4 ms·
Craigslist is actually the perfect example. No need to grow 1000% a year and no external VCs to push you to do so. They handle probably a factor of thousands mo
by bvandewalle 7y ago
Craigslist is actually the perfect example. No need to grow 1000% a year and no external VCs to push you to do so. They handle probably a factor of thousands more requests than Meetup and I think they are still less than 50 people?
- stickfigure 7y agoYes, but 999 of those 1000X requests are scammers and spambots. Craigslist has failed. They are not a good example of anything except the staying power of network effects... and how even that fades with time if you let your community turn into a cesspool.
- bvandewalle 7y agoI agree with you about the scams but as of today it still seems to be almost non challenged for the housing rental market for example. I would not call that failed.
- stickfigure 7y agoI don't know about rentals, but Facebook Marketplace has taken over the "buy and sell stuff" market. I tried listing something on both services a few weeks ago - CL gave me a dozen scams, maybe one real reply. Facebook gave me a half dozen real inquiries. I don't even bother with craigslist anymore.
- goatherders 7y agoI don't think CL has failed in the slightest. I probably buy something, sell something, and hire someone each by using CL a few times a year.
- rhizome 7y agoOn the other hand, three weeks ago I bought a car polisher for a good price from a nice guy a few cities over.
- hedora 7y agoI saved $1800 (over 50%) on a niche item on craigslist last month. The guy I bought it from is clearly making significant income selling them. It was the first listing I tried. No BS. They’re still great, at least around here.