When presented with to many options, we as humans occassionally become over whelmed, at least I do. Today I walked into Subway and was asked what kind of sub I wanted, while I starred blank at the board. :)

Small is sometimes better, and certainly it does little harm for others to compete.

Here is our own little classifieds niche somewhere in the corner of the Internet: http://www.cliquecanada.com/classifieds

For one, Craig’s contempt towards foreign markets and foreign languages is one major weakness waiting to be exploited. I remember first seeing the promise “la version française bientôt disponible” (French version coming soon) on Craigslist-Paris a few years ago. Actually, the promise is still there (misspelled, btw). The French version is not.

Check out Kijiji in Paris (hint: it’s in French):

http://paris.kijiji.fr/

And now compare the numbers for the real estate section (arguably, CL’s most popular feature):

Kijiji: Immobilier (30,285)
Craigslist: Housing (7,225)

Whose site would you rather advertise on to reach the locals? CL, in English with 7 thousand ads or on Kijiji, in French with 30 thousand?

Some might say “big deal” – let Kijiji have Paris. But it’s not just Paris. Gumtree (Kijiji’s brand in London) has far more ads than CL’s anemic CL-London. So, London, Paris, and pretty much every single major city outside of US Kijiji already won.

It learned (or learning quickly) to adapt its brand, marketing, even colors to the taste of the local market. Craiglist, meanwhile, has been standing still and growing more and more pale by comparison.

I think Kijiji will find a unique, convincing way to please New Yorkers, Chicagoans, Bostonians and perhaps one day – even SF residents. And cookie-cutter Craiglist will probably remain the same for everybody, targeting no one in particular.

And finally, Craig: with $25M / year you can afford a goddamn designer.

JD, I have to disagree with you about eBay – they do what they say they do best – creating – and keeping the largest auction site in the world tremendously successful. Yes, they have been jacking around with skype for two years too long – and still haven’t used it to it’s potential – or integrated it with paypal and ebay.

On the other hand, they haven’t really stretched themselves thin like Yahoo has – so they can still monetize and use their properties to their ultimate potential.

I’m not convinced that they will ever make money off of kijiji. There is no profit model inherent that they have been successful with in the past. I think that they are hedging their bets, and creating a competitor to their own auction site. This way, if eBay is to continue losing steam, they also have a different sales model that runs itself etc.

I think that there is alot to be desired on craigslist in terms of features, that they could increase, and steal market share with. They could have a better ad creator, better search, and more specific categories.

Sincerely,
David Jaeger

If eBay wants to make a serious move they have the resources to do it.

Dustin, thanks!

James, I agree with your sentiment. It’s one thing to work like hell, it’s another to do so in a rat race.