robwebb2k

It’s a funny coincidence that Microsoft will be pulling the plug on their little known Live Expo classified service just three days after MySpace announced that they will be ramping theirs up with Oodle. These changes are indicative of the larger trend: the classified game remains elusive for large major new entrants. Facebook’s classified service has been less than stellar (I can’t even find a link to it right now) and Edgeio has been shuttered while Craigslist and eBay continue to dominate the all-in-one classified scene.

However a number of niche sites operating alongside the classified space have popped up and many have flourished. Some of these services offer an intermediary layer between consumer to consumer and business to consumer transactions that otherwise would be a direct connections in a pure play classified scenario while others target specific demographics design and marketing. It will be interesting to keep tabs on these services and their impact on the big dogs.

Tickets: StubHub, Viagogo

Jobs: SimplyHired, Indeed, Jobster, LinkedIn

Electronics and Cell Phones: Flipswap, VenJuvo

Consulting: KnowledgeBid (my company), Gerson Lehrman Group

Technology Gigs: eLance, oDesk, Rent-a-Coder

Parking Spots: ParkWhiz, Parkatmyhouse, CarHarbor

Hand Crafted Goods: Etsy

Shipping: uShip

Dating and Personals: JDate, Match, PlentyofFish (and many more)

Leave a comment if you think I’ve missed a company or category and I’ll at them to the list.