CityXpress Launches Craigslist Competitor for Newspapers

By: Jennifer Saba CityXpress, the company behind The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram's auction partnership, launched a new product for newspapers that?s aimed squarely at eBay and Craigslist.

The platform, eMarketplaceXpress, allows for free placement of an online classified ad, up to 2,000 characters and a free photo. The idea is to sell the advertiser additional ad-ons, usually priced in the range of $5, like the ability to enable a transaction (via an auction, best offer, or at a fixed price), the option to place more photos, and priority listing.

?The platform allows newspapers to compete on equal footing with eBay and Craigslist,? said Phil Dubois, president and CEO of CityXpress in Vancouver, adding that it should appeal to consumers and the small-business owners.

The model operates as an ASP -- newspapers pay a monthly fee depending on the number of listings and volume on the site -- and the CityXpress takes a cut from the up-sale, in the range of 5% to 9%.