Craigslist Posting Rules
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How do I post a free posting?
How can I edit my posting?
How soon does my posting expire?
How can I delete my posting?
How do I repost my posting?
How often can I post?
How can I post anonymously and still receive responses?
I have not received the email to self-publish my free posting, what should I do?
Can I add a picture to my posting?
Can I use HTML tags or URLs in my posting?
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
What kind of postings are prohibited?
What should I do if someone harasses me by posting a prank posting?
Can I post to all of craigslist’s sites?
What category is appropriate for posting focus group opportunities?
I saw a particular posting 6 months ago and would like to see it again. Can I?
Where can I advertise my services/business on craigslist?
Can I offer a posting service or act as a posting agent on craigslist?
Can I put a link in my for sale posting to an auction site like ebay?
Can I scalp my tickets and popular gift items on craigslist?
You can post a free ad without having an account or logging in to our site. To learn how, please read our help page on how to create a free post. However, having a craigslist account will allow you to post, edit, delete, and repost more easily.
Edits for postings are now self-service.
If you posted while logged in to your account, you can edit from your account homepage.
Otherwise, use the link provided in the same self-posting email you used originally to self-post. If you can’t find this, try having it re-sent.
View the full list of posting lifespans.
If you posted using an account, you can delete your posting from your account homepage.
Otherwise, use the same link provided in the self-posting email that you used to post the ad originally. If you can’t find this, try having it re-sent.
Please note, all postings are automatically deleted upon expiration.
For more information on reposting free ads, see this page.
For information on reposting paid ads, please visit this page.
You may post to one category and in one city, no more than once every 48 hours.
If you try to post something similar to an active post of yours on the site, you may get a blocked message. Removing the similar active post should help, unless it is less than 48 hours old.
When submitting a posting, you are asked to provide your email address.
You have three options:
You can use craigslist 2-way email relay. Responses are relayed to your actual email address.
Your email address can appear in your posting just as you have typed it.
No email address shown at all—you’ll need to provide contact information in the body of your post.
Using craigslist 2-way email relay helps protect both your email address and the email address of anyone who replies to your post. It is generally recommended and is the default option.
craigslist mail relay is always an option, but some of the options listed above may not be available in other categories. For example, if you are posting in the personal categories, option #2 is not available.
If you are using an online email account, please check your bulk/junk/spam mail folder(s).
You may have entered your email address incorrectly—it only takes one typo!
Some email providers and ISPs have implemented “spam filters” some of which are badly designed or misconfigured, resulting in craigslist emails being filtered out or intercepted.
Your email provider may be experiencing delays, or other technical issues.
In some categories, you will be offered the option to “Add Images” during the posting process. You will be prompted to upload images from your computer to craigslist.
Please use HTML sparingly. Users generally prefer ads with little or no added HTML.
Please use only HTML tags appropriate for the
No support is provided for JavaScript, applets, Flash, or other embedded non-HTML content.
For more information see our HTML Guidelines.
If you use HTML in any part of your posting, you must use it throughout.
Please consult the Terms of Use.
Category-specific guidelines posted in specific sections of the site must also be observed.
For your reference, there is also a non-comprehensive list of prohibited items/content.
If you are the target of a prank or other harassment related to a craigslist post, please contact us immediately using the suggestions we outline on our abuse help page.
Please choose just ONE local craigslist site for which your ad is most relevant—generally the site closest to you. If your ad is equally relevant to all locations, your ad does not belong on craigslist. Please find another service. Posting the same ad to multiple locations on craigslist is prohibited.
Focus group opportunities can be posted to the “et cetera” jobs category, or in the “gigs” section.
Generally not. We will however respond to a valid subpoena for that information.
Only in the “services offered” categories please.
Unauthorized posting agents/services are prohibited. Violators agree to pay CL liquidated damages for each posting.
No. Please post a set price, do not solicit bidding, and do not link to auctions elsewhere.
Many users will flag posts scalping tickets or popular gift items for way over face value.
How Often Can I Post on Craigslist? – Small Business – Chron …
One of the ways in which Web surfers look for jobs, sell goods and find services is by posting to Craigslist, an online classified advertising site. Posting is free, which means users may be tempted to flood the site with their ads. However, Craigslist has some rules concerning how often users may post. Failure to follow these rules can result in your ads being removed. Identification Craigslist allows users to post ads for goods and services on localized Craigslist pages, meaning that each set of ads must be posted under a geographical heading, such as “New York City” or “Chicago. ” According to Craigslist’s help pages, the site encourages only local transactions, in which goods and services are paid for in cash and exchanged face-to-face, making geographical proximity a must to pick up items and pay for them. Posting an Advertisement To post on Craigslist, navigate to the Craigslist page for the city in which you want to advertise. On the main page for that city, click “Post to Classifieds” to enter the advertisement creation screen. You’ll be prompted to categorize your posting, whether services offered, wanted ads or selling an item, among other services, and then create the title and body text of the advertisement. How Often Can You Post? According to the rules listed on Craigslist’s website, users may post in only one category in one geographical area once every 48 hours. Following these posting rules are essential: If you post too often or post similar ads in different locations too close to one another, the ads will be blocked. This is commonly referred to as “ghosting. ” When an ad is ghosted, the user creates the ad and publishes it, but it does not appear on the site. This happens without Craigslist ever notifying the user. Enough ghosted ads can even result in your account being blocked entirely. Why Are Ghosted Ads Blocked? Craigslist ghosts ads in an effort to cut down on spam. Unfortunately, you have little recourse to address the issue with the site if your ad or account is blocked. The best bet for those with ghosted ads is to delete the ad entirely and reconstruct it from the ground up. Often, certain domain names are identified by Craigslist as spam. For source pictures in your ad, select well-known photo sharing sites such as Flickr. Cut down on the use of links in your ad; Craigslist often identifies these as spam. References Writer Bio Michael Batton Kaput began writing professionally in 2009. He is an editor at two magazines and a freelance writer. He has been published in “Egypt Today, ” Egypt’s leading current affairs magazine, and “Business Today Egypt, ” Egypt’s number one English-language business magazine. He attended Denison University where he earned a degree in political science and English literature.
5 Strategies to Prevent Getting Flagged on Craigslist – Autofusion®
The Costs & Benefits of Craigslist Advertising
There’s no question that car dealers see huge benefits from advertising their inventory on Craigslist. Dealers who post their new and used cars on Craigslist can successfully drive direct traffic to their website and gain leads from telephone calls and online contact forms. But Craigslist marketing can also cost you: dealers have to find time to manually post their cars and optimize how regularly they re-post. Preventing listings from getting flagged is another major problem for many managers, and it becomes costly for dealerships to repost ads on a daily basis. On top of getting your posts flagged and removed by random Craigslist users, you also have to be wary of competitors who may use black hat tactics like a program to automatically flag Craigslist posts. To avoid having your Craigslist posts flagged, follow these best practice strategies.
Strategy #1: Spread Out Your Craigslist Posting Over Several Days
Depending on your target area, every one of your posts stays live between 7-45 days. For dealerships with a large inventory of cars, it’s best to set up a schedule to spread out your Craigslist posting over several days. This practice regulates the frequency of posting, and prevents flooding Craigslist with your posts, which is often the key reason why listings are flagged for removal or “ghosted”. When a post is ghosted, it means Craigslist receives the listing but does not post it live on the website. A post can also get flagged or ghosted if you list a car that already has a live ad, so it’s best to keep track of your vehicles over a period of time before you post it.
Strategy #2: Post Less Than Your Full Inventory
If you’re trying to post your entire inventory on Craigslist, then your posts will most likely get flagged. Smaller car dealers can get away with listing their entire inventory on Craigslist if they have anywhere between 20 to 100 cars and distribute their posts across different areas and over several days. Larger auto dealers using Craigslist will need to patiently post a fraction of their full inventory during each period, and list a maximum of 80% of their used inventory.
Strategy #3: Use Multiple Unique IP Addresses
Craigslist automatically monitors the IP addresses of where posts originate, so if they notice that too many posts are coming from the same IP, then those listings will get flagged for removal. Craigslist does this to prevent one person from spamming their site with too many ads at once. Many car dealers at single locations only have one IP address to work with, so using the same IP address to post on Craigslist is often the cause of flagged posts. To aggressively advertise on Craigslist, you will need use multiple unique IP addresses. You can do this manually, or make use of an automated Craigslist posting service to do it for you.
Strategy #4: Post At Random Times and Strategize for High Traffic Days
Aggressive competitors from the same area may try to use an automated Craigslist flagging program to have your listings taken down. But to use these programs, they’ll have to find and insert the specific URL of the listing into the program. When you post early in the morning or late at night, you make it more difficult for people to directly target your posts. You can post at random times before high traffic days like Friday, Saturday and Sundays to avoid getting flagged by competitors. This also helps you target the days when many customers are on Craigslist searching for cars.
Strategy #5: Use Non-Identifiable Text and Vary Your URLs
The only way an automatic flagging program works is if it has your Craigslist post URL. Others can find your Craigslist posts by doing direct searches for your dealership’s name in the body of your listings. If you include your dealership’s name in either a URL or text-based content within your posts, then those listings have a chance of getting targeted by anyone trying to flag your posts. Instead, use image-based templates that include your dealership name, phone number, and location. Car buyers searching for specific car models can still see everything in your ad, but make it harder for anyone specifically trying to search for your dealership.
The Complete Solution: Using an Automated Craigslist Posting Service
These five strategies can dramatically decrease how often your Craigslist posts are flagged. The longer your listings stay live, the less time you spend posting each and every car in your inventory. Auto dealers that have a large inventory will naturally see higher costs to listing their cars on Craigslist, because it takes more time to deploy these strategies to make sure your posts stay online. For this reason, many large dealerships have chosen to pay for Craigslist posting services. The best Craigslist posting services are systems that help make sure most of your inventory is posted without getting removed or ghosted. Larger dealers who want to optimize selling cars on Craigslist often find that these distribution services are more cost-effective compared to manually listing and monitoring posts one car at a time.
Autofusion only posts on Craigslist for car dealerships.
Frequently Asked Questions about craigslist posting rules
How many times can you post to Craigslist in a day?
According to the rules listed on Craigslist’s website, users may post in only one category in one geographical area once every 48 hours. Following these posting rules are essential: If you post too often or post similar ads in different locations too close to one another, the ads will be blocked.
Why are my Craigslist posts being removed?
Craigslist automatically monitors the IP addresses of where posts originate, so if they notice that too many posts are coming from the same IP, then those listings will get flagged for removal. Craigslist does this to prevent one person from spamming their site with too many ads at once.
Why did my post get flagged on Craigslist?
Ads are often flagged because they fail to meet Craigslist’s Terms of Service and other guidelines. … Ads offering prohibited items, such as weapons, alcohol, tobacco, drugs or hazardous materials are also flagged. Additionally, Craigslist requires that you post in the correct category.
