How Long Do Postings Last on Craigslist?

By William Lynch

Craigslist ads typically last much longer than traditional newspaper ads.
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Even if posting is typically free, running an ad on Craigslist can still be a worthless endeavor if you're not aware of all the factors involved. Exactly how long a Craiglist ad remains active depends upon its category, its geographical location and whether you're willing to pay additional fees. Knowing how long ads remain active will help you decide when to make your initial posting and give you time to plan any subsequent ads to make up for the first's potential failure.

Most Cities

Aside from a select few metropolitan areas, Craigslist maintains standard time limits for ads posted in most cities. All For Sale, Housing, Personals, Services, Community, Resumes and Gigs ads expire after 45 days. Any Events ads remain active until the event's date range expires. You may also elect to delete your post at anytime from your Craigslist account page.

Major Cities

Craiglist imposes stricter time limits on ads posted in large metropolitan cities and other highly populated areas. The 19 restricted regions are Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Orange County, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, Seattle, the San Francisco Bay area, South Florida and Washington D.C. For Sale, Housing, Personals, Services and Community ads posted in these cities expire after seven days, while ads for Resumes and Gigs last 30 days. Events ads still remain active until the event date range expires.

Paid Job Postings

All free job postings expire after 45 days. However, if you pay to post a job offer, the listing will expire after 30 days. While this may seem counterintuitive, Craigslist only charges for posting jobs in certain areas of the country known for having competitive job markets. Due to the high demand, the paid job listings in these areas only last 30 days. The San Francisco Bay area stands as the most expensive job market, requiring a $75 fee per job and per category. Some of the 28 cities and regions requiring a $25 posting fee include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, San Diego and Washington D.C.

Considerations

Two other exceptions exist to the Craigslist standard post lifespans. Once again due to high demand, paid apartment listings in New York City expire after 30 days. Meanwhile, all paid therapeutic postings in the United States cost $10 and expire after seven days as opposed to the expected 30 days for most Services ads.

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