Storage Auctions
The Marketplace => Selling Venues => Craigslist => Topic started by: HomeGrownPromos on August 28, 2013, 12:48:41 PM
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This is the first time I've encountered something like this.. A person has nothing better to do but to flag my listings. Granted, many of my listings are "by owner" because I haven't switched them over to "by dealer" because I've been busy setting up my store/trying to sell my products on different platforms.
This guy goes down and flags ALL my listings.. It's quite annoying.. Any recourse? Suggestions?
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Just keep posting ads until he gets tired of flagging them. May take a while but he'll eventually give up.
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I'm thinking of changing my ads up and pulling my store info off of them, changing some of the wording and the link.. He's gotta be searching my items and going down the line "flag flag flag".. He's actually sent me emails saying that "he's got nothing better to do than to flag me".. A sign that he's getting tired of flagging me..
But, I'm worried that too many flags and Craigslist will close my account.
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This guy goes down and flags ALL my listings.. It's quite annoying.. Any recourse? Suggestions?
Are you sure it's a person just flagging, or is it possibly Clist themselves? If flagging you usually get a message "has been flagged", but not always (in my experience).
About a month ago I couldn't even renew or "delete and repost" without cList going nuts. They were giving me the pink "deleted" message when I went to my account to see why SOME of my listings weren't coming up.
I thought on one it was because I was using a manufacturer's pic, but when I did a general search on clist for the same item there were a dozen of them running in my area and many were using the same pic I was. Then I thought maybe it was some competitor not flagging, but maybe working for clist who was knocking them out.
I changed the times of day I posted, the times of week I renewed, etc. Lasy month or so, not a single problem.
Clist never any good at truly explaining WHY they do something...sort of like eBay in that way though eBay is better.
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If this person has e-mailed you, you have some info on them. In the left margin on craigslist there is an "about craigslist". Click on it. Go to "contact form" and click that. Fill out the form and report this person.
There may be something craigslist can do about it. I sure hope so. Seems to me it is probably competition that doesn't like you coming in and wants to drive you away.
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I did that this morning. I don't expect much to come from it. I think that the flagging is from an actual person, or people. Didn't have this problem until I opened the store and put a link to my store's site into the ad. Quite possibly could be a competitor.
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You can do the change your number by spelling a letter so he can't search for your number. Or use a period instead of dash....
Same with name if you can. Put asterisk at either end or something.
Also, don't list your business. Make a really nice "sign" and post it in a picture with your store info. You can take a picture or just screen shot a word doc....
Basically, change up anything he can search for.
You may also wish to go on another computer and search for your listings. If its CL, a lot of times they will "ghost" our Ad. YOU can see it but no one else can. I've had them do it to me when I've listed to much. If its ghosted then you know its CL because no one but you and them can see, so no one old be able to flag.
Additionally, CL usually won't remove Ad over one flag. They will actually review. In theory...
However, your account and IP is linked to flag. The computer will see how many flags you have and HAVE HAD and pretty soon one person flags and Ad is pulled, no review, no content scan.
Try opening a new account and preferably on another computer.
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I'm familiar with ghosting. Which is why I'm worried that this guy will cause problems for me and CList will ghost my whole account. I'm not ghosted because people are still calling/emailing about products.
I've also got wireless internet at my store. Any mobile/wireless service like a 3G/4G (cell phones, CLEAR) assigns a new IP every time your computer hooks into the system. Sometimes it says I'm in Greensboro and Charlotte. Real handy to do some spy work on your own craigslist listings..
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On the brighter side, he's keeping your ads up at the top!
You can usually tell if it's craigslist doing it or if it's somebody flagging it. If cl is doing it themselves, usually it will turn "pink" before it's even had time to show up in the listings.
And I've had those jerks before, who think it's their job to keep you from posting anything they don't personally like or agree with. Usually they will get tired of searching for your ads and find a new target after a week or so. In the meantime, cut and paste and keep them going. Maybe change your ad just slightly.....pretty soon it's back to business as usual.
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On the brighter side, he's keeping your ads up at the top!
Nothing like putting perfume on a turd! LOL.. This is true, when the ad is flagged and I repost, back up to the top it goes!
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takes more than one persons flag for craigslist to do a take down, you are not over posting stuff are you ?
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Nope. Not overposting 1 post in 1 category every 48 hours. It doesn't take 3 different people. A person can flag each post once. If the post is renewed, that same person can flag again, and it counts as 2 against that post. Again, I renew, the same person flags for a 3rd time and it's removed.
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If the post is renewed, that same person can flag again, and it counts as 2 against that post. Again, I renew, the same person flags for a 3rd time and it's removed.
So don't renew the post; instead delete, then repost it. This will post it as a new ad with a new assigned number and a new url.
Also, keep in mind that since you have business type of information in an "Owner" type of ad, then you're violating the TOS and your ad is subject to removal by CL.
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So don't renew the post; instead delete, then repost it. This will post it as a new ad with a new assigned number and a new url.
Also, keep in mind that since you have business type of information in an "Owner" type of ad, then you're violating the TOS and your ad is subject to removal by CL.
Yesterday was a slow day at the shop, so I went in and removed all my store info on my ads. Have already gotten 3 responses for different products and no new removals.
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********************UPDATE******************
Soooooooo... I removed all links from my ads. No longer do my ads say "Peak City Thrift", have the store address, link or links to other products that I'm selling..
Today, I sold a dining room table, 32 video games, a Playstation 2, and have solid, quite solid leads for 8 (!!!!) other products. Each person that emailed me, I responded to, and they immediately respond back with phone numbers, etc. It's all quite strange to me that a little bit of deleting from my ads could stir up THAT MUCH activity.. Coincidence?
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stir up THAT MUCH activity.. Coincidence?
Not really, as I tend to not buy from businesses on CL either.
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No coincidence. I have the same sort of market here. The less professional my Craigslist ads look the more business I get. In my area and probably yours, Craigslist shoppers just don't want to do business with somebody who, well looks like they are selling stuff as a business. The more I make my ads look like i'm a poor shill down on his luck giving everything away to buy bottles of liquor to piss myself asleep at night; the better my sales are. :o
Go figure, we got an F'd up society, just roll with it and make that cash! ;)