At present, Craigslist (formalized as craigslist) is one of the best-classified ads websites in the United States. Craigslist features segments dedicated to accommodation, employment, items wanted, for sale, concerts or performances, community services, discussion forums, and resumes (curriculum vitae). In 1995, Craig Newmark launched Craigslist in the shape of an email delivery list to friends. It highlighted local happenings in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1996, Craigslist turned into a web-oriented facility and flourished into other classified families. In 2000, Craigslist began spreading out to other cities in Canada and the United States and it currently encompasses more than 70 nations. But, apart from Craigslist, there are numerous other sites like Craigslist that gives you more or less the same benefits.
Alternatives to Craigslist
There is no gainsaying that Craigslist has expanded its operations and now it is offering services in English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, and Italian languages. However, there has been a lot of criticism against it from different quarters of society. Several newspapers and journals including the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal censured Craigslist for the following reasons:
- Advertising for the sale of pets
- Menacing the line of work of local substitute newspapers
- Using lawsuits for wrongful purposes
In 2012, Craigslist filed a lawsuit against PadMapper. This was a website that wished to better the user interface to surf accommodation advertisements. It also litigated against 3Taps, an organization that assisted PadMapper to get data from Craigslist (Craigslist Inc. vs 3Taps Inc., 942 F. Supp. 2d 962). As a result, customers disapproved of Craigslist for attempting to close a service that they found effective. Subsequently, they started looking for other alternatives to Craigslist.
Several classified sites like Craigslist are now running their businesses successfully. You can pick more than one from them to get what you require faster. It always makes sense to have more choices whether you want to sell or buy something. Even though Craigslist is the demigod of online classified websites, it must not be the sole resource you resort to.
Over the years, numerous websites have emerged and some of them have unbelievable features that you can’t even imagine. Doing shopping from the luxury of your home or making money online, everything can become possible with these craigslist alternatives.
Craigslist has closed his Personals section in May 2018. But there are a lot of alternatives to craigslist personal section. One of the alternatives is Doublelist.
1) Facebook Marketplace
Many people don’t know that Facebook Marketplace is a popular craigslist alternative. Since it is one of the most popular social networking sites across the world, the probability is high that viewers will find your items easily. Moreover, your acquaintances and friends would be keen to buy them. The added advantage is that selling is free of cost. Other than the marketplace attribute, Facebook features a set of groups for buying and selling items.
2) Mercari
Mercari is not precisely a classifieds website because it necessitates shipping rather than meeting nearby similar to other websites such as craigslist. However, a huge audience and a user-friendly smartphone app make it a well-admired marketplace. Listing is free but selling items asks for a uniform fee of 10%. Mercari features a buyer and seller rating scheme like eBay.
3) eBay Classifieds
eBay Classifieds is one of the most popular classified websites like craigslist. Other than auctions, eBay features classified advertisements that you can search from the homepage. eBay classifieds are not available to free of cost. For one month, the listing cost is around $10. The customers just have to create an account and generate an advanced listing. This listing comes with the classified ad layout. However, the categories are limited in number. eBay Classifieds functions similarly to selling something on eBay, just on a local basis.
4) Offerup
Offerup is a site similar to craigslist. Its features make it look like Pinterest-held Craigslist. The site clearly shows photos, rates, and distance from your location. Therefore, it gets simpler for you to surf across items you are keen to buy sooner than many other sites like craigslist. For sellers, this is also an option to captivate the buyers. Offerup features a buyer and seller rating system.
5) Poshmark
Poshmark is one of the sites like craigslist that is app-oriented. This online marketplace is particularly for fashion lovers: footwear, garments, ornaments, purses, and accouterments. The free-of-cost app of this website is ideal for listing stuff. When somebody buys something, you receive a prepaid shipping tag for sending the article. You can sell off your unused items to make some quick money online without having to turn to Craigslist.
There is a flat charge of $2.95 for sales below $15. For sales of above $15, Poshmark charges 20%.
6) Swappa
This site similar to craigslist helps you purchase and sell a broad range of electronic goods like:
- Smartphones
- Watches
- Cameras
- Tablet PCs
- Video games and many other items
Swappa even assists you in buying and selling smart home devices like streaming gadgets, voice assistants, and thermoregulators. You don’t need to spend any amount for selling your stuff on Swappa. On the other hand, buyers need to shell out a nominal amount while purchasing via Swappa since it aids the sale to guarantee everything happens effortlessly. This amount is reimbursable (usually) if the customer gets dissatisfied after he got the item.
7) Recycler
If you are a resident of a major city in the United States, Recycler is an excellent choice. It began its services in the form of a local classified daily in the Southern part of California. In 
2010, Recycler turned into a countrywide marketplace. This site like craigslist currently features 18 million users every month.
Recycler helps buy or sell pets, looking for houses to let, and even merchandizing second-hand vehicles.
One of the salient benefits of using Recycler is that when you sell through Recycler, you can promptly upload your listings on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. For furthering your publicity on Recycler, you can also utilize paid advertisements to aim at particular marketplaces or customers.
8) Bookoo
Bookoo has been pitched as a family-friendly alternative to Craigslist. Bookoo gives you the option to list your stuff to merchandise them in succession or promote a yard sale.
You will find a lot of Bookoo hubs around the nation. Most of them are located in settlements with army camps. So, members of the armed forces find it simpler to buy or 
sell their stuff with their latest transfer or relocation.
To customize things more, Bookoo offers a feature to the sellers with which they can make a profile by incorporating a snippy bio and image. Besides, your profile will enumerate the categories of stuff you itemized previously.
Though the Bookoo website is tinier in comparison to the other sites like Craigslist with 2,355,912 existing subscribers, it’s a user-friendly service to buy and sell stuff. Features like live chat and the appearance of a social media site add to its charm.
9) Geebo
Launched in 1999, Geebo is an outstanding platform for buying or selling products, cars, heavy equipment, services, and realty in around 160 communities. If you stay in big cities, 
for example, Chicago or Los Angeles, you can give it a try. It is an ideal option for people residing in a not-so-big city like Tulsa, Virginia Beach, or Cincinnati.
Geebo comes with “SafeTrade” deals as a means to ensure securer buying and selling in comparison to other classified craigslist like websites. A “SafeTrade” takes place if sellers and buyers consent to assemble at a local police wing.
If you become tentative to attempt Craigslist since you feel insecure to gather simply at any public parking area, Geebo can turn out to be an excellent Craigslist substitute.
