it up, and paid in cash. Easy.

I posted my old iPod on eBay. The winning bidder was an alleged Filipino who wanted it shipped to Nigeria with some unspecified payment to be made later. Yeah, uhuh, right. So in the end, I still haven't sold my iPod, and I'm out the listing fee to eBay.

Moral of the story: I will be using Craigslist again, but I doubt I will ever try to sell anything on eBay ever again.
 
Kinan
2006-06-17 8:25:29 PM  
Craigslist rocks!
I consistantly get more traffic than any other web site when ever I try to sell something.
Oh and they have a Free listing section that occasionally has some great deals from people giving things away..
 
Blues_Fan
2006-06-17 9:44:10 PM  
Sold my wifes old Sportster on Craiglist.

Took almost 3 days to seal a deal and 1 more to have cash in hand.

Ebay bites. Everything is "vintage" or "Mint" and god fobid you don't give someone glowing feedback.
 
enzowaterman
2006-06-17 10:12:09 PM  
I work in the film industry in los angeles and have landed dozens of jobs from postings on craigslist. Thanks to them, I have made thousands of dollars.

- that sounded like an infomercial, but it's true.

p.s. I also found my roomate and two past girlfriends from the site as well. no word on STD's from casual encounters yet though...
 
SFSailor
2006-06-17 11:09:05 PM  
Sigh... can I assume a "get off my lawn" role and reminisce about the old days when CL was propagated by word of mouth and filled with nothin' but absolutely guaranteed cool people? Back in the day when CL was a (gasp!) list, runnin' on an SE30 in Craig's closet?

Still a great resource, but all the marketing and everybody-knows-about-it-ness (hell, my _mom_ knows about CL now. Yours pro'ly does too.) has increased the proportion of nitwits and scammers. Still plenty of cool people, and still my choice for buyin', sellin' and job huntin'/postin', but it ain't what it used to be. Perceived values on on some things are way out of whack, and there are more flaky buyers and scammers than in the past, but I guess that's the way the world's goin?

Please, Craig et al, don't go changin'. We accepted the job posting = $$, and might even accept RE = $$, but banner ads and/or a "richer web experience"? No thanks! Quick pages full of blue text forever, man!

At the same time, however, I am glad to see Craig & Co have done well financially. They built a nice and useful service and certainly deserve a full bank account more than some valley ventures....
 
Prude_Hawkeye
2006-06-18 12:16:02 PM  
Craigslist is fantastic. I got a roommate for next year through there, sparing me the pain in the ass of having to pay for a listing fee and crap. I looked at what other people were posting, and posted my own, and was able to be incredibly selective in picking between the two final offers.

w00t, Craigslist! w00t!
 
moel
2006-06-18 12:23:26 PM  
I'm confused about craigslist...what is it, why does the leader of the opposition mention it here in england and why would i want to follow the 4 easy steps below and get myself shagging today?

/you guys do mean craigslist.co.uk right?
//I'm not sure what you can get for ten bucks whilst dogging
 
morgankingrocks
2006-06-18 12:37:27 PM  
I lvoe Craigslist - I've found 3 apartments, 2 roommates and one decent job though it. I just wish Charlottesville had it's own section.
 
mistergecko
2006-06-18 1:08:28 PM  
I'd rather the site get straight to the point than attempt to show off. Also, it's kind of sad that people actually wonder why someone would pass up extravagant wealth to do a community service.

/got a whole 2 bedroom apt for $325, most people here pay $500+ for a single room.
 
bheilig
2006-06-18 5:33:38 PM  
Craigslist rules. Everyone I know uses it for everything, end of story.
 
Steezy
2006-06-19 10:34:46 AM  
CL is definitely too ugly. I prefer sites with those intrusive ads that follow your mouse, covering whatever you're trying to read.
 
welcdar
2006-06-19 11:38:24 AM  
So, I decided to check out this Craigslist jazz. Being the dumbass that I am, I accidentally type "Craiglist.com" to be greated by my employer's internet filter screen advising me that the content of the site is inappropriate (Craigslist.com is not blocked). Could a benevolent farker confirm wether or not "craiglist.com" is hardcore gay porn or not, so I can start job hunting if need be?
 
Fousse
2006-06-19 12:17:51 PM  
I got my apartment, $200 of patio furniture for $40, my cuurrent bandmates and my fiancee on CL...

/CL rocks
 
Fousse
2006-06-19 12:21:58 PM  
weldcar: If you are looking for a job in the gay pr0n industry then .com is where you want to be. Otherwise, I would recommend craigslist.org (notice that it's craigSlist.org).

or

Craigslist (pops)
 
welcdar
2006-06-19 1:40:20 PM  
Craigslist.com redirects to .org

Is it true then that craiglist.com is a pr0n site???

/Pinkslip for me in 3..2..1..
 
SandwichMan
2006-06-19 7:57:51 PM  
nerdlinger
I know I've said it before, but I just don't understand why anybody uses craigslist for anything. Ugly, useless waste of time and electrons.

Hail to the text, baby!

I use craigslist to find the occasional garage/estate sale.
 
SandwichMan
2006-06-19 8:01:10 PM  
...on my treo, while I'm at a sale, in under 1 minute, because craigslist is text, without a bunch of garbage tags and n-script.
 
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