Online classified site LiveDeal.com formally launched this month, offering free online classified listings to sellers of all types of goods, including homes.
LiveDeal is different than most existing online classified sites in that it can connect buyers and sellers in nearly any town or rural region. Some classified sites, such as the popular Craigslist, operate in metropolitan areas, connecting buyers and sellers within one set region. Others, such as eBay, connect buyers and sellers across different towns, states or countries.
LiveDeal has more than half a million users, according to the company. LiveDeal combines the concepts of classified advertising, Yellow Pages and e-commerce, and is powered by technology that allows consumers to sort and view items according to a particular city, state or ZIP code. The browse page displays city name and distance from the buyer.
Home sellers and real estate brokers and agents currently can advertise homes on LiveDeal at no charge, according to founder and CEO Rajesh Navar, who was a member of eBay’s original engineering team. Property listings include one photo, description, city, state and ZIP code. Sellers also can include multiple URLs in the description.
LiveDeal’s real estate category has approximately 500 properties for sale, which includes commercial, residential, land, timeshares, vacation homes and an “other” category. The number of real estate listings is small, but Navar said the category is growing steadily.
The company’s strategy is to bring the best of e-commerce to the local level, Navar said. “While eBay has done well to connect members nationally and internationally, it doesn’t provide an advantage for the local seller or buyer,” he said.
The company this month announced its Triple Free Offer program, which provides sellers of all goods with free listings, free stores and access to the “Free for Life” program, which offers free listings for life for items worth $500 or less if the store maintains at least 10 for-sale items active on LiveDeal each month.
Users can purchase additional features for selling their items, including special highlighting of items or stores on the LiveDeal home page and within categories. LiveDeal also offers a fee-based “Buy Now” option powered by PayPal.
The site also includes an area where consumers can give feedback about their experience with other consumers on the site.
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