Craiglist flagging problem

[exyeh]

Hi, I have some craiglist postings for rental. Since this weekend I have been flagged and removed some of my postings once I put them up. I am sure I don't have any violations. I think because my ad is very cheap rental price and those compete with commerical rentals - it's a very popular resort. I kept on rewriting and posting them but can't prevent it being removed.
What I can do?
Craiglist sent me an auto abuse email answering me but I can't see any thing I can do.

 

[DeniseM]

There is nothing you can do. Craigslist has no moderators - it is other Craigslist posters who are flagging your Ads, and yes, it's probably because the price is so low.

If you have multiple Ads posted at once, this will only draw their attention and make it worse. The best thing to do, is not to post any Ads for awhile, and then post a very simple Ad with no links, and different wording than your old Ads, and hope they have forgotten about you.

The bottom line is that Craigslist simply doesn't care, and you will get no help from them...

Consider switching to other rental websites:

TUG Marketplace
Redweek
My Resort Network

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

Hi, I have some craiglist postings for rental. Since this weekend I have been flagged and removed some of my postings once I put them up. I am sure I don't have any violations. I think because my ad is very cheap rental price and those compete with commerical rentals - it's a very popular resort. I kept on rewriting and posting them but can't prevent it being removed.
What I can do?
Craiglist sent me an auto abuse email answering me but I can't see any thing I can do.

It sounds like the competition may be wiping out your postings. There's not much you can do about it other than reposting.

This is a major problem with using Craiglist. This issue doesn't exist if you use Redweek or MyResortNetwork, but then again you have to pay to post on those two sites.




.

 

[travelplus]

I would try using VRBO/Home Away, Redweek.com and TUG BBS to try to rent your week. I for the most part won't use Craigslist for the reason you stated here. Its so unfair that your post gets removed just because other users "flag" your posting without a moderator checking your ad before it gets removed. Plus you have to keep posting every 7 days or so. Remember this if you pay a service to list your ad you will get more legit renters(you get what you pay for) and while a few scammers would pay to join a service to rent for the most part people who rent from the pay websites are genuine.

 

[DeniseM]

I would try using VRBO/Home Away, Redweek.com and TUG BBS to try to rent your week.

The fees at VRBO are far too expensive for renting a single timeshare week - it is designed for properties like full ownership vacation condos and cabins.

Classic $349/yr
Basic ranking in search results
Includes: 24 photos, reviews, availability calendar, and map.

Bronze $449/yr
Ranked above Classic in search results
Includes: 24 photos, reviews, availability calendar, and map.

Silver $599/yr
Ranked above Bronze in search results
Includes: 24 photos, reviews, availability calendar, and map.
1 month featured listing rotation in exclusive 'Featured Rental' area.

Gold $749/yr
Ranked above Silver in search results
Includes: 24 photos, reviews, availability calendar, and map.
6 month featured listing rotation in exclusive 'Featured Rental' area.

Platinum $999/yr
Platinum top ranking in search results
Includes: 24 photos, reviews, availability calendar, and map.
12 month featured listing rotation in exclusive 'Featured Rental' area.

I for the most part won't use Craigslist for the reason you stated here. Its so unfair that your post gets removed just because other users "flag" your posting without a moderator checking your ad before it gets removed. Plus you have to keep posting every 7 days or so.

This is incorrect - if you set up a Craigslist Acct., you simply click a link to repost the SAME Ad every [2] days. You don't have to rewrite the Ad. If you are creating a new post every 7 days - that will get you flagged.

 

[exyeh]

Thank you very much for all the info given to me! I have ads at redweek and tug, too. It's just because my cancellation date is 1 month before and I am considering cancel them all before that (July 4th week). I just wonder if I will have trouble renting them if I don't cancel.

 

[DeniseM]

If you are talking about Starwood - you have already missed the cancellation date - it's 61 days out from check-in.

If you cancel within one month, your Staroptions are going to be restricted any way, so you might as well hang in there until the last day.

 

[exyeh]

My reservations are Worldmark. And permitted renting to guests.

 

[DeniseM]

My reservations are Worldmark.

What is the last day to cancel, and still recover your points?

 

[exyeh]

The cancellation date is 5/30.

 

[DeniseM]

Then I recommend that you cancel on 5/30, and use the points to make new reservations to rent.

 

[ronparise]

The fees at VRBO are far too expensive for renting a single timeshare week - it is designed for properties like full ownership vacation condos and cabins.



This is incorrect - if you set up a Craigslist Acct., you simply click a link to repost the SAME Ad every 3 days. You don't have to rewrite the Ad. If you are creating a new post every 7 days - that will get you flagged.

Actually it's hit the re-post button every 2 days to keep your ad as close to the top of the list as possible. And as Denise suggests, dont get too creative. Short and simple and to the point. I repost the same thing every 2 days. As the year progresses I do make some edits. The headline and copy changes to reflect the special event or specific dates of the reservation Im advertising for. I have never had success advertising "Vacation weekends or weeks, send me your dates and Ill check for availability."

I run my ad in the city where the resort is or the closest metropolitan area. I dont think I would buy a timeshare unless there was a Craigs List city nearby.

I always include my name and my phone number in my Craigs list ads. I want people to know Im a real person and that they can talk to me before they have to send me any money. I also include my procedures put in place to protect them, ie You dont pay until you have a written verifiable confirmation from major hotel/timeshare manager in hand,

I havent had to face the challenge of malicious flagging, or ghosting since I started to run simple straightforward ads.

I have tried ads on Redweek, and Tug, but I get the best results from Craigs list. They tend to be last minute shoppers, but I get good people who pay as agreed.

 

[ronparise]

My reservations are Worldmark. And permitted renting to guests.

Worldmark is a great system to rent. There are no guest fees, the 30 day, no penalty, cancellation policy is good (not great, but good) and mf is low enough that you can actually make a profit. I havent figured out the West Coast yet. but from what I understand, the Washington and Oregon, Pacific Coast properties rent well

 

[DeniseM]

Thanks Ron - I stand corrected - you can renew every 2 days.

When you log into your CL Acct., you will know if your Ad can be renewed, because the RENEW link next to the Ad will be active. It's a no brainer.

 

[csxjohn]

Thanks Ron - I stand corrected - you can renew every 2 days.

When you log into your CL Acct., you will know if your Ad can be renewed, because the RENEW link next to the Ad will be active. It's a no brainer.

After a couple times hitting that renew button it does not appear but the re list is still doable. I have to cancel the ad then an option comes up to repost the ad. I usually have about 30 items listed so I stagger the renew times.

 

[csxjohn]

Hi, I have some craiglist postings for rental. Since this weekend I have been flagged and removed some of my postings once I put them up. I am sure I don't have any violations. I think because my ad is very cheap rental price and those compete with commerical rentals - it's a very popular resort. I kept on rewriting and posting them but can't prevent it being removed.
What I can do?
Craiglist sent me an auto abuse email answering me but I can't see any thing I can do.

Are you using the word timeshare in your ads. This will often trigger flagging.

I doubt the cheap price is the trigger and it's my understanding that it takes more than one flagger to get your ad deleted.

When one of mine gets flagged I immediately repost it. I have some Harley Davidson rings that I sell and my ad is always in there. One time last week it got flagged. I just reposted and no trouble since. (Yes Denise, the same rings I had in the bargain deals forum that you kept getting complaints about.)

If you are posting in more than one city or in more than one category for the same unit you are in violation for the terms of use for Craig's List and that could be the problem. One ad total for one item and that's it.

 

[DeniseM]

After a couple times hitting that renew button it does not appear but the re list is still doable. I have to cancel the ad then an option comes up to repost the ad. I usually have about 30 items listed so I stagger the renew times.

Craigslist Ads do eventually expire - but you can just renew them for a full 30 days until the do. Once they actually expire (after 30 days) you click DELETE, instead of RENEW - and then on the next screen you click REPOST.

 

[Robert D]

Actually it's hit the re-post button every 2 days to keep your ad as close to the top of the list as possible. And as Denise suggests, dont get too creative. Short and simple and to the point. I repost the same thing every 2 days. As the year progresses I do make some edits. The headline and copy changes to reflect the special event or specific dates of the reservation Im advertising for. I have never had success advertising "Vacation weekends or weeks, send me your dates and Ill check for availability."

I run my ad in the city where the resort is or the closest metropolitan area. I dont think I would buy a timeshare unless there was a Craigs List city nearby.

I always include my name and my phone number in my Craigs list ads. I want people to know Im a real person and that they can talk to me before they have to send me any money. I also include my procedures put in place to protect them, ie You dont pay until you have a written verifiable confirmation from major hotel/timeshare manager in hand,

I havent had to face the challenge of malicious flagging, or ghosting since I started to run simple straightforward ads.

I have tried ads on Redweek, and Tug, but I get the best results from Craigs list. They tend to be last minute shoppers, but I get good people who pay as agreed.

This is excellent advice and I do the same thing. The only place I've had a problem with flagging on CL is Orlando. You get a lot of spammers / scammers but I still get 80% of my renters from CL. It's an invaluable resource.

 

[csxjohn]

Craigslist Ads do eventually expire - but you can just renew them for a full 30 days until the do. Once they actually expire (after 30 days) you click DELETE, instead of RENEW - and then on the next screen you click REPOST.

The expiration of your ad depends on what city you post in. 19 cities have a life span of 7 days, all others it's 45 days. ( in the for sale and real estate categories.)

In the Cleveland CL ads expire after 45 days but the ability to repost with one click is lost after 30 days. So after 30 days of insertion it takes the delete and repost to accomplish the renew.

When doing the delete and repost, they treat it like a new ad and if you try to do too many at one time they call a time out and make you wait a little while. That's why I stagger my renew days.

http://www.craigslist.org/about/help/posting_lifespans

 

[DeniseM]

Interesting - I don't usually post in any of those cities and I didn't know they had a shorter expiration date. Thanks for the info.!

 

[exyeh]

I have figured out something. I found out there is not much ad left on the craiglist which belong to individual postings at the area I post - because they all have been flagged and removed. Only the commerical companies ad are there, and they can pay for the ad and no one can remove the ad once you pay for it. And this is the way craiglist makes money.

 

[DeniseM]

I have never seen an option to pay for a rental Ad. Did the help desk tell you that? - they are just a bunch of potty-mouth losers - they do NOT work for CL.

 

[mblosser]

Potty Mouth Losers?

I thought they were pinheaded, no-life, vindictive trolls?

 

[mblosser]

CL Musings

We have periodic "auto-flagging" issues too. Ads are flagged within seconds, so it is CL-computer/server and not user-inflicted.

One can ascribe CL's flagging behavior to all sorts of elegant and carefully designed algorithms and filters. But our musings are:

1. No one really knows why CL does what it does, maybe not even Mr. Craig
2. Some of it seems to be related to "too many too fast" ad postings.
3. Or maybe to your IP address being in a problem location (your IP may not be where you live, if your IP is in Orlando, por ejemplo, that is one area where flagging is notorious).

But the main reason we believe in is, CL has poor, old, inadequate, and downright shizgy servers and they just burp and belch and flag randomly and often. And sometimes take over an hour to make your ad live (that is one big clue about server loads being a probable reason).

At least we have not had a lot of ghosting lately -- just the long long waits for ads to go live.

Good luck with CL, we all hate it but it is free so how much can you really complain about free?

 

[chapjim]

This is excellent advice and I do the same thing. The only place I've had a problem with flagging on CL is Orlando. You get a lot of spammers / scammers but I still get 80% of my renters from CL. It's an invaluable resource.

I agree with everything here. The flagging of Orlando listings is inconsistent. A few years ago I couldn't keep a Bonnet Creek listing up for more than a few hours. Right now, I have about ten BC listings and haven't had anything flagged in a year or so.

The scammers are a little harder to identify now that you don't get a real email address anymore. The text still lets you sort out most of them ("please get back to me with cost and availabilities.").

I do two things with suspected scammer emails -- tell them to respond from a real email address and tell them I only take PayPal for payment. If I don't get a response from a real email address with a couple of days, I delete the emails.