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Where To Find The Best Free Advertising Online

The other day I decided to clean out my garage, and was amazed at the amount of unwanted items I’d collected over the last couple of years. There was a couple of cell phones, ski boots, my old laptop, pieces of furniture and even the old salt water system from the pool. All were in excellent working order and far too good to throw away. Thinking that they would certainly be useful to someone somewhere, I decided to advertise them on the Internet. But where would I find the best free advertising online?

I decided to research the main websites.. like Craigslist, US Free Ads, and eBay before deciding which would be the best place to sell my unwanted items. Key criteria was going to be ease and speed at which the items were sold, and of course how much I would get from the total sales. A quick visit to each of the sites had me realizing there was no simple answer when it comes to selling your unwanted items. Finding the website offering the best free advertising online was to be no walk in the park.

I started by categorizing every aspect of the selling process, making a note of the strengths and weaknesses of each of the online advertising services I was to research. Here’s a few notes on my findings.

Craigslist – Free Advertising Online

The Craigslist web site works in much the same way as an old fashioned classified ads portal, with the main difference being that you are able to add images with your text, and buyers are able to browse advertisements in their own geographical area (city and state) by category or simply by the date, making contact with the seller either online or by phone number, assuming one is provided. Sellers choose a metropolitan area, and category, create an ad (with or without photos) adding their phone number if they wish. The seller’s email address is hidden from would be buyers. Contact with the seller is made through internal email. The seller thereby controls how they wish to be contacted by prospective buyers. The great thing about Craigslist is it’s free, with no charges for seller or buyer. Shipping costs are rarely an issue as the web site works locally giving potential buyers the opportunity to visit, inspect and collect merchandise.

A couple of disadvantages with Craigslist are firstly your advertisement is limited to one particular metropolitan area, and secondly, because of the open nature of the bulletin board, it has become a haven for spammers and scammers, so you need to be on your toes and never release any goods until you’ve been paid in cash.

US Free Ads – Free And Paid Online Advertising Services

US Free Ads has been offering free advertising online since 1999, and the web site offers both free and paid online advertising services to it’s 800,000 members.

Basic membership is free, but is limited to private non-commercial use. Once you’ve registered, you are entitled to free advertising online, and can choose to either go nationwide or stay in your own metropolitan area. You can place a new advert at any time and you are able to advertise most products, items and services, as you would expect to find in a regular newspaper classified section. As a seller you can place your advertisement with images, and. prospective buyers can contact you through internal email so although you might receive the odd spam mail, security is pretty good.

eBay Classifieds – Local Free Advertising Online

Most people automatically think of eBay as being a paid auctions web site, but eBay Classifieds was launched in the U.S. in June 2007, originally as Kijiji.com, and specializes in free advertising online with the emphasis on local ads. You will need to register to post a free ad, but once you log in you’ll find loads of categories to choose from and 272 local community areas across the US.

The only drawback I found with eBay Classifieds is that it is local only, so you are only able to place your ads in your own area. Security is good though and because eBay Classifieds is part of the eBay Group, you can expect your ads will have a great deal of exposure.

So, having had a closer look at these three quality, online advertising services, I found it difficult to make a choice between them. Then it dawned on me.. since there was no fees involved and they all offered free advertising online, I decided to advertise my ‘stuff’ on all three portals. It turned out to be a fun exercise and needless to say I sold everything within a week. I did notice that the bigger items sold through Craigslist, and the more expensive items sold through the contacts I made at US Free Ads, with the remainder of my sales took longer, but sold through eBay Classifieds.

At the end of the day, I guess I was unable to discover which was the best free online advertising portal. My advise to anyone interested in clearing out the garage, looking for a new job, buying a used car, selling your old bike, lining up a babysitter, or simply warming to your kids’ plea for a puppy, is to keep your options open. Use all three of these fine online advertising services to full advantage, and I’m sure, like me, you’ll be delighted with the results.

Differences in the Types of Auctions That Take Place Around the World

Auctions are those events where properties or goods are sold to the highest bidder. Auctions are mostly public events, where bidders make a series of bids and purchase a particular item for a high price. During auctions, bidders decide the price of an item rather than the seller. It depends on bidders to decide the amount they would want to pay for a specific item. During an auction, a bid is a proof of a legal binding. Bidders agree to pay the amount that they have bid. In a high profile auction, bidders may have to pay a deposit in escrow accounts or give a proof that they can pay for those items.

Types of Auctions:

Different types of auctions take place around the world. Below mentioned are some types of auctions:

1. English auction:
This is a basic type of auction. In this type, people can see the item and then start bidding. Bidders slowly raise the value of their bid until everyone gives up. The highest bidder is the winner. An auctioneer manages an auction, keeps records of the on going bid and decides the winner. Sometimes, the seller will quote a minimum amount for an item to the auctioneer, below which the auctioneer cannot sell that item.

2. Dutch auction:
In this type, the auctioneer sets a particular price and then gradually lowers the price. People in public will start bidding and later decide which prices are suitable for the item. A seller may use this type of auction to sell large quantities of same products to the public. For instance, a seller may want to sell a large amount of hay and will thus, decide to sell this hay to people for the same amount, once a reasonable price is decided.

3. Silent auction:
In this type, the bidders in public will present their bids in a sealed format. These sealed bids open at the same time and bidder with the highest bid wins. There could be a modification in this type of auction. The bidders are allotted a specific period to bid. They can roam in a room displaying the items, and write their bids on an associated sheet of paper. The bidders are allowed to see bids of other bidders and can choose a higher price for an item. At the end of the allotted time, bidder with the highest bid is the winner.

Examples of Auctions:

Auctions can be of two types either public or private. Sellers may trade any kind of items in both types of auctions. Some areas where auctions take place are:

1. Antique auction: An antique auction consists of a trade opportunity as well as provides entertainment.

2. Collectable auction: In a collectable auction, the seller may put up collectables like coins, vintage cars, luxury, stamps, real estate, and luxury for sale.

3. Wine auction: In wine auction, bidders can bid for rare wine, which may not be available in retail wine shops.

4. Horse auction: Bidders can bid for young horses of the best breed.

5. Livestock auction: In livestock auction, bidders can buy pigs, sheep, cattle, and other livestock.

The other examples of auctions may not be public. These auctions are for bidders from corporate levels. Some examples of private auctions are:

1. Timber auction
2. Spectrum auction
3. Electricity auction
4. Debit auction
5. Environmental auction
6. Auto auction
7. Electronic market auction
8. Sales of business auction

Bidders in an auction need to examine the items displayed and decide an appropriate price for an item. Thus, auctions help buyers in getting the best deals and in gaining better profits for sellers.

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5 P’s of a Successful Home Based Business

Achieving a successful home based business stands out as the goal of any home business entrepreneur. One can find numerous tips, ebooks, and websites that provide advice regarding how to do it. But I believe that all this information, as important and as required as it is, can be grouped into five broader categories. You need a purpose, passion, a plan, persistence in carrying out that plan, and patience to wait for the plan to work.Purpose- The first step is easy. It’s the reason you went looking for a successful home based business to start with. Write down the reasons you want or need to work from home as well as what you will do with the extra income you make. Read these reasons aloud first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. You may even put pictures on a poster board to remind you of what you will do with the extra income and place it somewhere in the house where you will see it regularly. Think of them during the day. Doing this will lead naturally to the next step, which is passion.Passion- Napoleon Hill said, “Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.” When you develop a strong purpose or desire to work at home, it will lead to a deep, burning passion to succeed. That desire will carry you through failures, by people who tell you can’t do it, and it will help overcome your own doubt. One thing that is hardly ever mentioned to those who are starting their home based business is the need for personal development. A person needs to grow just like their business grows.Plan- Everyone knows the saying, “He who fails to plan, plans to fail.” That holds true for a successful home based business. I don’t know how many people, including myself, have started a home business opportunity without having any idea, or attempting to get an idea, of what to do to be a success. The way to develop a plan is beyond what I will attempt to say here but I will make 4 points. First, the plan needs to written down. A written plan holds a person accountable and gives you a track to run on. Secondly, utilize a mentor, if possible, that will help you come up with a written business plan. A mentor can be someone involved your home based business, someone who already has a successful home based business, or it may be someone that will do it for a fee. Thirdly, the plan should be goal oriented. Goals need to be specific and have a definite date for completion. And finally, be fairly flexible with your plan. You may need to make some modifications to it especially if something just isn’t working. But the main thing is to keep a written plan in place at all times.Persistence- My favorite way to describe persistence is sustained effort. Once a plan is in place, it must be carried out, continually. Create a schedule to carry out your plan and do your absolute best to stick with it. Treat your own home based business like a full time job and eventually you’ll harvest the rewards of a full time occupation. Get the mindset that just as you have to go to your regular occupation on certain days at certain times, you need to work at your home based business on certain days at certain times.Patience- Finally, after the plan is created, and the schedule is laid out and you become persistent in carrying out your plan, you must be patient. This is a world of instant gratification. We want and can get most everything quick. But a successful home based business is not going to happen overnight. It has been said time and again that creating a successful home based business is really a marathon, not a sprint. Too many people quit just before they’re about to see results. Be prepared to stick it out for the long haul.I don’t know of a magic way to make money online. But I definitely believe that one can achieve a successful home based business by having a stated purpose, developing a burning passion to succeed, setting up a firm plan, being persistent in carrying out that plan, and by having the patience to wait for it to achieve its potential. And although there are hundreds of more detailed tips on creating a successful home based business, these are five easy ones to keep in mind.

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