The Other Side

A Singapore version of the well-known Craigslist

I made a recent discovery. The well known craigslist classifieds in the US, which has thousands upon thousands of insertions, has an Asian edition. It covers about 20 cities in Asia, including Singapore. A quick look reveals that the number of classifieds in Singapore, however, is only a fraction of what you see in the US sites.

Whichever geographic region it is for, the template is the same where buyers and sellers can put up classifieds for housing, jobs, services or take part in discussions or community services. Through the years, Internet classified websites come and go, but this particular one appears to be steadfast in its appeal, especially for its US sites. What is its secret for success? Perhaps it lies in its simplicity and delivering on its unwritten promise to be a simple platform for surfers to connect. And not being lost in the corporate zeal for making a fast buck?

Unlike other similar websites which charge money upfront, the Singapore version is free, granted there is room for improvement in the number of inserts here. And it did provide the connection for a one-off writing job for me. Now who says good things do not come free should think again.

PS: It does charge for some of its US sites but going by the quantity and quality of classifieds, it must be worth paying for. Furthermore, it has a policy to delete any classifieds on the site that require cash transactions upfront from surfers.

posted by Ek Heng @ 9:12 AM