Avito

If you have ever typed фмшещ, you were looking for Avito: it is what avito becomes when the keyboard is set to Russian. The Russian site was founded in Moscow in 2007 by two Swedish entrepreneurs, Jonas Nordlander and Filip Engelbert. Naspers, through Prosus, took full control in 2019, and in October 2022 Prosus agreed to sell Avito to Kismet Capital Group.

Avito.ma started in 2012 as a project of the Russian company, which sold its stake to Schibsted in July 2015. Since then the two sites have gone separate ways.

Avito's own delivery service, Avito Dostavka, was launched in 2018 for more than 650 Russian cities. Payment is another hurdle: since March 2022 Visa cards issued outside Russia no longer work there. Any purchase from abroad depends on what you can agree with the seller.

BuyHub searches Avito through your own connection, with the free extension for Chrome or Firefox or the BuyHub app. Saved searches still run as radars even when your phone and computer are off.

Avito is the name shared by two classifieds platforms that operate independently of each other: avito.ru in Russia and avito.ma in Morocco, each with its own listings, sellers and currency. The Russian site, founded in 2007, is one of the most used classifieds portals in the country, covering property, vehicles and second-hand goods of every kind. The Moroccan one is a local go-to for cars, real estate, electronics and jobs. On both, basic listings are free and buyers negotiate directly with sellers.

For collectors, avito.ru stands out: private listings there turn up Soviet-era items such as toys, posters and porcelain figurines, as well as classic cameras, samovars and vintage electronics. Russian listings are written in Russian and priced in roubles; Moroccan ones appear in French or Arabic and in dirhams. Many sellers are local private individuals, so it is worth confirming whether they will ship abroad before committing to a purchase.