Craigslist looks like a website straight out of 1995. However, its user base is larger than ever. With hundreds of millions in revenue and extremely valuable data, the Craigslist net worth is high, despite a lack of profit.
While the rest of the internet opts for modern, sleek user interfaces, Craigslist refuses to move with the times.
Created in 1995, the popular classified advertisement website’s appearance has hardly changed since. Likewise, they have done little to combat spam and illegal listings. However, despite its outdated appearance and acceptance of criminal activity, users continue to flock to Craigslist to search for everything from jobs to unwanted items.
While sites such as Gumtree have managed to capture some of Craigslist’s market, Craig Newmark’s creation has kept numerous competitors, such as Geebo, OfferUp and Oodle, at bay. It is one of few websites that have survived the test of time from the very beginning of the Internet Age.
Craigslist started as a local events list, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It now contains hundreds of categories, tailored to over 700 different cities around the globe.
Craigslist is a private company. Therefore, the company doesn’t have a specific value. However, given that Craigslist users are searching directly for items that they wish to buy, the popular site would be a valuable asset for a company that wanted to monitor users’ shopping habits. As a result, the Craigslist net worth is valued at $3 billion.
Craigslist net worth: How is the popular classified website monetised?
Incredibly, Craigslist has earned that astronomical evaluation, despite the website seemingly lacking monetisation.
Unlike similar services, Craigslist has avoided adding Google AdSense ads to their listings. This is undoubtedly one of the easier ways for websites to generate income, but can ruin usability of overdone or misplaced.
Instead, Craigslist uses a premium ad model to make money. While the majority of listings are free to post, some categories require the user to pay a fee. For example, depending on the user’s location, they are charged anywhere from $7 to $75 to advertise jobs. Likewise, rental listings will set you back $10.
This brings in hundreds of millions each year. However, Craigslist has never been profitable. The company spends all of its income on maintaining the site to ensure that its 60 million users continue to have a place to connect, haggle and shop.
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