Bad idea.
As a classified ad owner (2nd largest in my country), doing so would only give a chance to a newcomer.
The problem is to charge for the first penny... http://redeye.firstround.com/2007/03/the_first_penny.html
If Craigslist cost $1
61–70 of 77 posts
Re: If Craigslist cost $1
#62Well, sometimes friction is good, sometimes friction is bad. So let some sites have friction, and let Craigslist be Craigsilst.
Re: If Craigslist cost $1
#63Craigslist does need to start charging for personals. $1 would be pretty appropriate - enough to make spam unprofitable, but not enough to drive legit users to a better deal (at least I'm not aware of any).
Re: If Craigslist cost $1
#64What if publishing a blog post cost $1? Would people spend more time thinking them through?
Possibly, maybe they would even have time to go and build that other classified ads site to prove the people at Craigslist wrong.
The number of people that are willing to tell you how to run your business that do not run a comparable business always amazes me (and then there are the ones that don't run businesses at all...).
Re: If Craigslist cost $1
#65eBay is a great example of how charging money does not curve bogus, repetitive listings or fraud for that matter. A reputation system might go a long way and make people more accountable.
Apparently you have no memories of how ebay was before they started charging for listings. I have. It wasn't pretty. When ebay started charging, the howls and cries for boycott were loud and numerous, but fact is, the quality of the listings soared, and ebay's competitors did not profit; instead, they disappeared one by one.
Either that or they were bought out (marktplaats.nl for instance).
Re: If Craigslist cost $1
#66He's really using money as a proxy for identity/reputation/culpability. If you have something at stake, you are less likely to act like a jackass. Craigslist's propensity for scamming (and positive frictionless interaction) is because of its anonymity more than its cost.
Re: If Craigslist cost $1
#67The number of scam artists using the site would go down, because it's more difficult to be anonymous when money changes hands. Only slightly more difficult. The reality is that stolen credit card numbers are easily available to anyone who really wants to find and buy them (in bulk) and so using "ability to pay money" as a criteria for detecting non-scammers is weak. That's precisely because what scammers are good at…
If this was true, the credit card companies would all be out of business.
Re: If Craigslist cost $1
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think seth is saying a lot less ads will be placed, which will make the site nicer to use. Combine that added usability with the critical mass it already has and CL stay dominant and will make more money than it does currently.
I think he's wrong about it though. Honestly, craigslist hasn't failed me much. I rarely get spam or ads. When I need to sell something, it has always worked out. Part of the wonder of craigslist is that everyone has access to it. If they charged to post, some people wouldn't pay, and the community would suffer
Yeah I saw his post more as a HUGE hypothetical fantasy.
The premise of it is based on making money. While that is usually the end pursued by most commercial ventures, Craig Newmark has made it abundantly clear that optimizing money is never the goal at Craigslist.
Re: If Craigslist cost $1
#69Well, I don't think it is a bad idea.
I'm implementing a similar idea. But the adv will cost $5,00.
Re: If Craigslist cost $1
#70I wonder how much those spammers make per bogus listing. If it's more than what legit advertisers make per listing then charging per listing will only drive out the good guys or, at best, do nothing. If it's not, charge somewhere in the middle and, voila, problem solved.
I guess the reality is, you can only have a spamerless site when all your users are more lucrative than spammers.
Anyway, even if it would result in higher profits, CL would not be interested. Because they're not interested in driving up their profits.