AOL to Yank its Own Classifieds

After an “experiment” of more than a year, America Online has decided to quit letting individuals post classified listings on its Classifieds MarketPlace. Instead, it’ll aggregate offerings from vertical partners like AutoTrader, eBay Motors, CareerBuilder, etc. (These players already have partnerships with AOL to provide content in various sections of AOL.com and presumably on the AOL service.) This due to “a strategic shift in direction pertaining to our Search & Directional Media plans,” a spokesperson said.

Could it be it’s more lucrative to simply take in the big bucks from a classifieds player that pays to be the “exclusive jobs provider,” or whatever, for AOL? Makes sense to me. Though it’s already stopped taking new listings from individuals, AOL says people will soon be able to buy ads from partners via the AOL site. Continuing categories will include “autos, jobs, tickets, real estate and more,” according to the AOL site.