LE will have to set up stings someplace else now.

I could care less and agree  the only   posts there now are ones it seems are the girls that are trashy and have pimps in my area.CL agreed to block it   themselves due to under age postings so maybe they will be more particular in the future .

If hobbyists see those girls on CL they are asking to be put in jail in my area.I never see any decent girls posting an ad and I bet almost all are ran by pimps that jump city to city .




-- Modified on 9/4/2010 12:42:08 PM

According to an April report by media consultancy the AIM Group, Craigslist's adult services section accounts for 30 percent of the site's total revenue -- an estimated $36.6 million in 2010.

As of this morning. It says "censored" in the adult services section.

First, that was a projection for 2010 from a third party company. CL has not made 36 million  in 2010. CL does not report publicly so no one but insiders knows what they actually have made.

     Second, that same group, AIM, estimated that CL has a phenomenal 80% profit margin. So if they were indeed making revenue of 36 million on adult services that would  mean that CL is voluntarily giving up 28 million a year in profits.

     All right St. Croix, how many companies can you name that will give up 28 million a year in profit?

      Yet CL says it cannot afford to manually review or otherwise police all ads to insure they meet CL posting guidelines.  
See the disconnect? If they were really making that kind of money, the market tells me they would simply increase their screening requirements to satisfy the AGs rather than delete the section.

      And if there is really an 80% margin on adult service ads, the big boys would get into the business. (Hello, TER’s ad department? Why are you charging the guys and not the advertisers? Hint -multiple revenue streams is the business model)


       Either AIM is way off in its estimate, or CL is going to spend more of that 28 million on ad screening. They are not going to just give it up.

I seriously doubt Craigslist generated $30M+ on the adult ads alone. First, you are absolutely correct, Craigslist is a private company and is not required to release financial statements. I have a hard time equating Craigslist as a true for profit company, especially if you have read anything about its founder Craig Newmark.

They make most of their money by charging something like $25 for each job posting, which is still less than print or internet ads. They did start charging a nominal fee for adult ads, but not enough to generate $30M, considering their value, per 3rd parties, is around $10M. I have no credible facts about the $10M, just rumors from others in Silicon Valley. Using a standard one-time revenue model, then Craigslist would have a worth of at least $40M. Just another disconnect.

Now you would think Craigslist, or somebody else would see its value and try to monetize it. EBAY owns 25%, but hasn't really done anything with its investment. Maybe its Silicon Valley being sympathetic to a San Francisco liberal owner and his view about the Internet.

And no, I can't think of one company that would give up $28M in profit, especially when you have a gross profit of 80% as suggested by AIM. Their cost structure is almost negligible.    

FYI, I've been enjoying this fabulous chardonnay that has a floral bouquet w/out being overpowering. It's excellent with a cheese fondue. If you ever see me drinking or eating that shit, you have license to slap the shit out of me. You sure you're not Paul Giamatti. Let's see if you can guess the reference.

Now let me sulk as my Bruins lost to Kansas State.


-- Modified on 9/4/2010 7:41:36 PM

They WILL come after other sites next, probably BP and maybe this one.

As far as CL goes, at least in my area, the ads were nothing but scams. That was the LAST place I would look for a real provider.

so for every ad in the Erotic section in EVERY city $10 a week will generate a TON of cash. Not sure 30 million but I wouldn't doubt it was a LOT.