Let's face it, most of us buy the local newspaper to find out what's going on in the area. And, of course, we'll take a look at the personal or for sale columns, too, whether accidentally or intentionally. I mean, it's human nature. We all like to know what is being sold and for how much, even if we've no intentions of ever buying. A minute or two later and the newspaper is tossed away. But just when you really need it, to find the number to call to place an ad, for example, it's nowhere to be found. Sod's law!

What to do now? The Yellow Pages - of course! Obvious. Thumb through it until you find the section 'Newspapers and Periodicals' and then carefully go through the list. There's the number. Grab a pen, note down the number and dial.

A couple of rings later and a friendly female voice asks you politely what department. You reply, "Give me the advertising department, please." Just about there now. You can almost smell the cash. Patience. A few seconds later, another equally friendly voice asks how she can be of help, too. What a friendly bunch. You explain you want to put an ad in for this week, in the 'For Sale' section.

"You want to put an ad in the 'For Sale' section in next week's paper.", she insists. Maybe she hasn't heard me correctly. "No, in this week's edition.", I repeat. "Sorry, can't do that. If only you'd called us 30 minutes ago. It's the advertising deadline, you've just missed it for this week. It's always midday on a Tuesday, no exceptions. Do you want to advertise in next week's paper?"

Keep calm. Don't get annoyed. Think. The paper comes out at the end of the week but my ad should have gone in half an hour ago. This IS Tuesday. What's the matter with you people? Never heard of give-and-take? Local newspapers suck. You can keep them. No choice, hang up the phone before I blow a fuse or say something I might later regret.

Then it hits me. Of course, the Internet! Is this not the age of web sites, email, instant communication and all the rest! No worries now. How many classified ad sites have you seen while surfing the web? Who knows. But maybe now is the time to look at them, not ignore them.

Load up Google in the browser, enter 'classified ads' and hey presto, there's a ton of classified ads sites out there to choose from. Spoilt for choice, indeed.

Right, the scenario above may be little more than a story but it does underline a serious point. In fact, it illustrates one of many good reasons why you should consider using freeads sites. You guessed it - instant advertising.

Cost is yet another exceptionally good reason. Local newspapers usually dent the budget. Classified ad sites cost nothing. Nothing to sign up and nothing to post ads either. And you can post as many freeads as you want. That's a real bonus.

Reason number three - there are LOTS of classified ad sites out there. Literally hundreds to choose from. Probably thousands. Sign up for as many as you want. And signing up is usually quick and easy, too, requiring only a valid email address, nothing more.

Going back to our scenario above, local newspapers typically have a circulation of a few thousand readers, all living within a few miles of where you are. Not so with a classified ads web site, which is the fourth good reason for using them. For they have reach. Your ad will be seen across the world, literally. So you are almost guaranteed to find a buyer for the item you are looking to sell.

Reason number five - usually you can add a picture of the item for sale at no cost whatsoever. Try doing that in your local newspaper and see what it does to your bank balance.