Canada’s largest classifieds site, LeoList, is famous as a hookup and escort services platform. It got popular right when the shutdown of Backpage happened in 2018. Ever since then it’s been on a rocket trajectory to growth and dominance in Canada.
This post is an indepth review that answers questions about what LeoList does, offers, pro’s and con’s… and more.
Keep reading.
LeoList is a classifieds site setup in much the same way as Craiglist. You’ll find categories and postings about real estate, pets, vehicles being sold and other gigs as well as job opportunities.
Even within that range of categories and advertisements, LeoList is primarily known for a site of hookups and escorts ads.
However, the general operation and the new changes all point to a site seeking to attract all kinds of advertisements.
LeoList is currently owned by Unicorn Media from Hong Kong and has announced a range of new features including allowing cryptocurrency as a form of payment and re-installing credit card processors and new featured ads.
The next question is why is it so popular instead of online sex sites as in other parts of the world?
The reason for this is the legality of advertising for sex in Canada. It is illegal for people to advertise sexual services. The third parties offering such a platform, as well as the people making the offer of money for sex are committing offenses under the new law set in 2014.
The crackdown on sites like Backpage for human trafficking left most sex workers with nowhere to place their services, with many reporting losing almost half of their income. This action pushed them to other platforms, and LeoList has benefitted the most. Sex worker activists and some members of law enforcement agencies feel there is a need for platforms like LeoList.
According to them, such a platform adds to the safety of the sex workers and makes investigations into human trafficking rings easier. This view explains why, despite petitions mounting on its closure, LeoList is still in operation. For people seeking casual sex or escorts, LeoLsit provides the convenience of a platform that has little hassles and broad target group catering for different niches.
You can easily access the site, and whether you are registered in or not, you can view ads on all categories. The site offers a verification process in an attempt to provide users with more ads that are genuine and weed out scams. The verification process works by placing a minimum of five images for any ad that is to be posted, and these images have to be verified by the LeoList team.
To further incentivize users to go for verification, LeoList provides a discount for those who are fully verified. They also get a section of their own, and they are listed under ‘Directory.’
The directory is found in the navigation bar on the upper section of the site. The unverified ads are located on the ‘Ads’ section.
The verification process is small but offers something for both the prospective clients and the ones posting the ads. It however still leaves plenty of the ads unverified, and several do not have any photos or have lifted them from elsewhere.
The site also provides an internal messaging system where owners of the ads and prospective clients can interact and arrange for terms, among other things.
Complete review here