UPDATE: My Craigslist Flagging Annoyance

"Jay Lauer" (thefaultinourcars)
09/01/2014 at 21:06 • Filed to: None

So what started as a mild annoyance has turned into an all-out Craigslist Flagging Assault. 4 Oklahoma City ads were flagged, 3 Kansas City Ads were flagged, 3 Tulsa ads were flagged, and 5 Wichita ads were flagged.

Each time I tried making new ads, they were flagged for removal within 15 minutes. My last ad, displayed above, was flagged within 5.

Even my older ads that can't be renewed fell victim. I updated the price and information and immediately, my old ads were flagged as well.

I've contacted my last !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , who claimed he didn't do it and doesn't care about the price of my car. I'm inclined to believe him. I also contacted the last person who looked at the car, and he said he didn't do it either.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

I'm really out of options for tonight. I'll try posting again tomorrow. This is really fucking with my chances of selling the car, and I don't know who has the time and determination just to flag somebody's listing for a car that's not even theirs.

This has been a huge pain in the ass.

DISCUSSION (32)

jkm7680 > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:09

That's starting to get really strange, I'd suggest taking a break from it or listing it on EBay or another website. It may be a bot or something? It's a long shot, but if somebody is spending SOOOO much time with the sole intention of flagging and having the post that you are putting up removed it may be something different.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:10

Try Auto Trader or Cars.com perhaps?

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:10

Take some different pictures (or use older ones) and make the car a bit more expensive and have "OBO". Don't include the price guide picture.

Jay Lauer > jkm7680
09/01/2014 at 21:11

Unless this is a friend of mine being a huge asshole. Then they're just being really pathetic fucking with my business.

I've got it listed on the S2000 forum sites but that's a national website. At least Craigslist is in my area.

Jay Lauer > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
09/01/2014 at 21:12

That's what I'm thinking about doing.

I've got it up on S2000 forums too.

Dsscats > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:13

Post from a different email and use a different first photo. And why do you have so many ads in the same place? Are 5 Wichita ads really needed? That's probably why it's getting flagged.

Jay Lauer > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
09/01/2014 at 21:13

Yeah, I took the price guide picture out in the last one, and he still flagged it.

I even put a threat of contacting Craigslist to obtain his IP address. Still flagged.

I might try raising the price and seeing what happens.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:13

I'm not sure if it could be flagged there, but it's worth a shot; even change the photos if necessary.

jkm7680 > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:14

I'd hope that it isn't somebody being pathetic that you know.

Try to take different pictures, with a rewritten with a lower/higher price and possibly a slightly different location and post it in the middle of the night or something and see if that works.

Jay Lauer > Dsscats
09/01/2014 at 21:14

They're not five at a time. I relisted it after it was flagged each time. I'll try another photo tomorrow.

Jay Lauer > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
09/01/2014 at 21:15

I'll try a different lead photo. Taking new photos is a pain, and I'm weirdly proud of the photos I've got on there.

Jay Lauer > jkm7680
09/01/2014 at 21:16

Who knows. It could be someone I know that I don't even like.

And it's not the time posted that makes a difference. I want the ad to last long enough so that people can see it.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:17

Fair enough, after all that stuff.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:20

Compeltely change the whole post up a bit. At some point, the CL site has an auto-flag for spamming identical ads. You need to change all your text and the pictures to get it to be a "different" ad. If *THAT* gets flagged in 5 minutes, then either you're IP flagged from CL or someone really hates you.

jkm7680 > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:21

Yeah, that probably makes sense!

I just have no idea why somebody would want to do that, it just confuses me.

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:23

Wow. This guy needs to get a hobby or something. I can just see some guy alone at a computer thinking "C'mon, try again, I dare you, I triple dog dare you, I am god."

Jay Lauer > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
09/01/2014 at 21:25

I've got other cars on Craigslist that aren't flagged, so I don't think I'm IP Flagged.

I just updated the description text like two weeks ago. But yes, the pictures are all exactly the same. I'll have to find a way to rewrite it with all of the same information.

Jay Lauer > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
09/01/2014 at 21:31

Lulz really.

I saw a really nice cheap Mini Cooper on Wichita Craigslist as well, and 15 minutes later it was gone.

I thought it may be multiple people.

XJDano > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:32

try St.Louis, not that far.

Jay Lauer > XJDano
09/01/2014 at 21:33

It's 6 hours. It's pretty far even for me.

I'm going to try to rewrite it all tomorrow.

XJDano > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:34

yeah its pretty dumb it keeps getting flagged.

Clown Shoe Pilot > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:40

craigslist is a fucking cesspool. use autotrader if you really want to get it sold.

Jay Lauer > Clown Shoe Pilot
09/01/2014 at 21:41

Autotrader costs money, man.

Clown Shoe Pilot > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:44

gotta spend money to make money. My experience selling the CRX was CL was a total fucking waste of time, and then the car sold in a week on autotrader.

Jay Lauer > Clown Shoe Pilot
09/01/2014 at 21:45

I might try it.

But, I've sold about 12 cars on Craigslist before without much problem.

Paying $25 for only 3 pictures looks like a bummer.

DiExMachina > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:48

It is probably autotrader/cars.com flagging it so you will use them instead.

Squid > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 21:55

Are there any other S2000's listed for sale on CL in the area's you are posting? It could be another douche seller trying to make it look like his is the only one for sale.

Stef Schrader > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 22:01

I don't know how to find the perp exactly, but if you do...fart on them.

Have you tried contacting Craigslist? Do you know if CL ever bans a fartknocker?

Jay Lauer > Squid
09/01/2014 at 22:03

There's like three others posted in Wichita.

But he flagged all my ads in a three hour radius. Without flagging anybody elses.

Jay Lauer > Stef Schrader
09/01/2014 at 22:03

I contacted Craigslist, but they don't really do anything except just show you the rules.

Squid > Jay Lauer
09/01/2014 at 22:07

That is really crappy. I guess it is time for you to rewrite the ad, different pictures and don't put your phone number in the ad to see if it gets flagged again. Or just wait a few days before reposting to let the troll forget about your car.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Jay Lauer
09/02/2014 at 02:10

Time to do it the old fashioned way: drive it around with sign in the window. Because now you're on a slippery slope. Now serial browsers of CL like me will find your ad reposted and NEVER responded because by now I've already picked up on the fact it's been flagged before.

You're dealing with a single asshole, probably. And also you may be dealing with additional people who flag you because they know you've been flagged before. I've seen this before.

Sigh.