AOL will no longer support personal classified listings, but will instead become an aggregator. The company issued a statement in response to an article in AuctionBytes Newsflash on Wednesday that referenced an email from a partner that AOL was closing its classifieds site altogether (http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y05/m12/i14/s00).

AOL spokesperson Cindy Harvey sent a statement regarding the AOL Classifieds Marketplace: "Due to a strategic shift in direction pertaining to our Search & Directional Media plans, the AOL Classifieds Marketplace will no longer support personal classifieds listings and as of December 31st will transition into an aggregator of listings from leading industry partners."

AOL's current classifieds section, accessible at http://classifieds.aol.com, consists of a combination of personal listings from AOL members and aggregators that provide listings to AOL. Now, AOL will become a sole aggregator of listings from leading industry partners. Harvey declined to be more specific.