Gumtree
| Gumtree logo | |
Type of site | Classifieds |
|---|---|
| Owner | eBay |
| Created by | Michael Pennington and Simon Crookall |
| URL | http://www.gumtree.com |
| Registration | Optional |
Gumtree is an extensive network of online classifieds and community websites. Classified ads are either free or paid for depending on the product category and the geographical market. Sellers may promote their listing through featured placements on the homepage or under product categories.
Gumtree now covers 60 cities across 6 countries[1] - the UK, Ireland, Poland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It is the UK's largest website for local community classifieds and was once one of the top 20 websites in the UK.[2][3]
Gumtree was founded in March 2000 by Michael Pennington and Simon Crookall[4] as a local London classified ads and community site, designed to connect people who were either planning to move, or had just arrived in the city, and needed help getting started with accommodation, employment and meeting new people.
In May 2005, Gumtree was acquired by Kijiji, eBay’s internal classifieds group, for an undisclosed sum.[4] At the time of the acquisition, Gumtree already was available in multiple cities in a number of countries including the United Kingdom, Poland, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, China (Hong Kong) and United Arab Emirates (Dubai).[5]
Notable events
- March 2000: Gumtree is founded.
- May 2005: Gumtree is acquired by Kijiji.
- May 2010: Gumtree re-launches with new usability features, including more localised search functions.[6]
- August 2010: Gumtree launches its first television advertising campaign.[7]
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In May 2011 the Get Gumtree Animal Free group was launched on Facebook in response to concerns about Gumtree's 'Pets for Sale' category. Because Gumtree ads are not checked by staff when they are posted, it has been possible for thousands of ads to be posted which break Gumtree's rules, which were formed under guidance from the Pets Advertising Advisory Group. Gumtree relies on users to report any ads that break its rules. Some of the ads reported by the group since 2011 include ads for sick, injured and pregnant animals, ads from puppy farmers and commercial breeders, ads promoting illegal hunting/bloodsports, ads for livestock, wild animals and protected endangered species. There have also been reported cases of animals offered 'free to a good home' on Gumtree being taken and used for dog fighting, or in the case of smaller animals as live bait.[8]
Fraud and scam using Gumtree
The Guardian newspaper reported that, flat-hunters fall victim to costly rent deposit scam using Gumtree. A London landlord was ripping off prospective tenants by taking deposits and then charging a fortune to check references.[9]
In April 2008, The Journal reported that "Gumtree scams continue to target international students", where students continued to be targeted by fraudsters offering to rent nonexistent flats by using this site.[10]
On 2 October 2008, a BBC News Investigation claimed, "Prospective tenants are being conned out of thousands of pounds in an elaborate Internet scam using Gumtree.[11]
In 2008, Gumtree was featured on BBC Watchdog for being a medium of money transfer scam. The flat hunters are the victim of this scam. Gumtree claims that it is an "industry-wide problem that affects a small number of their users".[12]
On 9 November 2009, BBC news warned over bogus landlord scam using Gumtree.[13]
Actionfraud, a service run by the National Fraud Authority UK, issued a warning on 30 July 2010: "Scam targets potential tenants on Gumtree. A number of would-be tenants have lost money after replying to a new wave of bogus adverts for rental accommodation on the website, Gumtree."[14]
Expansion timeline
Significant developments in Gumtree’s international expansion beyond the UK include:
- September 2004: Gumtree launches a site in Warsaw, Poland.[15]
- May 2005: Gumtree launches a site in Berlin, Germany.[16]
- June 2005: Gumtree expands into Italy, with sites in Rome and Milan, Italy, increasing its coverage across 31 cities.[16]
- August 2007: Gumtree expands to the US, targeting expat communities in New York, Boston and Chicago. The company intends to pitch its service at the 2 million British, Australian and Polish expatriates in the US.[17]
Languages
The Gumtree service is available in English and Polish, and additional languages through its partner websites.
See also
References
- ^ Gumtree Blog "About Gumtree", Gumtree.com.
- ^ Dave Friedlos "Gumtree embraces Web 2.0", Computing.co.uk, July 13, 2007.
- ^ "Alexa Top 500 Global Sites", Alexa.com.
- ^ a b "The Interview: The mysterious founders of Gumtree.com". LondonlovesBusiness.com. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012].
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Hani Durzy "eBay’s Kijiji Acquires Classifieds Web Sites", eBay.com, May 18, 2005.
- ^ Gumtree Blog "About Gumtree", Gumtree.com.
- ^ David Burrows "First ever TV campaign for Gumtree.com", MarketingWeek.co.uk, August 10, 2010.
- ^ www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Gumtree-Animal-Free[unreliable source?]
- ^ "Flat-hunters fall victim to costly rent deposit scam", Guardian.co.uk
- ^ "Gumtree scams continue to target international students", Journal-Online.co.uk
- ^ BBC News "Internet fraudsters in rent scam", BBC.co.uk
- ^ BBC Watchdog "Flat-hunter's transfer trap", BBC.co.uk
- ^ BBC News "Warning over bogus landlord scam", BBC.co.uk
- ^ Actionfraud "Warning – Scam targets potential tenants on Gumtree", Actionfraud.org.uk
- ^ "Gumtree plans pan-European roll-out of classified ad forum", NMA.co.uk, February 10, 2005.
- ^ a b Julian Mattocks "Gumtree.com to expand into three new cities", NewFox.com.
- ^ Jemima Kiss "Gumtree comes to America", Guardian.co.uk, August 14, 2007.