Reviewed: OLX Classifieds for iOS is a newsy app with bite

This week I take a look at OLX Classifieds, an app that brings the much publicised web classifieds’ service to the iPad.

Even though OLX only launched a few months back, it feels as if it has been around forever. Everyone has seen the ad (especially if you’re a YouTube junkie); a slightly out of shape dad gets ridiculed by his honest, entrepreneurial daughter for holding onto an exercise machine that he’s used once, until she tells him how much she can get for it on OLX, and he sells it. It’s a situation that we’ve all experienced and can relate to, and probably should be doing more often. Seriously though, when you’re using your exercise bike as an ad-hoc wash line, it’s time to get rid of it.

In the past we used newspapers, or pawn shops to get rid of our unused items. These days though, we have the internet and sites like OLX. This app moves that website onto the iPad screen so that you no longer have to pull out the laptop or climb on the PC to get rid of your white elephants. Just unlock your iPad, fire up the app and load your items (Xbox games, concert tickets, old furniture or whatever else you need to get rid off). All that’s left is to wait for the leads to start calling, it’s that easy. Or alternatively, if you’re in the market for something specific like a second-hand guitar or an entry into the upcoming Knysna half-marathon, use the search function to browse through the numerous categories that the service has on offer. The idea is simple enough to comprehend, so let’s dive in to the actual review of the app.

What OLX has done well here is seamlessly transition from web to tablet without alienating its core focus — selling. The landing page is well designed and splits the hundreds of listings into a few focused categories that allows for ease of navigation, and ensures that you can find what you’re looking for in a few minutes. Posting a free classified ad is also very easy, simply enter the description and price, take a picture or record a video and post it, that simple. Now all you have to do is wait on the leads to start calling, and get ready to clean out your garage.

The geo-location feature within the app is quite a nice touch as well. Whereas the safer option would be to opt for a simple province selector drop-down menu or an interactive country map, OLX has thrown caution to the wind and gone for a location slider, which works well on the fly and is surprisingly accurate. The My OLX section is also quite a nice feature in that you can keep track of your ads, how many times they’ve been viewed, where exactly they’re being viewed as well as the age of the ad overall and how well its doing.

All in all, the app is a welcome addition to the South African developed app collection. It’s responsive and streamlined enough to use it exclusively, rather than jumping between both platforms all the time. The layout is incredibly easy-to-use throughout the app and the design is simple and clean. OLX classifieds for iOS is free on the App Store, so what are you waiting, download it now and start making some money from your old stuff (like this outdated laptop or iPad 2 that you’re currently using).

Name: OLX
Seller: OLX Inc.
Category: Lifestyle
Size: 8.9 MB
Price: Free