Comments on: A Stroll Through the Craigslist-Crusher Startup Graveyard

By: Tom Lianza

Tom Lianza — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 03:53:30 +0000

As a buyer, it's okay (though, as is obvious from the fact that PadMapper ever existed, browsing listings on a map is a feature many people want and aren't getting).

As a seller, the posting process is quite tedious. Nothing to do with rounded corners, but the fact that in 2012 you can't create a post with a picture via your phone... it's at least frustrating.

By: Tom Lianza

Tom Lianza — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 21:53:30 +0000

As a buyer, it's fine. As a seller, the posting process is quite tedious.

By: Chester

Chester — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 15:34:14 +0000

Interesting that there's even more new players in this space… Still tough to compete against Craigslist's liquidity, but their days are numbered.

By: Larry Williams

Larry Williams — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:14:19 +0000

Craigslist is really important. It helps me a lot in searching any
classified ads website. Btw, there's no problem with your blog title.

By: Jason Crawford

Jason Crawford — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 05:16:06 +0000

This is spot on. Sellers go where the buyers are.

I'm amused by your statement that “everyone has their own theory on 2-sided marketplaces” because I wrote about mine a couple of years ago (and it's totally consistent with what you're saying here): http://jasoncrawford.org/2009/...

By: ADRjeffries

ADRjeffries — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:43:52 +0000

I don't really get why people complain about Craigslist. Not enough rounded corners? It's a lowest common denominator and it's amazing. I think it will always be a piece of the market and agree with Amanda's assessment that a better UI or fancier listing process are "knee jerk problems" a.k.a. not really problems.

By: Rob Millis

Rob Millis — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 08:43:40 +0000

The only catch is that I see two big advantages both classifieds and Craigslist have over systems like Zaarly: 1) There are a million companies entering the market and none of them can be dominant enough to define the market like Craigslist, and 2) CL and classifieds are bare bones exchanges of information, and sometimes we all just need a purpose-driven system that isn't cute and doesn't have more than one key feature. The only comparable system I can think of is Twitter 1.0.

By: MS

MS — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 04:24:53 +0000

That actually brought up an interesting point how newspaper classified become obsolete with a new medium (internet) rising in popularity. As much as CL benefited from for-pay prostitution in the early days, it's definitely ridden the tide of the internet revolution. Extending this hypothesis, the CL-crusher should be a player that starts with mobile and utilize location to facilitate transaction. Zaarly would be an interesting play.

By: jrochkind

jrochkind — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 03:57:51 +0000

"kick up their heels and coast for a while" -- it may be that ALL craigslist has ever done is kick up their heels and coast. They've got, what, like, 10 staff? Okay, looked it up, they say they've got "thirty some" employees presently.

And even Craig himself probably ain't rich off it, but just making a decent comfortable living.

Their costs are VERY low.

And that really boring simple 1993 interface is part of it.

It's not the "venture capital, then IPO or sell to Google" business plan. It's just thirty some employees making a decent living by coasting. It seems to be working.

By: briandear

briandear — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 02:02:32 +0000

Totally correct.