Gumtree unveil new site with UK wide search

Gumtree are about to unveil a brand new look and feel to the site with improvements in everything from location, search to the introduction of saved and recently viewed ads.
 
Up until now it’s been difficult to browse multiple cities, and for myself living equidistant between Reading and Oxford I’d happily sell or buy in both locations. Changing city would lose the search and category information and you’d have to start over again to look for items near you. Now with a simple drop down you can change your search criteria and Gumtree even highlight similar products in nearby locations.
 
As well as the location enhancements Gumtree have improved the category structure which now highlights similar ads in categories you might otherwise have missed. You can also refine your search by price or restrict it to only ads that have pictures of the item offered.
 
One thing I really like is the ability to see recently viewed ads which are automatically saved for you. If there’s an ad you really don’t want to lose you can also click to save it manually and it’ll be added to your saved items list in the “Your Gumtree” section at the bottom of the page.
 
The biggest change on the new Gumtree is how buyers search for a product. In the past it was essential to select your local Gumtree city before you started your search, otherwise the chance are you’d be searching London listings only. Now you can search the whole of the United Kingdom, and only when presented with your search results do you need to narrow them to your location. Best of all is the ease of switching between cities and the visibility of how many matching ads are in locations close to where you’re based.
 
This is Gumtree’s first Beta of the new site, watch out for Beta 2 next year where they’ll be adding even more new features and improvements.
 
If you’re an online seller and haven’t tried Gumtree yet I’d encourage you to give it a go. I know many sellers have been put off from using the site in the past as they “didn’t have a local Gumtree”, but now with UK wide search more users should be finding your products and services. Also of course Gumtree is free.

7 Responses on "Gumtree unveil new site with UK wide search"

1. 1
   JOHN MONTEITH says:

   December 11, 2009 at 12:24 pm

   i WONDER WHAT THEY ARE DOING ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF SCAMS ON THE SITE
   • 1.1
     Chris Dawson says:

     December 11, 2009 at 12:45 pm

     A fair question – Do you use the site and have you been scammed or is it just hearsay that you’re regurgitating?

     Here’s Gumtree’s guide to safety and their safety video

     I’d say Gumtree is every bit as safe as the classified ads of your local newspaper. As it’s a primarily an “in person” transaction use some common sense and unless you’re begging to be scammed there’s not a lot to go wrong.
2. 2
   radams says:

   December 11, 2009 at 1:52 pm

   Most of the scams on gumtree, such as ‘western union me the deposit for the flat you’ve never seen’ or ‘of course we have work for you as a male escort, that’ll be £100 registration fee’ are so obvious its hard to believe anyone falls for them.
3. 3
   Yael says:

   December 13, 2009 at 12:21 pm

   I used to use Gumtree a lot more, they’re finding more and more ways to trip you up to make you pay for ads.
4. 4
   Marc says:

   January 4, 2010 at 11:33 pm

   Take a look at http://www.ontinu.com. They launch 1st February I have just attended a private press style presentation and what they are offering is simply amazing. It is not really a classified site nor dating site, but you can use it as both and place as many ads as you wish within a trusted environment. Best of all, they promise to never charge the advertiser a penny.

   I for one will give them a go, but I cannot say too much about about what they do as I am going to be working with them soon.

   Gumtree have stopped their friends and dating listings now, so I can see all of this business going to the likes of plenty of fish or Ontinu now. Time will tell..

   M.
   • 4.1
     Chris Dawson says:

     January 5, 2010 at 12:30 am

     I seem to remember a certain e-money provider who promised their users they’d never charge them a penny… didn’t stop em changing their mind though
5. 5
   marc says:

   January 6, 2010 at 12:02 am

   That is true. I guess time will tell.

   M.