eBay Announces Kijiji: Please let us know your feedback here

[carly@ebay.com]

eBay Launches International Classifieds Websites

We would like to announce our launch of online classifieds Web sites in select international markets. Launched under the brand Kijiji, which means “village” in Swahili, the Web sites offer people in the same city a convenient way to meet, have fun, share ideas, and trade various goods and services.

Kijiji is now available in more than 50 cities in Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. In Canada, Kijiji is available in French only in Montreal and Quebec City. From building friendships and trading large appliances to talking about the city’s best restaurants or looking for a babysitter, Kijiji is designed to help people connect.

We encourage you to visit the Kijiji site, post a classified, and tell us what your experience has been. Is it easy to use? Do you like the site? Would you use Kijiji?

Kijiji

eBay Pink, Kitty will be reading this thread and answering your questions.

Regards,
Carly

[ferret-mom]

I have not had much success with the site. And although I don't consider myself a prude, frankly, I find a lot of the personal ads extremely offensive.

[jjbeynon]

I have had a lot of luck on kijiji, both as a purchaser and as a seller. I find it sometimes easier to use than ebay. And, if you don't like the personal ads, don't read them. I know I don't.

[ferret-mom]

My husband is the one who stumbled upon the personal ads when I tried to get him to list some of his stuff. I don't make a habit of reading them. I just find it a little odd that a website that heralds itself as a community, and seemingly with an eBay affiliation, would allow that sort of thing.

[toyingwithya]

This page did not work:

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-SelectCategory

page takes a long time to load and fails...

[4cutepets]

Well I am not impressed because there are already listings for pets. EBay doesn't post pets and set a wonderful example to online classifed advertisers by blocking this venue for puppymillers to sell. So,why are there pets on KIJIJI????

[world4361]

I just found out about Kijiji today but I have not been able to log on to the Toronto website (or any other). I am using a Mac G3 with Internet Explorer 5. Can anyone help me?

[guilsterthehiker]

I reported the 1st two but this goof keeps posting!!

[apollosplace]

I was able to visit the Toronto site (Windows XP running IE 6.0) but wasn't impressed with it. Just a glorified Craig's List really.
IMHO - waste of bandwidth unless I find something else on there that grabs my attention.

Alison

[lf1857]

I recently used kijiji and was sucessful at selling my motorcycle. Within 24 hours of the listing being posted I had 3 phone calls. As of a week later it went off to a new home. For me this was a very positive experience and I'm not sure why everyone is saying it is only in french. Logged into Canada site and went to Vancouver, all english. I would use this site again due to such a positive out come. The site for posting was easy even someone not used to doing online ads would like how smooth the posting can be done. Thanks for such a great forum.

[apollosplace]

I had no problems logging into the Toronto site and it was all English all the time too :)

[genhas5kids]

Wow after reading the posts on this board i got to say some of you got alot of times on your hands leave the english/french debate where it belongs I cant believe people can be so petty

Ive used the site a few time and had a great experience thier is however space for a few correction to make it easier to use.

[rudolph901]

I love the Kijiji site!!!!!!! I am an English Canadaian and can read the site quite fine. I'm not sure what the fuse is all about. Every add I've looked at so far has been English!! Anyway, I LOVE THIS SITE, and I think it's about time we've had something local and canadian to use to sell our stuff. Keep up the good work!B-)

[dgarts]

I've been to the site, which now seems quite functional for urban centres across Canada (I searched in all the Ontario sites as well as a few down east and out west).

My only nagging question is, what is the strategic value of this site in the eBay portfolio, or to put it plainly, how will eBay use this to make money?

I find it most curious that kijiji offers me the opportunity to buy and sell items without fees. In other words, although its "local" nature greatly reduces the reach and exposure of items I may be looking to sell, or the volume of choice in items I might be looking to buy, it allows me as a buyer/seller to avoid both listing fees and shipping fees.

With eBay's success, I just get the impression that a whole lot more traffic could remain revenue-generating at eBay if they reduced and SIMPLIFIED the fee structure so that a seller better understood the total cost of selling an item before they start their sell auction.

I've also wondered by eBay never bought a shipping company and offered preferred pricing to eBay customers. In so doing, eBay could realize new revenue streams to offset the reduction in fees, thereby increasing traffic, trust, etc. These are strategic ideas I'd more expect to continue to build the eBay brand, revenue, and trust in the system.

Further, and more importantly, the resources spent developing kijiji might have been better invested in a serious address of increasing security and fraud issues in the eBay community. I've downscaled the amount of non-local traffic on eBay because I am increasingy wary of scams in both selling and buying. That's the prime reason I went looking for a local site and stumbled upon kijiji, and then was surprised to find out it's an eBay entity.

Instead, they offer kijiji and now I have an outlet to sell without fees?

I don't get it, unless the fees are coming, or some other thing is in place behind the scenes to make it worth their while...??

Please clarify what kijiji does for eBay. I tend not to trust that a for-profit organization with as rampant a clutch on revenues as eBay should do ANYTHING strictly for the benevolent benefit of non-paying public.

[danielle3190]

the descriptions are too vague. when i look up 'clothing' for women, i get men's shoes, all kinds of jewellery, childrens clothes, purses, belts, all kinds of stuff i am not looking for.
sorry to say, but you need some work on this!

go for it!
danielle3190

[saladays_soup]

Kijiji is a great Idea, anyone who doesn't like it either didn't take the time to understand it, or is and idiot. Online community classifieds is a brilliant Idea, espicially combined with the breadth of users that ebay supplies.

G.

[midlife*mom]

I don't like it (and I'm no idiot, saladays). You cannot keyword search, and any listing I have questioned ends up the seller has already sold the item. Can't sellers then remove the listing after they sell it? --

[freekiefrog]

I liek it so far. Not sure if I mentioned earlier or not, but got rid of a couple of things (albeit free, but gone within 2 days for one item, and 10 minutes for another - LOL).

Also just bought a vehicle through the local Kijiji listings. And they had it listed on eBay at the same time, too, funny I never came across that listing? LOL

[jimmyneddy]

I love craigslist, I mean Kijiji. I use it all the time, no.. wait, I mean craigslist... this is a blatant rip off of craigslist! Maybe I should see if the posters on CL will start a site called cbay?

[midlife*mom]

SNIPE!

[dove3ducks]

Found it a great Site,posted 6 ads ,have emails on 3 items.Requested more information.Its in English,Why cant other people see that information?