Preloved

Preloved, a British second-hand marketplace

Preloved is a UK classified ads site dedicated to buying and selling second-hand items. The platform presents itself as an alternative to auction sites and allows users to post ads for free in more than 500 categories. According to its own description, it has 10 million members and hundreds of thousands of active listings.

Listing and account model

The service charges no fees for listing or selling. Users can create a free account to buy, sell and interact with other members. There is also an upgraded account option with additional benefits for £5 a year, according to information on the website itself.

Categories and types of items

The catalogue is organised into more than 500 categories. Among the sections highlighted by the site are furniture and fittings, pets, clothing and jewellery, collecting, horses and livestock, and spares and accessories. The platform also groups animal listings and publishes lists of new items and new animals.

Animal welfare and listing guidelines

Preloved devotes a significant part of its activity to regulating animal listings. The website states that it applies strict guidelines on which ads it permits and which it does not, built into the listing process. The company says it meets the minimum standards of the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) and maintains a page on its commitment to animal welfare. Its educational resources include checklists for buying and rehoming pets responsibly, guides to buying equines online and materials on maintaining safety standards in animal listings.

Community and additional services

The platform includes a blog with pet care guides and a section called Freeloved, where items listed for free by members are shown. It also offers a rewards space for members and a search system with location selection to find items in the user's local area.