How to Place a Classified Ad on Craigslist

The Internet has literally revolutionized the way we buy and sell items. Web sites such as Craigslist have become enormously popular in recent years-with over ten million unique visitors every month and ten million new classified advertisements placed every month, it's ranked in the top ten most popular Web sites in the United States. Placing classified ads on Craigslist is very easy, and completely free. Craigslist has local sites for all U.S. states and a large number of international cities so, no matter where you are, your Craigslist ad has very high potential readership.

Things You'll Need

• Internet access

Instructions

1. Navigate to the Craigslist home page and choose a local site to post to-this can be a state, province, city or country (see Resources).

2. Click the Post to Classifieds link in the top right corner.

3. Select a category and then a sub-category to post your classified ad.

4. Write your advertisement using the form provided. Click Continue when you're finished.

5. Review your ad and make changes if necessary, then click Continue.

6. Read the Terms of Service on the next page, click Accept to agree, and then check the information in the confirmation window.

7. Check your e-mail for a "self-publishing message" from Craigslist. Click the link in the e-mail message to access the publishing form for your ad.

8. Review your ad one last time then click the Publish button. Your ad will appear on Craigslist within fifteen minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the e-mail containing your self-publishing link-you can use this link if you want to edit or delete the post later. If you lose or delete the e-mail, you can have the link resent to you. See the Resources section of this article for the address to request a new link. (Note that if you've placed multiple Craigslist ads, you can only get a new link for your most recent one.)

• Ads remain posted on Craigslist up to 45 days after you place them. Ads expire in 30 days in some United States cities-check the Craigslist FAQ for details (you'll find a link to the FAQ on the home page).

• Note that Craigslist does not take part in any transactions between buyers and sellers.

• Beware of scammers. A common scam involves buyers mailing fraudulent cashier's checks or money orders-if you fall victim to such a scam, your bank will hold you personally responsible for replacing the money. To avoid being scammed, deal locally with people you can meet face-to-face. By doing this, you'll avoid virtually all scam attempts.

• A small selection of Craigslist advertisements do cost money. These include job advertisements and broker apartment listings in selected cities. See the Craigslist site for up-to-date information.