Craigslist is a very powerful site. It has millions of people looking at it every single day. And it is leveraging its power to put goods and services into hands of those who need it. And every time you have goods and services you know what you get?

Money.

And every time you are faced with money on the internet you know what you get?

Spammers.

And craigslist is no exception. They take quite a few steps to ensure that the spammers never get through on their site. If you have ever leveraged Craigslist to make some money, whether buying or selling, you may have experienced some of the ways they block spammers.

User Flags

Users who are going through the various ads have the option to flag a post for really any reason they see fit. The most common is SPAM option. This could be anything from someone thinking what you are doing is a money making ploy (which – everything on Craigslist is when you think about it), or someone things you are trying to do something illegal. I have even had it where someone continued to flag my post in the Service section for website design because they were a competitor and wanted to steal my business! The worst part about these is that Craigslist actually does not watch for these. A user could flag any post for any reason and I don’t believe that someone from craigslist actually monitors it to say “Ya, that is legit spam” or “sorry  – this isn’t spam and can be let through.

Craigslist Flag

Craigslist has algorithms built into their site that help them search for spam. One of the main things they look for is the IP address that you are posting from. Too many posts in too quick of time from the same IP and you will get spammed. And they watch your IP too. So if you are getting flagged time and time again by user flags, the Craigslist algorithm gets suspicious and starts watching your post more and more. If they see you spamming, they may flag you automatically, or ghost your posts. Ghosting is having your post go through, but never actually show up on the site. If craigslist sees that you continue to spam, they could block your IP all together and remove your access to the site. No more searching. No more posting. You will be down and out.

How To Avoid Spamming On Craigslist

Luckily, there are few things you can do to avoid being block or have craigslist think you are being spammed.

• Be Human. One of the biggest things you can do when posting to craigslist is just to be human. Write true and honest posts. When you try to talk overly “sale-ish” or try to type so fast to push out ads, you start to lose that human touch that is needed to avoid spamming. Make sure that you write like you would talk to someone about whatever it is that you are posting.
• Don’t Post Too Fast. This is the one that gets me. I like to work as fast as I possible can. The fast I work, the more I can post. The more I can post, the more I can sell. The more I can sell, the more I can make. Craigslist doesn’t like this very much. I have been dinged quite a few times for this. Make sure you leave a few minutes in between posting. Craigslist will warn you that you are posting too fast. Make sure you take heed to that warning. If not – a blockage could be coming your way!
• Use Pictures. It takes a few extra minutes to add pictures. But these few minutes shows craigslist that you are taking the time to be human and create a quality post. No matter what you are doing, make sure you post a few pictures to make your post seem more human.
• Post in the right category. Depending on what you are doing, you may have a need to post in as many categories as you can. Don’t do it. One of the main reason for user flags is wrong categories. Make sure whatever you are posting in is in where it is suppose to be.
• Change up your ad copy. Don’t post the same exact article. Make sure you re-write your ad if you are posting multiple times. Be unique, be human.
• Create an account. On Craigslist, you can create an account to post (you are required to have an account to post on certain areas). If you create an account, Craigslist can track what you are doing and tie it to you. A bit harder to spam if they watch you, so you are more likely to get things through.
• Change your IP. This one gets a bit tricky, and although I have never tired, I heard works wonders. Craigslist tracks IP addresses. If you are technical enough, you can change your IP and fly under the radar. But I warn you – I have heard this can permanently mess up your internet access so be very careful doing this.

Even if you follow all of these, you still may get spammed and flagged. I suggest keeping analytics on your Craigslist post. Keep an excel file with where, where and how you are posting your ad. If it get flags, read over it and make adjustments. Remove words you think are spammy and try again. Keep trying till it gets through.

To Your Success –

Zach