Is it Time to Letgo of Craigslist?

How long has Craigslist been around?

This is a question somebody has to ask themselves at least once while browsing the 21 year old San Francisco based classified advertisement website. Its simple layout, with no ads to speak of, almost like the website of a young startup company. This makes sense considering there have been barely any changes since the website’s inception in 1995. Despite this, Craigslist has been nothing but a success. It is currently ranked the 46th most viewed website in the U.S, with over 22 million monthly page views, more than news powerhouses CNN, NYTimes, or TMZ. Yes, this community-run website that has 40 something employees garners more web traffic then multi-billion dollar news network websites. It is truly amazing how such a simple website has not been successfully replicated, or at least challenged.

That is until now.

Ladies and Gentleman, say hello to Letgo, a new and improved Craigslist. This Iphone, Android, and Google Play app since its release in February of 2015 has amassed 2 million downloads. Its premise is the similar to craigslist, a place for you to buy and sell stuff locally, anything from clothes to cars. While Letgo still has a far way before it can compete with the likes of Craigslist, it has one major advantage, its accessibility, specifically on mobile devices. Letgo co-founder Alec Oxenford explained that, “There has been a lack of innovation in the U.S. classifieds space, particularly when it comes to mobile…We think Letgo’s mobile first design, which is streamlined to make buying and selling locally easier and faster than ever, is a key advantage for our platform.” Oxenford also believes that there has been a “lack of innovation in the U.S. classifieds space, particularly when it comes to mobile,” and he is definitely on to something. Take a look at some of these screenshots from the mobile version of Craigslist.

Now, let me say that again Craigslist mobile site, especially considering it does not even have an official Iphone/Android app is very well done. You can navigate through all the same sections and do everything you can on a computer. However, the experience is limited. You can only two posts at a time, and there are varying levels of how close you are to the buyer, and you have no way of telling if the person selling is legitimate. Now look at some screenshots from Letgo.

Again, while the premise is the same, look at how much more accessible everything is. Just by opening the app, I can look at 5 pictures of different items. In addition, I can search different categories instantly, and tailor Letgo to how far away I want to search, not just down to a general location. In addition, the interaction between consumer and seller is reduced to simple in app messaging. No need to search through the email you barely check, no need to give absolute strangers your phone number, all negotiating is done through the app itself. Letgo will also tell you if other buyers are interested in the same product, and how many people have viewed the product overall.

The entire process of getting rid of that old drum set or old gaming console can be done in one afternoon watching TV with your phone. Take out your phone, open the app, take a picture, type in a price and a quick description and post it. Boom, you’re done. That in itself sold Letgo to me, it took me minutes tops to post items. The same can go with buying an item, like what’s there? Message the buyer and wait. It’s a streamlined Craigslist neatly placed into your iphone or Android.

So, could Letgo be the new Craigslist? Possibly, time will only tell if this streamlined process can capture consumers hearts. That being said, I think it is time Craiglist actually had some competition, and look forward to how this will turn out.