Brett Helling
Brett Helling is the founder and owner of Gigworker.com. Having worked in the gig economy for nearly a decade, he has mastered freelance, remote, and app-based work. You can learn more about his journey in his book, "Gigworker: Independent Work and the State of the Gig Economy", now available on Amazon.
Craigslist is a great website, but it has shortcomings, like a dated interface and several missing categories to list. This is probably one of the reasons you’re looking for an alternative.
To make things easier for you, we’ll reveal other apps like Craigslist you can consider on your path to building wealth.
We’ll give a brief overview of these top alternatives, their features, what makes them great, and their drawbacks.
An Overview of Craigslist
Craigslist is one of the largest online classified sites that allow users to sell and buy items. It provides classified ads, including services, items for sale, community events, apartment listings, job postings, etc. You can also find people flipping things on Craigslist for a profit.
Where Does Craiglist Excel?
Craigslist is a versatile website that allows you to buy and sell items of any kind.
Another top feature of this classified ads site is that it doesn’t receive a commission from sellers. In fact, there’s zero interference from the site, so buyers and sellers can interact with one another without any third-party influence.
Where Does Craiglist Fall Short?
Due to the high number of people who post ads on the site, your post might not get the exposure you want. Craigslist has a 30-day limit for each post, which means you may need to repost your ads if you don’t get the response you want within that time frame.
In addition, this site is notorious for scammers and spammers. This makes it challenging for buyers to differentiate legit ads from fake ones and reduces buyer’s trust.
Apps Like Craigslist: Our Top Picks
- Facebook Marketplace – Best Overall
- eBay – Most Popular eCommerce Platform
- Poshmark – Best for Fashion Items
- Task Rabbit – Best for Job Hunters
- Oodle – Great for Facebook Users
- Care.com – Best for Caregivers
- OfferUp – Good Rating System
- LetGo – Best App for Sales
- Mercari – Low Commission Fees
Editor’s Choice: Our Top Picks Overall
Other sites like Craigslist have maintained similar reputations to this large classifieds site. Of all of them, two formidable alternatives are Facebook Marketplace and eBay. Check out more about this below!
What is the Best Alternative to Craigslist?
Facebook Marketplace is the best alternative to Craigslist. It provides a safer and more convenient platform for buying and selling items.
Who is Craigslist’s Biggest Competitor?
Ebay is Craigslist’s biggest competitor. The website has more advanced features than Craigslist. For instance, you can sort categories within eBay based on distance, price, etc.
The Best Craigslist Alternatives in 2023
There are several alternatives to Craigslist, but these nine options are a good place to start.
1. Facebook Marketplace
- Good: A convenient and safer platform to list and sell items
- Bad: Not available in every region
- When to choose this Craigslist alternative: If you have a Facebook account and would prefer to sell to friends rather than strangers
In the case of Facebook Marketplace vs Craigslist, the former takes the crown. Here, you can upload pictures of items you plan to sell alongside the price and a brief description. Interested users can browse through these items based on location or specificity.
Similarly, there’s the Facebook Buy and Sell Groups, where you can join specific groups based on what you’re planning to sell.
Why is Facebook Marketplace a Great Option?
Facebook Marketplace has established itself as a worthy competitor of Craigslist, thanks to the platform’s convenience and security level. With Facebook Marketplace, you’re most likely buying or selling stuff to friends or a friend’s friend, unlike Craigslist and other online classified sites.
Drawbacks to Facebook Marketplace
Facebook’s Marketplace feature is not available in every region. This limited coverage makes it impossible for everyone to trade on the site.
In the same vein, there’s no shipping option on Facebook Marketplace. Therefore, you have to arrange to get ordered items across to the buyer.
2. eBay
- Good: Comes with advanced features and a wider market reach
- Bad: Heavy competition and commission fees
- When to choose this Craigslist alternative: If you need your products to reach more potential buyers, you should choose eBay
eBay provides a readily available market of millions of users if you have items to sell or resell.
This site offers three primary options for selling items: eBay Classifieds, ‘buy it now’ items at a fixed price, and the bidding option. You can also consider making more money by flipping things on eBay.
Why is eBay a Great Option?
eBay is popular, which means you can get items sold faster on this site than other Craigslist alternatives. You can also list about 150 products for free every month.
The fixed-rate selling option also makes it easy to know how much you stand to gain if your item sells. This is different from several platforms where negotiations can cause you to sell for less than you planned.
Drawbacks to eBay
eBay’s popularity can also work against sellers, as you have to deal with several competitors on the site. To ensure that you sell your product, you may be forced to employ competitive pricing strategies. The site also collects commission fees for every item sold.
3. Poshmark
- Good: Poshmark has an attractive interface, and sellers get a prepaid shipping label
- Bad: High commission fees and poor return policy
- When to choose this Craigslist alternative: If you’ll be selling more fashion items
If you need sites like Craigslist that focus on fashion, Poshmark is your go-to selling app.
Although Poshmark’s primary focus is fashion items, you can also list and buy or sell pets and other household items on the platform.
Why is Poshmark a Great Option?
The best part about Poshmark is that sellers get a prepaid shipping label after making a sale. This makes it easier to get items across to buyers who always have to pay for shipping, although sellers can offer free or discounted shipping.
Poshmark has an attractive interface, and you can sell trendy stuff for a reasonable fee on the site.
Drawbacks to Poshmark
Poshmark receives a commission for every sale made on its page. There’s a flat fee of $2.95 for every item under $15 and a 20% commission on every sale over $15.
Unlike several online marketplaces with refund options, sales on Poshmark are final. Of course, if you receive a counterfeit item or one that doesn’t fit the description, you can make a case and return the product for a full refund.
4. TaskRabbit
- Good: Great for people who need flexible side gigs
- Bad: Rigid screening process, low-paying gigs, and no remote option
- When to choose this Craigslist alternative: If you’re looking for a quick way to make some money without working overtime
TaskRabbit is one of the best platforms to consider if you’d like to do simple jobs for some quick cash.
To become a Tasker, you must create an account on the TaskRabbit app and wait for notifications on available jobs in your area. Some tasks on this platform include cleaning, personal assistance, furniture assembly, etc.
Why is TaskRabbit a Great Option?
There are several flexible tasks that you can carry out in your free time. You can also pick your rates and, if you’re versatile and skilled, have a higher chance of earning more. Overall, you can always make extra income doing what you love.
Drawbacks to TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit has a rigid screening process that includes background checks, which can be a major turnoff to potential Taskers. Additionally, this platform doesn’t allow workers to perform tasks virtually—they must be physically available to execute the job.
Most importantly, there are many low-paying gigs on TaskRabbit, so you may earn less than you hope.
5. Oodle
- Good: Features listings from other websites and platforms
- Bad: You can’t use this site without a Facebook account
- When to choose this Craigslist alternative: If you have a Facebook account and would like to reach more of your target audience
Although Oodle is another online classifieds site that allows users to buy and sell locally, it offers much more than that. This platform is also open to job postings and services, as well as sales of event tickets and office spaces.
Much more than that, Oodle is an aggregator featuring listings posted on other online marketplaces, including Craigslist.
Why is Oodle a Great Option?
Oodle boasts various product categories, from household items to personal stuff, cars, and pets. You can also find job postings and service listings on the site. And the fact that most of these listings are drawn from other sites makes the platform even more all-encompassing.
Oodle also works closely with Facebook, so you can post advertisem*nts on the site if you have a Facebook account.
Drawbacks to Oodle
You can’t operate or post on Oodle without a Facebook profile. Unless you’re a big fan of the popular social media platform, you might want to check out other Craigslist alternatives.
There’s also a limit to the number of listings you can make on Oodle. This feature is a bit of a hassle for users who have many items to sell.
6. Care.Com
- Good: For building your career as a caregiver
- Bad: The free account comes with certain restrictions
- When to choose this Craigslist alternative: If you’re a caregiver looking for jobs that don’t require special qualifications
Care.com is the right platform for caregivers who want to advertise their services and build their careers. You only have to register on the site and apply for the caregiving jobs you fancy. This could be anything from pet care to senior care, child care, and more.
Why is Care.com a Great Option?
On Care.com, as long as you’re qualified for the services you wish to provide, you don’t need any special qualifications to work. The registration process is seamless, the background checks are fast, and the website is easy to use.
Drawbacks to Care.com
Although anyone can open a free account on Care.com, premium accounts offer access to special features, including interaction between care seekers and caregivers.
Since you don’t have any special info about the people you’ll be working with, you may have a bad experience with them.
7. OfferUp
- Good: Has a rating system to increase trust between sellers and buyers
- Bad: Poor customer service and charges a fee to ship items
- When to choose this Craigslist alternative: Choose OfferUp for ease of displaying items and if you prefer apps to online classifieds sites.
OfferUp is more of a selling app than an online classifieds site. Although it has a lower coverage than Craigslist, it has greatly served local buyers and sellers looking for a safe space to trade. On this app, all items for sale are displayed alongside the price and distance, making it easy for potential buyers to scan through your products quickly.
Why is OfferUp a Great Option?
All communication between buyers and sellers happens on the OfferUp app, so there’s no need to give out any personal info if you don’t want to. There’s also a rating system for OfferUp users, which provides a sense of security to buyers and increases your chances of selling your items.
Drawbacks to OfferUp
OfferUp charges a certain percentage of sales if you choose the shipping option. This can make the sale less profitable, especially if you sold the product at a bargaining price.
In addition, users have complained about the site’s poor customer service. So, if you run into any issues during transactions, you technically have no one to turn to.
8. LetGo
- Good: Provides a seamless means to sell almost anything via an app
- Bad: Fewer buyers on this app than other platforms
- When to choose this Craigslist alternative: If you want to sell without having to pay any commission
LetGo is one of the most recent alternatives to Craigslist that offers a more seamless way of making sales. To get started, you need to download the app on your smartphone, create an account, and take pictures of the stuff you plan to sell. Set a price for each item and wait for interested buyers to contact you.
Why is LetGo a Great Option?
On LetGo, you can sell almost anything, from books and fashion items to cars and electronics. The app is free to use, and you get every penny you make from any sales made—no need to pay a commission. The fact that you only need to take pictures and input a little info about the product makes LetGo a highly convenient platform.
Drawbacks to LetGo
LetGo isn’t as popular as other apps, so you may not get as many buyers as you’d like on this platform. Then, prices are negotiable on LetGo, which means you may end up selling items at a much lower price.
9. Mercari
- Good: Low commission fee and different shipping options
- Bad: Has a complicated seller dashboard
- When to choose this Craigslist alternative: Mercari is a better option if you don’t want to bother so much about getting products across to your buyers.
Mercari started as an e-commerce company in Japan but has found its way into the US market with many positive reviews. Like most online marketplaces, this site allows you to sell stuff, including toys, collectibles, electronics, clothes, etc. As long as you have an account on the app, you can upload photos of items, add some descriptions, and sell to willing buyers.
Why is Mercari a Great Option?
Mercari allows you to list items for free and charges a 10% commission on every product you sell. This is considerably lower than most e-commerce sites, allowing you to keep more of your proceeds.
In addition, this site offers different shipping options to help sellers get items over to buyers.
Drawbacks to Mercari
One of the major issues you might encounter while using Mercari is its complicated seller dashboard. Another drawback is the platform’s return policy, which buyers can use to cheat sellers.
Notable Mentions: Even More Options to Check Out
Gumtree
Gumtree is a popular online classified ads site for buying and selling items in the United Kingdom. The site allows users to post products for free; however, posting certain items, promoting an ad, or listing a small business requires payment.
Gumtree also allows users to list and sell similar products to Craigslist, but unlike the latter, it also lets users sell animals.
Unfortunately, Gumtree is only available in the UK.
Decluttr
If you have used equipment to sell, especially tech-related products, Decluttr should be your go-to site. Here, you can sell:
- Used CDs and DVDs
- Games
- Books
- Smartwatches
- Video game consoles
- Tablets, etc.
Once you download the app, you need to scan each product’s barcode to receive a price quote.
This is where it becomes tricky: While you get to determine the price of your products on many platforms, Decluttr tells you how much they’re willing to pay you. This offer can also change once they receive the item.
Match.Com
Craigslist personals packed up a few years ago, but other platforms like Match.com have filled the vacuum. This dating app offers everything from casual meetups to serious dating. It all starts with setting up your profile and filling out some important details about yourself and what you want in a partner.
To ensure that the app helps you find your perfect match, you’ll need to follow different prompts while providing your info. This can be time-consuming and frustrating. The free app has many restrictions, and the paid version is expensive.
Wrapping Up
Facebook comes out as the obvious winner, featuring convenience and safety features that Craigslist falls short of. Coming close is eBay, with popularity and advanced features as its forte.
Overall, every listed app has appealing features to help you sell your items and services seamlessly, especially if you already know how to sell on Craigslist. Choose any of these alternatives and begin your journey to financial freedom.
If you find this article helpful, don’t forget to share it with friends and family looking for other platforms to explore. You can also drop your thoughts in the comment section below. We’d like to hear from you.
