8. Classifieds Websites

8. Classifieds Websites

Classified ads are in use for more than a century. They trace their origin to a time when newspapers were becoming popular across the world.

In our times, classified ads are now also available online. In fact, there are several websites like Craigslist that offer free and premium postings of ads when you want to sell online.
Why Use Classifieds?

There are many reasons why you should use classifieds to sell online. Generally, people interested in a specific service or product will scan classified ads.

This narrows down the search for your product. Further, if you are selling old stuff online, posting a classified on Craigslist among others can prove very useful.
What to Sell on Classifieds

Generally, old stuff and services are sold online on classifieds. But this is no thumb rule. You can sell almost anything online, even if it’s a new product. You can sell books, household equipment and appliances, furniture and wholesale foodstuff, among other products on classifieds.
Advantages of Classifieds

Classifieds offer some unique advantages to sell online. Firstly, classifieds are referred to by only genuine buyers. Unlike online stores and marketplaces, there are no virtual ‘window shoppers’.

Secondly, classifieds in most cases are free. Or, you will pay a very small one-off fee to gain access to a membership. Classifieds websites allows you to sell locally, regionally as well as at a national level.

If lucky, your posting can get noticed abroad to net you some foreign customers.
Flipsides of Classifieds

Since classifieds are commonly used by people who want to sell used stuff, chances are your product can be mistaken as poor quality or substandard. Also, classifieds websites get tens of thousands of daily postings.

Unless you opt for premium service that keeps your advertisement above others, it can get buried under a deluge of other posts. Thirdly, classifieds do not have features of posting attractive pictures and great descriptions of products.

And finally, you cannot get the facility of a payments portal or gateway when you sell via classifieds: customers will have to contact you for placing orders and making payments.
Wrap Up

If you want to sell things online, these are the main resources that will be useful. We suggest you use more than one channel to sell online. In the initial stages of your business, getting maximum number of customers is essential.

A lot of new businesses that sell online usually have a presence on Amazon and eBay, own an online store on Shopify or Etsy and also a Facebook Marketplace page. Diversifying your channels allows for reaching maximum number of potential buyers.