Why do people "overpost" on Craigslist ?

My guess is you know what this means, but if you don't, I'm sure some people will respond to this and fill you in. 

I think it's because sellers want their ads to be at the top of the list. You have a much better chance of selling an item if it's one of the first items buyers see. If the ad isn't recent, it'll get buried under hundreds of other ads and disappear into the abyss.

I'd say 90% of the time I use the search on CL and do not just browse the categories. So for those like me, being first in the list is irrelevant.

I'd say 90% of the time I use the search on CL and do not just browse the categories. So for those like me, being first in the list is irrelevant.

I guess it depends on what you're selling. If you're selling a unique item, there won't be much competition. But if you're selling something like dresser, you're ad could be quickly buried.

Not really, because why would someone pay $100 for a dresser when the same thing could be for sale on page 3 for $50?

Personally I have found that when a seller has had an item listed for a long time that they are more willing to drop the price. So it can actually be beneficial to use the search and pick the listings that have been on there the longest.

Good point. On the other hand, it makes me wonder why the item hasn't sold. Another thing to consider with older ads is that a majority of the items have already been sold and the seller just hasn't removed the ad. Whenever someone calls me about an item they saw in an old ad, most are really surprised that I still have it.

Whenever someone calls me about an item they saw in an old ad, most are really surprised that I still have it.

I make a point of adding, "If you see this ad it means I still have it" to all of my CL ads. I am also very meticulous about removing an ad as soon as something sells. Naturally I occasionally get one of those mentally lacking people that email me and ask if it's still available. 

overposting can help you or hurt you. say on a used car, maybe i dont really have a specific make or model in mind just looking for the best car under a certain price point. in that sense it would help if someone overposts as i often dont make it past the first page so someone posted in the morning and im looking in the afternoon i wont see theirs. that said if someone is searching it doesn't matter how much you post if you have relevant keywords you will come up. honestly if i search something and see 10 similar ads obviously by same person ill oftentimes ignore it just out of principal as its annoying when people flood cl

What get's me is when people use keywords in their ad to attract buyers looking for a different brand/product.

For example, someone selling a Toyota 4Runner might put a group of keywords like:

Pathfinder, Xterra, Escape, MDX, Pilot, Explorer, Trailblazer...etc.

What get's me is when people use keywords in their ad to attract buyers looking for a different brand/product.

For example, someone selling a Toyota 4Runner might put a group of keywords like:

Pathfinder, Xterra, Escape, MDX, Pilot, Explorer, Trailblazer...etc.

that gets my goat also - real pain in the @#$.

I wont purchase from the because of that and sometimes I will send them a email asking if they have the "escape" for sale lol

and sometimes I will send them a email asking if they have the "escape" for sale lol

That's funny!