Craigslist Classifieds Shopping
Top 10 Best Alternatives to Craigslist – Investopedia
Nowadays, and while Craigslist, the e-commerce giant, is still going strong, it is easy to find a Craigslist alternative for anything you might want to buy or sell. And in terms of finding a job, date, or a new roommate, there are safer and easier-to-navigate online alternatives to Craigslist.
Whether you want to sell your car, buy new patio furniture, find a designer gown, or a new babysitter for your kid, there are mobile apps and e-commerce marketplaces devoted to entire categories of products and services. Whittling down your options might seem overwhelming at first, so we’ve rounded up 10 alternatives to Craiglist to help you buy, sell, and hunt for all the things you need or want, from a new home to new help.
Key Takeaways
While Craigslist remains one of the biggest online classifieds sites, there are many Craiglist rphing from an auction to a selling model, eBay functions as a classified site; it also has a classifieds specializes in providing employees with home-based help, from babysitters to to scammers hitting Craiglist, specialized housing sites like, Zillow, and Trulia are often safer alternatives for finding a rental or home to buy. Facebook has become a significant classifieds community, with its Facebook Marketplace.
Craigslist Drawbacks
For all its capabilities, Craigslist comes with a few notable drawbacks. For one, the site’s sheer size works against users at times. Sellers in popular categories, such as real estate and automotive, complain that within 15 minutes of their posts going live, they are already relegated to the second page, having been supplanted by dozens of more recent ads from competitors. Craigslist has also long been a magnet for scam artists. Unscrupulous sellers often post fraudulent ads that look like great deals, but they intend to extract and exploit financial information from naive and unsuspecting buyers.
While Craigslist’s simplicity remains popular (you can search by town, city, state, and country) among users, the site has some features that could stand to be updated. Most notable among these are users’ ability to sort within categories based on price, distance, and other specifications. In addition, the interface template design hasn’t changed much since its inception. In 2019, the company added a basic app, but its no-frills design is extremely similar to the website.
1. eBay Classifieds
The largest buy/sell site in the world launched the classifieds site under the name Kijiji in 2005 in Canada. The site launched in the U. S. in 2007 and was rebranded as eBay Classifieds in 2010. The site closed in the U. in 2016, but eBay Classified Group continued to operate sales sites internationally. In 2020, eBay began soliciting bids to purchase the eBay Classified Group. Still, users can also create Classified Ads, which are searchable listings from eBay’s homepage. Categories range from travel to funerals.
This alternative offers buyers several advantages over Craigslist. First, its sort function is far more advanced and much easier to use. A buyer can sort items within a category by price, distance, or how recently the post was made with a few clicks. Thumbnail photos of the product accompany ad listings, saving buyers time since they can scroll right past ads with worthless stock photos or, worse, no photos at all.
Notably, eBay Classifieds also provide sellers with a few benefits Craigslist lacks. A Craigslist ad in most categories disappears from the site after seven days, although it typically becomes buried deep enough in the search results to become irrelevant long before that. On eBay Classifieds, ads stay live for 30 days. While an ad’s general visibility steadily decreases over that period, it still shows up in more targeted queries long after it is posted, thanks to the site’s advanced sort and search functions. eBay is easy to use, and the site provides helpful seller and buyer information like ratings and positive feedback to help you navigate away from potential scams.
2. Facebook Marketplace
While not a strictly classified site, Facebook has enabled many of its users to buy and sell products more quickly and with more convenience and security than Craigslist. It has two options: Facebook Marketplace and Facebook Buy and Sell Groups. To sell something on Facebook, a user can post a status update with a picture of the item, a brief description, and the price. The user can request his friends to share the post with their friend lists. Even if only a handful does so, the post’s exposure can multiply quickly.
Many people are more comfortable selling on Facebook than on Craigslist or other classified sites because they are dealing with friends or, at worst, friends of friends, as opposed to strangers. News reports have featured documented cases of robberies and violence stemming from botched Craigslist transactions. Using a social media site to sell an item provides a security layer and peace of mind not available on most online classified sites.
3. Poshmark
Selling used clothing and accessories or buying them because it is an environmentally conscious and affordable way to update your wardrobe, Poshmark, is a one-stop e-commerce shop. You can sell or purchase items for pets, kids, men, women, and your home. Think of it as an online consignment shop with hundreds of brand-name items, like Nike, Calvin Klein, Coach, and Chanel.
Poshmark has over 70 million community members across the U. S., Canada, and Australia, with over 200 million sale items. It’s easy to list your items for sale by uploading an image onto the app with its sale price. The company provides its sellers with a pre-addressed, free label to use when you send the product to the buyer, and you can have the box picked up for free or drop it off at a USPS mailbox. Unlike simply listing an item on Craiglist, you pay Poshmark a fee in the form of a flat commission ($2. 95 for anything under $15) or 20% of your total sale price of an item above that amount. Its end-to-end platform makes it an easy way to buy or sell a wide variety of fashion and home-related products.
If you are looking for a date or a companion, you won’t find it on Craiglist. The company discontinued its personal ads in 2018.
4.
If you are looking for an apartment online, this site has a lot to offer, from a positive reputation in the rental market and a tool that allows you to search specific neighborhoods, and you can also search by keyword. There are literally millions of listings. The website has a wealth of online tools, like 3D interactive tours of apartments to information on market trends, neighborhood schools, and other useful information for potential renters. The site boasts of 1. 1 million apartments for rent at any given time and allows you to drill down on what you need, from a pet-friendly walk-up apartment to a luxury condominium.
If you want to rent your apartment out, the site can help you lease it online, whether you are an individual property owner or the owner of multiple apartment buildings. Craiglist still does a big business in rentals, and landlords or people searching for roommates can post their available apartment or room on the site. Still, Craigslist doesn’t always vet posters carefully, and the tools (and likely peace of mind) offered by alternatives like may not be able to compete.
5.
From freelance work to full-time opportunities, nearly every kind of job is listed on, and this alternative to Craiglist’s job postings is a full-scale job-hunting website. You can post your resume and ask to be matched to potential employers, and there is a corresponding app so that you can job hunt from your mobile phone or laptop, too. Indeed offers many tools to help you with your job hunt, including reviews of companies, an online career guide, plus a search tool that lets you track down salaries.
6.
Craiglist discontinued its personal ads in 2018, and even then, the lack of vetting and oversight made it a potentially risky way to meet your date or future mate. The number of dating apps has soared in the last decade from Bumble to Tinder (also owned by the Match Group) as online dating became the norm, especially among millennials. However, earned PC magazine’s vote as one of the best dating apps for 2021, with a monthly fee of $44. It costs more than some of the newer apps. Still, its positive user ratings (founded in 1993) may be worth it if you are looking for a relationship rather than a quick rendezvous.
7. Zillow
You can buy, rent, or sell a home on Zillow, plus find valuable tools and tips for house hunting, finding a mortgage lender, real estate agent, or even an interior decorator. The browsing feature on Zillow allows you to search multiple listings in your desired town, city, or state ranked by price, lot size, number of rooms, and other settings.
Zillow can help you find a real estate agent to show you the home, and some listings offer a virtual 3D tour. This alternative to house hunting on Craigslist, which sometimes offers limited information, offers a level of professionalism and tools and expert advice needed for such a serious business transaction. Besides, the sheer volume of homes, townhouses, and condominiums available on Zillow make it house hunters’ virtual paradise.
is a great alternative to Craiglist for browsing and buying vintage and antique items without having to leave your home to attend an advertised garage or yard sale in-person.
8. Caravana
Buying a used car online may be a bit of a gamble, but Caravana provides a 360-degree view of cars online (all accident-free vehicles) and will deliver your ride right to your home. You can purchase one of Caravana’s cars by financing it, trade-in your car as a down payment, or pay outright in cash. The company also offers a seven-day test to own and a 100-day warranty. According to its website, 80% of customers choose to finance their purchase with Caravana, but you can also use a third-party lender. Caravana allows you to search their inventory with filters for make and model, features, price, fuel efficiency (yes, they offer electric cars), and more to help you narrow down on the best car for you.
You can also sell or trade your car on Carvana by sharing details about the vehicle. Potential sellers will receive a firm offer after their application is reviewed, and a representative from the company will come to your house, review the car, and hand you a check or a trade-in car.
9.
An alternative to Craiglist for finding a babysitter or child care provider is Founded in 2007, provides a platform for caregivers and families seeking help. offers connections for those in need of child care, senior care, special needs care, pet care, housekeeping, and tutors, complete with background checks. Those working in caregiving fields can use care to access jobs and benefits, plus tools to help them job hunt and find colleagues within an online community. Families can search for local caregivers by signing up for a basic (free) or premium account (an annual fee of $156) with
10. Etsy
When e-commerce marketplace Etsy opened its virtual doors in 2005, it was embraced as an online community for crafters, hobbyists, and artists. Fans of vintage items and heirlooms found bargains as well on Etsy. The site has expanded in the last 16 years into a sprawling market. Etsy is where you can buy and sell original, handmade home goods, toys, clothing, vintage items (items must be 20 years or older), and antiques, plus original artwork and materials for crafting your projects.
Sellers can list their wares for 20 cents per listing and are hit with 5% of the price and shipping costs as a transaction fee for using the platform. Shoppers can use the e-commerce site’s easy-to-navigate search options and check-out tools like Etsy’s Editors’ Picks. And there are specialized categories like Black-owned Etsy shops, Gifts Under $30, and Etsy Weddings, and the marketplace is used by millions of entrepreneurs and shoppers worldwide.
Scammers exist everywhere but primarily online. When shopping on sites like Facebook Marketplace, never pay for something in advance, and do not meet a seller anywhere you do not feel comfortable, such as their home or let them into your home, if you can help it.
Craigslist Alternative FAQs
Is There an Alternative to Craigslist Personals?
Craigslist hasn’t run personal ads since 2018, but the online dating market is saturated with alternatives., Bumble, and are three popular dating sites where subscribers can post a personal profile, letting others know what they are seeking, whether it is a potential spouse or a casual encounter.
What Replaced Craiglist for Dating?
Craigslist didn’t replace its personal ads, but there are plenty of online dating apps and websites available online, as mentioned above. Some are free, and others you pay a fee for posting your profile.
Is Letgo Better Than Craigslist?
Letgo is a mobile app purchased by OfferUp in 2020. It no longer exists as a stand-alone site or app but was absorbed by OfferUp. This site claims it is the “largest mobile marketplace in the U. S, with over 90 million app downloads and millions of buyers. “
The marketplace OfferUp is a mobile app versus an actual website like and allows sellers to create profiles of themselves to utilize selling and buying. Is it better than Craigslist? OfferUp is a robust online marketplace with a more straightforward and more modern interface and experience than its competitor, Craigslist.
Do People Still Use Craigslist?
Absolutely. You can search your local area on Craigslist and find used furniture, cars, rentals, and even jobs. However, because so many Craiglist alternatives exist, it is no longer a one-stop shopping powerhouse when it debuted in 1995.
Why Does Craigslist Charge $5?
Posting on Craiglist is free in some categories. For example, if you want to sell your grandmother’s china, the post is free to put up on Craigslist. If you want to rent your Boston-based apartment, it will cost you $5 to put up an ad. And if you are posting about jobs, it could cost you anywhere from $3 to $75. In most cases, Craiglist only charges for ads posted by auto dealers or realtors in commercial real estate and those posting about short-term gigs and job opportunities.
The Bottom Line
Craigslist is an online marketplace contender, but there are many alternatives to it in 2021 to buy and sell goods and services. And If you want to go beyond e-commerce, consignment stores and used bookstores continue to be popular places to sell your stuff.
The job boards on Craiglist may not be able to complete with LinkedIn and Indeed for job hunters, and even gig opportunities can be found online on sites like Fiverr and TaskRabbit without having to wade through Craiglist posts. In the mid-90s, Craiglist may have the go-to for finding a rental or a home to buy, but with Trulia,, Zillow, and other sites like them, it is much easier (and some might say safer) to find a place to live via a specialized site than Craiglist.
This old-school e-commerce experience may be more useful for finding local, used home goods (think, used outdoor furniture or firewood) than a new roommate, babysitter, or job.
The 10 Best Craigslist Alternatives for Buying and Selling Stuff
GaudiLab /
Whether you’re looking to sell or buy, having more options is a good thing.
And even though Craigslist is the grandfather of online classifieds sites, it probably shouldn’t be the only place you turn to.
Many websites like Craigslist have sprung up over the years, including some you might not think of. If you’re thinking about how to make money online, or just enjoy window shopping from the comfort of home, check out these 10 Craigslist alternatives.
1. Facebook Marketplace
If you’ve abandoned the social network or use it sparingly, you might not be aware Facebook is a popular Craigslist alternative.
You can search by city, neighborhood or ZIP code within a specified mile radius, based on price for all kinds of stuff. It has at least one edge over other sites like Craigslist: Facebook is one of the most-visited websites in the world, so the odds are high that people will see your stuff — including people you already know who might be interested. And the big bonus: Selling is free.
Separate from the Marketplace feature, Facebook also has a category of Groups for buying and selling stuff. Some groups may have their own rules and membership criteria you won’t be restricted by elsewhere on the site, but it might help you find the right niche.
2. eBay Classifieds
Being another of the most popular sites on the internet makes eBay a great Craigslist alternative for getting your stuff seen. The first thing people think about on eBay is auctions, but it also has classified ads searchable from its homepage.
Unfortunately, this Craigslist alternative isn’t free: It works much like selling anything else on eBay, only for locals. Listing is $9. 95 for 30 days. You’ll need to set up an account and create an “advanced listing, ” which offers the classified ad format. Categories are limited to a handful.
To shop eBay’s classified ads, search for the item you want normally from the homepage, then filter the buying format to “classified ads. ” You can also limit your search to a ZIP code radius and filter for “free local pickup. ”
3. Mercari
Mercari is one of a few apps like Craigslist or eBay worth mentioning.
It’s not technically a classifieds site, since it involves shipping instead of meeting locally like other sites similar to Craigslist. But it’s a popular Craigslist-style marketplace with a large audience and a convenient phone app.
Listing on Mercari is always free, but there’s a flat 10% fee when the item sells. You’ll get a printable shipping label, but are responsible for packing and shipping the item. It also has a buyer and seller rating system similar to eBay.
4. Poshmark
Poshmark is another app-based marketplace similar to Craigslist, but specifically for fashion: clothes, shoes, jewelry, accessories and handbags.
You use the site’s free app to list items, and when someone makes a purchase, you get a prepaid shipping label to mail the item. If you have a closet full of stuff you don’t wear, this might be how to make money online without breaking a sweat or resorting to many other apps like Craigslist.
For sales under $15, there is a flat fee of $2. 95. For sales of more than $15, Poshmark takes 20%.
5. OfferUp
Next on the list of sites similar to Craigslist is OfferUp, which is sort of like if Pinterest owned Craigslist.
Images, prices and distance from you are prominently displayed, making it possible to visually browse through things you’re interested in more quickly than many websites like Craigslist. If you’re a seller, that also means it’s easier to catch someone’s eye.
There is a rating system for buyers and sellers.
6. Letgo
One of the most popular sites similar to Craigslist is Letgo, which like OfferUp focuses on an image-based format but has robust search features that allow you to search by distance, time since listing, price range and category.
You have to create an account to use Letgo, but this allows you to communicate without sharing a phone number or email address, an advantage over many sites like Craigslist. It also has an app that is free to use for both buying and selling.
7. Trovit
Trovit claims to search thousands of websites similar to Craigslist all at once, although it only has a few, very specific broad categories: homes, cars and jobs. Each of these has subcategories, such as car brands or job field.
The initial search screen is very simple and clean, but once you start a search, you can apply a variety of filters and sort results in different ways, as on other sites similar to Craigslist.
Trovit is free to use, but the site cautions that their effort to include as many results as possible may sometimes result in a few listings from sites that require a subscription to access. “In case you find one with a paid subscription, you will have to choose whether to continue or not with them, ” the site says.
8. Locanto
There are still a few other sites like Craigslist, Locanto among them.
The site features a number of traditional classifieds categories — from classes to cars, jobs to personals — and searches can be refined into further subcategories and by location. The listings are clean and look more like a traditional retail website than the do-it-yourself look of Craigslist.
Locanto is free to use, but offers a “premium account” option that hides third-party ads and allows you to get notifications of new results for saved searches or sellers that you follow.
9. Swappa
Swappa is another Craigslist alternative focused on electronics: phones, computers, cameras and video games. The company tries to distinguish itself from other websites similar to Craigslist by highlighting that it has people reviewing listings to fight spam and has lower fees than eBay for buyers.
There are no fees to list items for sale, but buyers pay a flat fee when they buy based on the listed price. Swappa’s fee is $0 for items under $50 — but how often do you buy electronics that cheap?
The fee can go up to $250 for items over $6, 000. Swappa points out eBay typically charges a 10% fee to the seller.
From the seller’s perspective, this looks like a great option for how to make money online, especially if you’re the kind of person constantly upgrading gear.
10. Oodle
Oodle is another marketplace similar to Craigslist, with some categories you might not find on other sites, including office space and event tickets.
It’s free to use, but requires you to sign up and connect your Facebook account in an attempt to cut down on fraud. So, if you’re already using Facebook Marketplace or other websites like Craigslist that connect to Facebook, you might consider listing here, too.
Disclosure: The information you read here is always objective. However, we sometimes receive compensation when you click links within our stories.
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Buying and Selling on Craigslist | Shopping Safely Online
Learn how to shop safely online, including how to make a purchase, how to buy and sell on eBay, and how to buy and sell on Craigslist.
This chapter is from the book
In this chapter, you discover how and where to shop online.
Making a Purchase Online
How to Shop Safely Online
Buying and Selling on eBay
Buying and Selling on Craigslist
One of the most popular uses of the Internet for users of all ages is online shopping. Shopping online is especially practical for shoppers for whom real-world shopping can be inconvenient, at best. Let’s face it, it’s a lot easier to shop from your computer or tablet screen than it is to drive to and traipse through the local mall.
These days, online shopping is a viable alternative to shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. Almost every major retailer today has an online storefront, offering a similar, if not expanded, selection to what you find on their physical store shelves. And there are plenty of bargains to be had online, too—if you know where to look.
If you’ve never shopped online before, you’re probably wondering just what to expect. Shopping over the Internet is actually easy; all you need is your computer and a credit card—and an Internet connection, of course.
The online shopping experience is similar from retailer to retailer. You typically go through a multiple-step process that proceeds from discovery to ordering to checkout and payment. We examine each of these steps separately.
Discover Online Retailers
The first step in online shopping is finding where you want to shop. Most major retailers, such as Home Depot (), Macy’s (), Michaels (), Staples (), Target (), and Walmart (), have their own websites you can use to shop online. Most catalog merchants, such as Chadwicks of Boston (), Coldwater Creek (), Lands’ End (), and L. (), also have their own websites for online ordering.
In addition, many online-only retailers offer a variety of merchandise. These are companies without physical stores; they conduct all their business online and then ship merchandise directly to buyers. These range from smaller niche retailers to larger full-service sites, such as () and ().
In short, you should find no shortage of places to shop online. If worse comes to worst, you can use Google or Bing to search for merchants that sell the specific items in which you’re interested.
Search or Browse for Merchandise
After you’ve determined where to shop, you need to browse through different product categories on that site or use the site’s search feature to find a specific product.
Browsing product categories online is similar to browsing through the departments of a retail store. You typically click a link to access a major product category and then click further links to view subcategories within the main category. For example, the main category might be Clothing; the subcategories might be Men’s, Women’s, and Children’s clothing. If you click the Men’s link, you might see a list of further subcategories: Outerwear, Shirts, Pants, and the like. Just keep clicking until you reach the type of item that you’re looking for.
Searching for products is often a faster way to find what you’re looking for if you have something specific in mind. For example, if you’re looking for a women’s leather jacket, you can enter the words women’s leather jacket into the site’s search box and get a list of specific items that match those criteria.
The only problem with searching is that you might not know exactly what it is you’re looking for; if this describes your situation, you’re probably better off browsing. But if you do know what you want—and you don’t want to deal with lots of irrelevant items—then searching is the faster option.
Examine the Product
Whether you browse or search, you’ll probably end up looking at a list of different products on a web page. These listings typically feature one-line descriptions of each item—in most cases, not nearly enough information for you to make an informed purchase.
The thing to do now is to click the link for the item you’re particularly interested in. This should display a dedicated product page, complete with a picture and full description of the item. This is where you can read more about the item you selected. Some product pages include different views of the item, pictures of the item in different colors, links to additional information, and maybe even a list of optional accessories that go along with the item. Many sites also offer customer reviews of their products—although you’ll need to sort the more useful reviews from the rest.
If you like what you see, you can proceed to the ordering stage. If you want to look at other items, just click your browser’s Back button to return to the larger product listing.
Make a Purchase
Somewhere on each product description page should be a button labeled Purchase, Buy Now, Add to Cart, Add to Bag, or something similar. This is how you make the actual purchase: by clicking that “buy” button. You don’t order the product just by looking at the product description; you have to manually click the “buy” button to place your order.
When you click the “buy” button, that particular item is added to your shopping cart. That’s right, the online retailer provides you with a virtual shopping cart that functions just like a real-world shopping cart. Each item you choose to purchase is added to your virtual shopping cart.
After you’ve ordered a product and placed it in your shopping cart, you can choose to shop for other products on that site or proceed to the site’s checkout. It’s important to note that when you place an item in your shopping cart, you haven’t actually completed the purchase yet. You can keep shopping (and adding more items to your shopping cart) as long as you want.
You can even decide to abandon your shopping cart and not purchase anything at this time. All you have to do is leave the website, and you won’t be charged for anything. It’s the equivalent of leaving your shopping cart at a real-world retailer and walking out the front door; you don’t actually buy anything until you walk through the checkout line. (Although, with some sites, the items remain in your shopping cart—so they’ll be there waiting for you the next time you shop! )
Check Out and Pay
To finalize your purchase, you have to visit the store’s checkout. This is like the checkout line at a traditional retail store; you take your virtual shopping cart through the checkout, get your purchases totaled, and then pay for what you’re buying.
The checkout at an online retailer typically consists of one or more web pages with forms you have to fill out. If you’ve visited the retailer before, the site might remember some of your personal information from your previous visit. Otherwise, you have to enter your name, address, and phone number, as well as the address you want to ship the merchandise to (if that’s different from your billing address). You also have to pay for the merchandise, typically by entering a credit card number.
The checkout provides one last opportunity for you to change your order. You can delete items you decide not to buy or change quantities on any item. At some merchants you can even opt to have your items gift-wrapped and sent to someone as a present. You should be able to find all these options somewhere in the checkout process.
You might also have the option of selecting different types of shipping for your order. Many merchants offer both regular and expedited shipping—the latter for an additional charge.
Another option at some retailers is to group all items for reduced shipping cost. (The alternative is to ship items individually as they become available. ) Grouping items is attractive cost-wise, but you can get burned if one of the items is out of stock or not yet available; you could end up waiting weeks or months for those items that could have been shipped immediately.
After you’ve entered all the appropriate information, you’re asked to place your order. This typically means clicking a button that says Place Your Order or something similar. You might even see a second screen asking you whether you really want to place your order, just in case you have second thoughts.
After you place your order, you see a confirmation screen, typically displaying your order number. Write down this number or print this page; you need to refer to this number if you have to contact customer service. Most online merchants also send you a confirmation message, including this same information, via email.
That’s all there is to it. You shop, examine the product, place an order, proceed to checkout, and pay. It’s that easy!
