The New Guys Wringing Every Last Buck From Online Classifieds

NYTimes looks at new classified ad services that offer a template for ads that can be posted across the major listings sites like eBay, Craigslist and Google Base. vFlyer and Postlets are already out there, and Mpire launches soon planning to charge a small fee. The jury’s out on whether this kind of service can generate any significant revenue on its own. ChannelAdvisor CEO Scot Wingo said “It won’t make a ton of revenue” because it’s relatively easy for someone to copy and paste their ad on different sites. But these services could offer work well in areas with more fragmented local markets.
The customer data on vFlyer isn’t searchable, because that would put them in direct competition with the classified sites themselves. It’s funded through display ads and might also add fees for bulk sellers like car dealers. Rival Postlets is considering charging for an enhanced service that would create ads with multiple pages, large photos, maps and video.
Mpire will launch in early 2007 aimed more at small businesses and will charge. CEO Matt Hulett said that the service probably wouldn’t make much money if it was aimed at people that only sell two or three times each year, but that high volume sellers valued a service that saves them time.
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This article originally appeared in MediaGuardian.

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