Craigslist Bot Flagging and Ghosting has been a problem since the late 90’s. Craigslist has been my go to for local advertising. But not without a hand-full of problems along the way. In 1999 my first account was banned, no idea why. My current account is still in good standing. I’ve it had since the first one got banned. The second account has been slapped with false ghosting a few times. I’ve been a victim of false flagging ever since the 90’s. False flagging is still very much out of control in 2019. Craigslist will ghost your Ads if they get flagged enough by random members. No thanks to all the illegal Craigslist flagging software. That software is what is responsible for your Ads being ghosted by Craigslist.
Craigslist Ghosting
Ghosting is the practice that when your ads appear to have posted successfully, Craigslist actually hides these ads from users. … Essentially, Craigslist is tricking you into believing your ads are posted when they are not. These hidden ads, we refer to them as being “ghosted”.
Craigslist Flagging
Flagging removal of Free Classified Ads. Craigslist’s automated system deletes free posts that receive multiple negative flags. I repeat. Craigslist’s automated system deletes free posts that receive multiple negative flags. Unless a group of people are after you on Craigslist, the only way this can happen is with software bots. Since the late 90’s, Craigslist Bot Flagging and Ghosting has been happening. If your post was removed and you know it was 100% legit, you can bet it was a software bot that triggered the system. This does not mean that your account has been disabled or compromised, just means your Ad has been Ghosted / hidden. In other words, only you can see it, Craigslist visitors cannot.
So what’s stopping any of your competitors from using illegal tactics and third-party software to give them an edge on Craigslist or any other classifieds platform? Nothing.
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