As a seller, provider, or the poster of a listing, use eBay Classifieds rather than eBay when:
- You don’t want to bother with shipping.
- What you are selling or providing is either not available in eBay categories or is forbidden by eBay rules but not eBay Classifieds rules (for example, because it can’t legally be shipped).
- Your product, service, or interest is exclusively local (i.e. there’s no reason for people outside your region to even see your listing).
- You’d like to get paid in cash or check up front, rather than having to work with payment services like PayPal.
- You don’t want to be contractually bound and under time pressure as you are as an eBay seller.
Using eBay Classifieds as a Seller or Provider
- Visit the eBay Classifieds website.
- Select your location from the list of available locations. If you’re in a major city, you can simply choose that, otherwise you’ll need to choose a state or region first.
- Click on the “Post your free ad” link at the upper-right of the page.
- Select the appropriate category for your ad from those provided.
- Fill out the relatively simple form that follows for items in that category. In comparison to eBay forms, these are a piece of cake. Remember that the boxes not marked “required” are optional (including the location box) and that you can provide as much or as little information here as you like.
- Click “Preview your ad” to see a preview of what it will look like, and then “Post” if it looks good to you.
- Follow the email confirmation instructions that follow to confirm that you are a real person with a real email address.
- That’s it—your ad goes online.
When Not to Use eBay Classifieds
One thing not discussed on the previous pages is when
not to use eBay Classifieds. For that the answer is relatively simple. If you're already an active buyer or seller on eBay that is tremendously satisfied with the way eBay works and the results you're getting, there's little reason to try to switch. eBay Classifieds isn't meant to be an e-commerce platform in any sense of the word—more, somehow, like a laid-back place to connect in your own village.
