However I have qualms about the free part. Sometimes you can go beyond free and get yourself into trouble. One of the great things about the CL business model is that it is automatic — the system largely runs autonomously with few staffers.

The free warranty is a bit of a problem, because it introduces the all-too human element of judgment into the mix. If people try to game the system — and if it’s online, you bet there will be a few — then I’d be curious how Jicka manages warranties in case of borderline to full-on fraudulent behavior.

Going back to your first assertion, I believe that as pop culture mashes up with technology, there will be successors to Craigslist just as surely as “I Love Lucy” one day lost its hold on the average American household. But I don’t think Craigslist’s downfall will come from the incremental changes that Jicka.com provides — history indicates that sometimes a bold discontinuity provides value in a completely different dimension, and if it resonates with real needs and wants, then we see tremendous, seismic change.

But who knows??