Power Sellers Unite

BigfootDepot · Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 916 Location: Northwest Ohio

I have listed a few things on CragisList ( seesm like it takes forever to sell, but that's not the point)

I recently have been having some listings flagged and ended.
They don't give a reason why, they just tell you to go to the Forums and ask there if anyone knows why.

I know about there not being any links in the desc.
Friday night I had one flagged and removed.
There are no links .... other than the link for contacting me

Contact: BigfootDepot@xxxxxxxxxxx.com

Is that considered a "link" there is verboten ???

If not, does anyone at CriagsList actually check what is being flagged before removal, or is it a totally automated process?

In the past I have put my e-mail addy in and had no problems.
I recently started making it "clickable" to make it easier for a potential buyer.

ehustle · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 621

No http in the ads.

No No No.

Auto Craiglist bots will find you and kill you.

Put them in jpegs instead.

Craigslist bots cannot read images.

BigfootDepot · Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 916 Location: Northwest Ohio

Thank you ... thank you ... thank you

I updated my listings to get the link for my e-mail out.

I understood no links to outside sites, but assumed an e-mail address was OK.

Guess I shouldn't AssUME.

2BOYSandTOYS · Joined: 14 Mar 2005 Posts: 10095 Location: Kansas

Well - I've read via the forums that the 'community' can also work to get an item removed using the flagging system.

Twice I have had some items flagged/removed that had no link. They were in the furniture by owner section. They were brand new (in the box) book shelves - we had purchased and never used.

The only thing I could 'figure out' was the 'commercial sellers' of furniture/book shelves felt I was cheating since they were in the by owner area.

Who knows - this is the one process on CL that baffles me completely. The good news - listed and sold quite a few items. Only these shelves and an electric keyboard (no link and unknown reason) have been flagged - - the book shelves are sold now (yippee)!

BigfootDepot · Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 916 Location: Northwest Ohio

OK ------------ here is one I just had flagged/removed today.

Link to Deleted Listing

There are NO links in it.
My e-mail address is just text.

What am I doing wrong ??

DaLizardsLair · Joined: 15 Feb 2009 Posts: 4782

Bigfoot,

Having your own email address is fine.

Quite often listings get flagged for appearing to be too commercial.

I didn't look at your last flagged listing, since it required me to login and that always makes a bit suspicious.

BigfootDepot · Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 916 Location: Northwest Ohio

Didn't realize it wouldn't show unless you loged in.

I relisted the item.

You can view the item HERE

This is exactly what I had before that got flagged/removed
other than I removed my e-mail address which was NOT a link

DaLizardsLair · Joined: 15 Feb 2009 Posts: 4782

I'd be willing to bet that you are getting flagged for being too commercial.

The listing looks more like an eBay ad, as opposed to a craigslist classified ad.

In this case, they may also be able to flag you for posting basically the same ad within a 48 hour period.

BigfootDepot · Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 916 Location: Northwest Ohio

I guess I wait and see what happens with this listing.

Looking "too commercial" is certainly a subjective decision.

purple_reading_giraffe · Joined: 04 Feb 2008 Posts: 5485 Location: Indiana, USA

It's possible you have a competitor in that area/category who is flagging your listings... maybe.

ehustle · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 621

Qualify your buyers before you release photos, it does sound like you have someone stalking your posting.

The way to qualify is just type a question ad, like this:
___________

i have a air compresser (spelling is done wrong on purpose) to sell email me back

____________

Now with the generated email back to you, you now have "qualified" buyers to send the information to.

CL is absoluted haunted by stalkers. It's a hard row to hoe for flaggers.

I know one developmentally disabled lady who sits ALL day "shopping" on CL.

If she doesn't like it or want to buy it, she "flags" it.

She thinks it's like her personal email box or something. Geez.

N

We Sell It All · Joined: 02 Feb 2008 Posts: 211

BigFoot try it without the OBO in the title. In my area when you put OBO in the listing anywhere and you are not in the barter section it gets flagged. It does not bother me but some people are just so anal. I link to my website and have my email address and phone number in my listing and have never been flagged for that. Only if I have OBO or make me an offer.

BigfootDepot · Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 916 Location: Northwest Ohio

The mystery rolls on.

I posted the listing last night, since the one I had posted earlier had dropped down to about the 3rd page. I post a new one, then delete the old one, so I never have 2 listed at the same time, other than the "maybe" 15 minutes it takes for the new one to show up and the old one to disappear. In theory, a user shouldn't be able to see both at any given time.

So ............. I posted again last evening (Took the OBO out as suggested earlier). About 2 hours after it was listed, it got flagged and removed. When I got up this morning, I saw the e-mail that it had been flagged/removed, so I posted it again. About 2 hours after it listed, it got flagged/removed again.

I checked against the list of HTML they allow and there are no problems. If they don't allow certain HTML, it says it will be stripped when posting, so in theory you can't have any HTML that is NOT ALLOWED.

I only have 1 listing in 1 location, so it isn't something like me posting in multiple areas.
There are no links.
There aren't really any "competitors" in the area that would do it for kicks.
I am at a loss as to why it is being flagged/removed.

Weird thing though, I have a listing for another product that I list/relist at the same time as this item and it has never been flagged/removed.

2BOYSandTOYS · Joined: 14 Mar 2005 Posts: 10095 Location: Kansas

I do believe it's a competitor jacking with ya.....that's my best guess! I have had just a few items flagged/smacked around.

One day, I was listing and someone was 'flagging' - I won - I was faster at adding items than they were in flagging and getting them removed. As I added items, I included the flagged ones, smack in the middle.

I have 40-50 items on CL, and every now and again, there is 'someone' who decides I am not worthy of listing there.....

My answer - whatever. Just another idea - I can't see what it is, or where you have it --- but a couple times, I moved the item flagged/removed from a specific category to 'general' and it was left alone.

Very hard to figure out - I quit trying to fix it and just kept going - not booted yet!! :oops: :oops:

BigfootDepot · Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 916 Location: Northwest Ohio

Well .... I think I may have found out why.

I was creating a new HTML file and moving things around a little and I found that the IMG I had in the listing was a clickable link to another picture I had on my image host.

OBVIOUSLY, I was the one that did it, but I don't know why, since there was no logical reason for it.

I removed the code so the picture would not be a clickable link and reposted.
We'll see if it makes it this time.