When it comes to seeking a reliable source for something, most people will turn to classified ads. The reason being these are placed categorically and those who know what they are searching for don't have to scour around all ads to find what they are looking for. The reason for placing classifieds is universal.
It works for all parties involved because this is serious business and these non display ads speak for themselves. What happens when someone takes advantage of this trustworthy system and runs a big scam?
The results are as intended. Unsuspecting readers will be taken in by the scam and by the time they realize it may just be a little late.
There are plenty of fraudulent classified ads placed in leading newspapers and magazines. Most of these fraudulent classified ads are placed in categories of job offers, franchises, money making opportunities, property deals, and trade of automobiles.
These are popular categories and there are many people searching through classifieds in these popular categories. The aim of fraudulent classified ads is to make money off innocent bystanders who take a genuine interest in the rogue advert.
The brains that work behind such fraudulent classified ads are intelligent and most certainly ambiguous. In this online era, it becomes even easier for such operators to gain immediate success.
In fact the situation is such, that after a successful fraudulent classified ads operation, they come back with yet another scam and it's still impossible for people to get a whiff of the catch. With fraudulent classified ads, their modus operandi is to ensure that people don't start suspecting right at the onset and at the same time they try to reach out to a majority of people.
For this reason these fraudulent classified ads are placed in the classifieds section because that's where it'll be guaranteed maximum viewing. These ads run for long with the intention of ensuring a decent conversion rate.
The reason fraudulent classified ads succeed is because many people respond. In simple calculation, even if they were asking for just a few dollars, and many people responded, they would get away with a whole lot of money.
The truth is, it's not simple to identify fraudulent classified ads. The only way to steer clear is to ensure that you exercise caution when dealing with offers that sound too good to be true. Exercise your judgment and stay safe. An effective manner in which fraudulent classified ads work is they could choose to use a brand name that's already famous.
For the unsuspected reader, it's very difficult to know that they are not dealing with the actual brand but a fake. In regards, to the real brand, there's times it takes a while for such a matter to come to their notice and even though this is infringement, justice could take years to come and by then the damage done is almost irreversible.
Fraudulent classified ads are a real menace but society is not devoid of them. So next time, you are checking the classifieds don't believe all your eyes see because even deception is a virtue. One thing's for sure; no one's guarantying the classifieds, so do all you can to ensure that you aren't taken for a ride.
Can you still make money with eBay?
Yes it is! And I'm going to talk about one of the most under used features on eBay - the classified ad.
While the classified ad format has been around for a while on eBay, it has only recently began to attract attention due to the amount of people starting to use it to its full potential, and making money from it.
eBay has even admitted that classified ads are a great lead generation tool, so why not take advantage of it.
For the small fee of $9.95 for an ad that runs for 30 days on one of the most visited sites online. While at first glance that might seem a high price, it roughly works out to less than 0.35 cents per day.
eBay currently is the fourth most visited site on the internet with billions of people visiting every month. Even if you could only grab a handful of that traffic you could potentially make a lot of money.
Grabbing that sort of traffic means that you are going to have to grab the attention of the potential buyer, and what better way to do that is by using a sales page as your advertisement.
First you will need a good title to encourage customers to click through to your ad, and then a strong description that encourages them to take action.
Whether that action is to buy your product, contact you for more information, or promote your website, the freedom of what you can do with classified ads on eBay means that it is all possible.
Advertisments on eBay are very similar to regular auction listings with a few differences.
- First is that because you are not selling a physical item like you would in a regular auction, you don't have a bid now or buy now button on your listing.
- Second is that you will not be able to give or receive feedback (which might be a blessing in disguise!)
- Third, because the sales process happens outside of eBay, there is no final value listing fee.
What you can and cannot write or promote inside your ad has been debated for some months, but you can read eBay's full policy on classified ads at its website.
Both Alan Biron & Tracey Edwards are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.