Revolico – Search and Find in Cuba

Revolico – the Cuban Craigslist or eBay classified ads

Revolico is the Cuban site for small ads. If you want to sell something in Cuba or are looking for something special, go to Revolico. Revolico was already established before the internet and it only became easier post-internet. Now that more and more people can go on the Internet, online offers are booming.

Revolico – Classifieds in Cuban

On Revolico, pretty much everything is traded that is not nailed down (sometimes even more). Telephones, watches, perfumes, pictures, furniture, computers, real estate, language courses, even jobs – and much much more.

Revolico brings together everything from flea markets to the job market and the marketplace for new goods. So if you need a mobile phone at short notice – or want to get rid of one 😉 – you can find it in Revolico.

The design of Revolico

The layout will take some time to get used to. If you know Craigslist, the Anglo-American site for classified ads, you will not be put off by Revolico. On Revolico, you will feel stuck in the nineties – of course this has the advantage that fewer pictures have to be loaded when scrolling through. In the case of low bandwidth, as in the Cuban Internet, fewer pictures is certainly an advantage.

Prices

When it comes to the prices, it depends on what products you are looking at. As expected, imported products are more expensive, houses don’t get cheaper either, kitsch and art is still very cheap – although, if we are talking about “real” art – Wilfredo Lam, Zeida del Rio, Sosabravo or Amelia Pelaez – then, unfortunately, it is getting quite expensive by now (btw: if you want to get rid of a Cuban print or similar: I love Cuban art and would be a willing buyer 😉 ).

Order

Revolico is quite simple, a simple hierarchical portal through which you can click your way level by level. Or you can search the entire portal.

Unfortunately, the search is not very productive – especially since 2 problems are noticeable at once:

• There is no difference in the search results between “bidding” and “searching”. You have to make your own way.
• And the constant reposting of amounts. There’s some administration missing from the operators. Many people who are eager to get rid of something have the habit of posting it on a weekly basis. Over and over again…

Critical view

Revolico is one of the pillars of Cuban society, so to speak 😉 Revolico is not state-run and is blocked at the university, I think Revolico is simply too capitalistic for the officials. However, the site is privately accessible, unlike Skype, so it is in a gray area.

Conclusion

Revolico is a very useful site that serves the basic needs of Cubans. The design and usability are horrible but can be overlooked. Of course, things could get tight for the operators at some point, namely when the first competing sites appear. Until then, however, some time will pass. So just have a look, it will give you a deep insight into Cuban society.

Saludos from Berlin – and hopefully soon Havana again!
Dietmar