Being a penny saving comparison shopper, I use both Craigslist.com and Ebay.com almost daily. I began using Ebay since its beginning and still today love its ease of use and selection. It never fails to amaze me on its vast availability ranging from Boeing 737′s to chiclets. Heck we’ve seen human organs, tattooed advertisements, and pen pals for sale. Its ability to provide basically any item a consumer demands at a discounted price (usually) is Ebay’s spinach for continual strength and growth.

However, Ebay has always had its disadvantages ranging from listing fees, shipping costs, lack of seller/consumer trust, and speed of transactions. This is where craigslist.com comes in.

Craigslist allows consumers and sellers to interact on a more personal level. I can now see an item before deciding to purchase it. Being able to take a test drive on a truck I’m considering to buy really adds to its appeal. Generally there are no shipping costs and most transactions can occur within hours after a listing. Craigslist also provides some amazing bargains from what I’ve seen. Without national competition prices tend to be lower if you can be the first to respond to a new listing.

Unfortunately, unlike Ebay, craigslist lacks on its selection. It took almost 3 months until I found a set of rims I was wanting to purchase for my pickup truck. The rims were always listed on Ebay by many sellers. However if I were to purchase them through ebay I was looking at around $650 for the set when shipping was accounted for. I paid $150 locally from the craigslist seller.

Overall I believe both companies will continue to grow. I don’t foresee Ebay going away any time soon. Its selection and availability allows it to remain a final source of online shopping. Craigslist will more than likely continue taking sales from Ebay (like they did over my rims purchase) however it is no where near “devouring” Ebay’s profitability. And yes.. the rumors are true.. Ebay owns 25% of craigslist.com…

“Q: Is there a connection between craigslist and eBay?
A: eBay acquired 25% of the equity in craigslist from a former shareholder in august of 2004.” http://www.craigslist.org/about/factsheet