GumTree has gone downhill

GumTree has gone downhill

In a world of competitive advertising, sometimes starting up a business can be expensive.   Using advertising mediums like Google AdWords may need hundreds of pounds per week for it to be effective.    A startup company on a low budget may find themselves outpriced by high prices.

What used to be a breath of fresh air was GumTree that used to have a Job Wanted section and in my experience it used to be very effective in finding business as a sole trader but then they decided to remove it and start up a Job Section.

All power to the employer

What it has done is given all the power to the employer but no power to the job seeker or sole trader to have a dedicated platform to promote their services.

I contacted Customer Support and was told that I can upload my CV in the job section.   The issue with that is that I'm not actually looking for a job, I work as a sole trader.

The Job Wanted section worked!  My only issue was that it attracted businesses with very small budgets.   But I was OK with that because they needed someone part time and I prefer to work part time to give me time for other pursuits.

I was willing to make the sacrifice since most employment agencies don't cater to part time work; it's an all or nothing deal.   Five days per week or NO days per week.   It's easy to earn the money but it leaves no time but what is life?  Time or Money?

I realized that even if I was a multi billionaire I would know that life is not money it's time, so I was relieved that GumTree had the Job Wanted section that attracted businesses seeking my services.

Services section

I was told to advertise in the Services section which initially was £7.99 but they upped it to £10.99.  So I decided to give it a try only to find that it's a complete waste of money.   Unlike before the stats showed that my advert views had fallen by 80%.  

Advertising in the Job Wanted section used to be FREE and it attracted a lot of business attention only to find that their paid services section is like taking a match to £10.00 with 99p there to roll right down the drain.

Expensive Featured advertising

There is always the options of advertising in their featured section but it's extortionately expensive, charging fees like £89.00 for 7 days and £59.99 for 3 days when before it used to be less than half that amount.    I gave that a try only to find that unlike their former Job Wanted section promoting an advert in their Services section gained less views than when I used to advertise for free in their Job Wanted Section.

Nothing 

Now GumTree has become NOTHING to me; I don't even think about it apart from writing this article.   I just wanted to express how disappointed I am with the key decision maker who decided to get rid of the Job Wanted section.

I guess it just goes to show, change is not always for the better.

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