With so many online choices for buying used merchandise such as eBay, Craigslist, and Amazon, what does a site like Oodle offer? Similar to eBay, you can be informed when a new listing of interest becomes available but what makes Oodle useful is the ability to search for items within targeted geographic areas and the ability to search across several websites at once. Oodle acts as local search engine to locate items for sale, making it much more likely that you’ll actually find the item you’re looking for, at the price you would like to pay.

What makes Oodle effective is the ability to buy an immense variety of items including major purchases such as appliances, automobiles, and even houses. There are also pets, clothing, and music instruments for sale – basically anything you can think of (within reason). The way it works is pretty simple: type in your zip code, then click on a category you’re looking for. You can select a search radius as small as five miles around your home.

Unfortunately, the only problem with the site is the amount of merchandise available – i.e. it’s no eBay, not by a long shot. But if it was ever to get more active, it could be a powerful place to find great values. Even with the limited user activity, we feel the site’s unique functionality and navigation warrants keeping Oodle in your toolbox for buying used items online.

Practical Uses:

• Sell items from your apartment before your move to people within your neighborhood
• Find a free dog in need of a new home
• List items for sale that might not have had takers on traditional sites like eBay or Amazon
• Purchase local concert tickets
• Find an townhouse to rent near your office

Insider Tips:

• Take quality pictures of your items as this greatly increases visibility and chance of sale
• Be friendly in your description of what’s for sale – you’re asking someone to come and meet a stranger
• Search beyond your own zip code. If shipping costs don’t matter, you could find a rare item clear across the country
• Use the left sidebar to narrow down items so you don’t have to sift through hundreds of listings

What we liked:

• It’s free and easy to use
• A wide variety of possible items – though this depends on your location
• The ability to add listings to your website, so you can advertise your own products
• Downloadable Mac dashboard widget available

What we didn’t like:

• There isn’t a plethora of items available in certain locations
• Linking off site to another site’s classified page makes the browsing process unwieldy

Alternatives:

• Craigslist – www.craigslist.org
• iList – www.ilist.com
• Kaango – www.kaango.com
• Vast – www.vast.com
• Ubid – www.ubid.com

Company Info:

• Launched: 2004
• Privately Held
• Headquarters: San Mateo, CA
• Founded by: Craig Donato
• Web site: www.oodle.com

Costs:

• Free

Rating:

• 3 out of 5 (good)