Guide to Internet and Newspaper Classified Advertising
Regardless of whether you’re selling a used television or an apartment building, there are many different options for classified advertising, each with its own benefits and drawbacks.
Some newspapers, classified advertising booklets/magazines, and websites let you place classified advertisements free of charge. There is sometimes a price limit for free ads, especially in newspapers. The limit generally ranges from $100-1000. www.CraigsList.org, one of the most popular websites, offers free classified advertising in almost every category. CraigsList only charges for job ads in a few major cities and a type of housing advertisement in New York City. A number of other free classified advertising websites exist, with varying degrees of effectiveness and popularity. Unless you are advertising something which can be purchased nationally or internationally, it is probably not worthwhile to post ads on classified websites which don’t allow for local searches. Keep in mind that some smaller classified websites may subscribe you to their newsletters, and they may not have features to protect your e-mail address from being collected by e-mail marketers. If you are selling a fairly valuable item and plan to post it on many classified websites, it may be worthwhile to create a webpage with information about it and a photo (if possible) so that this can be linked to the advertisements. Even some freely distributed newspapers allow free classified ads to be submitted for inexpensive items.
If you want to have greater exposure for your ad or sell an expensive item like a house or newer car, you will probably have to pay for classified advertising. Even publications and websites which offer free classified advertising usually charge extra if the ad exceeds a certain number of words or if features like bold print or highlighting are requested. eBay.com offers a paid classified advertising service which lets advertisers purchase ads to appear in the auction search results, and don’t use eBay auction system for sales. These ads let people contact the advertiser by e-mail and are purchased on a 30 or 90-day basis. Their cost varies greatly depending upon the category and period of time. Some newspapers offer to re-print your paid advertisement in the next issue for free if it isn’t sold the first time; be sure to determine if a newspaper offers this when you are comparing options. Some non-newspaper publications – such as state-specific magazines and local TV listing booklets – also offer classified ads, but these are often expensive enough so that they are only worth using to advertise real estate or businesses.
If your advertisement is unsuccessful, you may want to consider using a different method to sell the item. Some items – like vintage computer systems and AC power adapters for specific pieces of equipment – only appeal to a relatively small group of people, so they are more likely to sell on a national basis than locally. Using a non-localized classified site like iOffer or an internet auction service may be more effective in these situations.
