Thursday, December 25, 2008

Free Classifieds How Do They Work?

By Alex Wu

The Internet is the new place for placing free classifieds. The local paper does not let you run ads for free. They are good for local sales, like a car or some large piece of furniture or equipment. You can also advertise locally on the internet. If you have smaller items you can reach a larger audience. Classified ads target the people that are already interested in the product or item already that is why they are there.

You wonder why they are free. Well they have many "link ads" on their web pages and the more ads they have, the more pages they have to place those ads on. They are often paid on a per click basis. They also offer upgrades like you can post a picture with your ad for a fee, or get a premium membership and pay no fee for the extra feature.

Imagine how many people are online at any given time of day; now imagine how many of them are looking for things to buy online. This could be your buyer in that bunch. Take the time to find the right classified website for your needs. Do a web search to find the ones listed in the top results. These are where you want to place your classified ads. More exposure means better chance of a sale and even a faster sale.

These classified websites offer local advertisements, as well as state wide, and global exposure. This is great for those of you who have a vehicle or furniture, because local is who you would want to target, if you have small items to be mailed, than you can hit a larger market, just be sure to add shipping in the final cost and let the buyer know this.

Once you know what you want to sell and where you will place the ad, make sure that you have a good, clear, and brief ad describes your item or service and set your price and method of payment accepted. Place a contact e-mail address not a phone number. You do not want your number all over the Internet.

Do not give out a phone number to call, people will call you all hours of the day and night. Dive an e-mail address for contact. I would create a free e-mail account just for this purpose. This will save you much grief. Place in the ad what type of payments you will accept. PayPal is my favorite, but you can take money orders and checks. I would not release the item or service until the check clears. There are scammers who use the "I will send the money once I know you have sent he product". Do not fall for that.

These classified ads will give you exposure in the local market as well as statewide and even global if you choose. Look for testimonials or look at ant statistic you can find about your chosen website to sell on. If they have a form join it so you can find out if other people are selling well on there. Ask how long it takes usually. Cancel your ad once your item is sold.

When you decide on the website that you will place your classified ad on, look into the terms of service and use. Make sure you know of any costs that they charge, and for what they are charged. Know what restrictions they have as far as what you can advertise on the website. The ads usually run between seven and thirty days, know what yours will run for. Do your homework and you can sell many things for free on the Internet. - 15634

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