Generations of Australians have eagerly bought the Trading Post to peruse the classified ads, pen in hand, in the hope it will lead them to their next car, or pet, or a coveted item for a bargain secondhand price.
From a fledgling business in 1966, the Trading Post has grown to national publication with several versions across six states and the Northern Territory. Print publication has now ceased and the Trading Post will be published solely online as an internet classifieds advertising website.
The Last Trading Post Print Publication
The last print edition of the Trading Post went on sale on October 29, 2009. It featured a tribute to the Trading Post print publications history spanning 43 years. The staple weekly buy and sell classifieds newspaper published all around Australia lists ads in categories as diverse as cars, boats, pets, furniture, musical instruments, building materials and sporting goods. The cessation of print publication of the Trading Post resulted in 279 job losses.
Trend to Internet Classified Advertising Continues
The Trading Post group was purchased by Telstra’s Sensis arm in 2004 for $636 million. In recent years consumers have shown their preference for online classifieds. Increasingly, readers want their news and their ads instantly and that means online access. The internet is becoming a very real threat to the print media.
The Trading Post classifieds website was launched in 1996 and ran concurrently with the print publication. As James Kirby foretold in “Print Can’t Compete With Online Ad Site” in The Age, June 17, 2007 “a whole generation has popped up that would not dream of waiting for a weekly magazine.” In the past twelve months, print readership was down to 469,000 in contrast to the 1.8 million who visited the website each month.
According to Sally Jackson, The Australian October 1, 2009, Telstra Media’s Michael Padden blamed the worldwide trend towards shopping online for the decline in Trading Post print ads of 70 percent in two years, while an increase of 30 percent buoyed the tradingpost.com.au website. “ ‘With print classifieds usage declining significantly across ad volumes, circulation and readership, it’s unviable to continue producing the weekly print publications,’ Mr Padden said.”
The Trading Post and Internet Classifieds in the Future
In 2008 the Trading Post website was revamped and Trading Post Mobile launched. Sensis has now added online auctions to the Trading Post website functions in direct competition to Ebay. The Trading Post auction listings, unlike Ebay, are free of charge to list with a fee to pay only if the item sells. Sensis hopes to promote the Trading Post auction website as a local alternative to Ebay with more flexible payment options.
Related Article: Stories Behind The Trading Post In Australia
Sharon Ketelaar - Sharon Ketelaar is a Registered Nurse, travel enthusiast and avid reader who holds a Diploma in Editing and Publishing.
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