I went to Craigslist to test a market theory. I wanted to offer to buy used iPods to anyone williing to sell them to me. So I start an ad thingy and submit it to San Francisco. I let it run for awhile I see it appear. Okay cool, I think I get how this works. So I go to LA and say to myself. Maybe some people in LA want to sell me their used iPods as well. Literally, kind of like an academic research project, just trying to see how many people will do it. Except for real--I will send them money for their iPod--I'm not faking anything.
So I submit to LA and like two minutes later. My ad on SF's Craiglist is flagged and rejected. So I submit my LA ad, and I see a similar ad to my own except much more obtrusive and think, "hey I wonder why my ad had trouble that one is basically the same thing." Then I go back to Craigslist and post in their forum and I get all kinds of very useful information about categories and possible reasons. And then my LA ad is flagged and rejected. But never at any point is it explained to me why these other guys with massive ad campaigns get to keep their ads day after day on the site but mine gets whacked in a minute.
I think I wrote something like: "Sell me your secondhand iPod." In the body I said something like: "I'll pay cash for your used iPod, click here for details on the offer."
I go back to the Wanted section in LA and this guy has a giant image, like 1/4 of my screen with "Cash for your ipod" on it! And his ad has been running, apparently for many, many days, maybe weeks. His sticks, mine gets booted. So what gives?
1 comment:
I bet your quarter-page-ad-having iPod-scavenging competitor is flagging you.
It happens in the services section all the time. A colleague was telling me about how his tile/granite guy has to repost his ad twice a day because his competitors are nailing him.
Go flag his ad!
Of course, you might want to sell him an iPod (or pretend to be interested in doing so) to see what you're up against first. If it's some slimey actor-wannabe who steals candy from babies, fire away, but if it's for a good cause or something... you get the picture. At least pump him/her for information. Or even forge a partnership.
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