How to avoid getting flagged on Craigslist

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What many people do not realize is that Craigslist is policed by its users, (not a team of moderators chosen by Craigslist). This means that users like you and I can flag any listing for any reason. One of the biggest reasons you may get flagged is reference to a listing on eBay, your eBay store, advertising that you sell things on eBay, etc. Craigslist users do not like the word eBay and will consider your listing spam. There are three flagging categories on Craigslist.

  1. Miscategorized: The listing was posted in the wrong section of Craigslist.
  2. Prohibited: Items that Craigslist does not allow to be listed. The list is found here: http://www.craigslist.org/about/prohibited (Link current as of 3/31/2017)
  3. Spam/Over posting: Too many listings are posted that look alike. If someone sees the same store name, they may flag like this.

 

Over posting is the main cause for flagging. This can occur when a store tries to post their inventory on Craigslist too quickly. If you’re posting 10 items at a time in the same category, then you’re most likely going to get flagged. The rules and conditions vary by Craigslist markets, but posting a maximum of 5 items at a time per category, 2 – 3 times per day is a good rule of thumb.

 

In some larger markets, such as cities like Los Angeles, the rules are strict. If your market is busy try making your listing as simple as possible. In busy markets anything that looks computer generated will most likely get flagged.

 

Rockit is a tool within e-foro, that streamlines your posting process. Rockit will queue and post up to 25 items for you, and will even make sure the posts are spread out to avoid being marked as spam.

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