What Type of Classified Ads do we Accept?

I have been asked time and time again about the type of classified ads we accept. It is in the FAQs and Terms of Use, but I guess no one reads those things anymore (even though they acknowledged reading the TOU when they posted an ad).

Okay – Off the top of my head (this list is not all-inclusive)

–We do not accept credit cards or anything credit card related because 99% of these ads are scams. Most of these promoter are parasites and just making it harder for people to deal with the their credit issues.

–We do not accept pharmacy/drug/pills related classified ads. Frankly speaking, it seems pretty darn scary to buy drugs/pills online from an obscure website. That includes steroids.

–We do not accept stuffing envelopes or ad posting scams. These offers are pure BS, and most if not all, are illegal. If anything, report these useless promoters to the authorities.

–We do not accept gambling ads either. Most of those ads are scams.

–We do not accept loan offer ads. 99% of these ads are scams. If you received a “loan” from one of these promoters,  you have been had. These ads are flagged and deleted on sight.

–We do not accept sites that promote music/movie download sites because we certainly do not want people accessing “so-call free” movie/music sites. These downloads were probably obtained illegally. As you know, nothing is free in life — except regular ads on FreeAdLists.com (just a little humor) — but again, you are investing your valuable time into the posting effort so it’s not really free.

–We do not accept hate/racist classifieds either. This is a private website, so we don’t have to accept that crap.

–We do not accept those Free Yorkies or Free Bulldog ads. Let’s be honest.  No one is going to give you one of these exorbitantly expensive dogs. They are going to ask you for a bogus shipping fee or some other type of BS fee. Bottom line, you will never see a dog. However, you might see your banker because you just bounced a check. My advice — deal locally or go to the local pound and get a real dog. The majority of these scammers are from overseas. Frankly speaking, most of these scammers have never seen a Yorkie  yet alone afford one.

–We reserve the right to delete any classified ad from our site that violates our Terms of Use/FAQ.  That should be common sense.

–We accept ads from posters who are 18+ (adults only). This is not a site for minors.

–Posters assume all responsibility for their classified ad.

If you post these type of aforementioned classified ads, you can pretty much assure yourself of being banned for life.

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Is This Ad Related to Your Classified Ads Website?

classified ad

classified ad

I have been queried several times regarding the status of the aforementioned advertisement. It comes up on the right side – paid search listings – when visitors type in “freeadlists.com” or “freeadlists” in the search box. The query from some readers/posters goes something like this: “Is this Google ad related to your classified ad site?”

Here is the ad:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=freeadlists.com&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g1

No. This ad is not related to our website. Evidently, who ever is running this ad is trying to capitalize on explicit searches for our site. I am glad the sponsor thinks it’s worthwhile to pay for the term. Maybe we are doing something right. But I do not want our readers or posters to think that we are something other than a classified ads website – We are running a classified ads site, nothing else.

Repeat – We are not sponsoring this advertisement.

Hmmm…I wonder if they made any money yet.

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Is Craigslist Finally Gaining Legitimate Competition

I find this BusinessWeek article, “A Web of Classified Ad Rivals Challenges Craigslist,” somewhat encouraging, especially for us smaller ad sites. According to this article, Craigslist is finally getting challenged by some well funded players. Granted these players are dominating overseas online classified markets, not the US yet. But major classified ads services such as Oodle and OLX believe the US market is ripe for the picking. How will they do that? It’s one word – innovation. It forces change and that’s exactly what this space needs (a little 21st century) and a little healthy competition always benefit the consumer.

According to this article, OLX (now the #2 ad site in the world) aka “David” is expected to bring in $10 million next year. It is still a long way from Craigslist aka “Goliath” who is estimated to bring in $100 million in sales but everyone knows they leave a lot more on the table. But frankly speaking, I didn’t think anyone else could bring in that much with Craigslist’s stranglehold – just ask the other online classified ad sites and print newspapers around the country.

Here are some statistics from compete.com – it’s a bit dated though

http://siteanalytics.compete.com/craigslist.org+kijiji.com+olx.com/

I am surprised Craigslist had no comment for this article. Why not? Concern, arrogance or both?

They might want to recheck the speck in their rear view mirror – it’s getting a litter bigger – finally.

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Please Post Classified Ads to the Correct Categories

There are several posters (now less of them after being banned) on FreeAdLists.com that continue to post to the wrong categories – even after being warned.  We don’t mind posters posting legitimate classified ads, but ads for jewelry don’t belong under autos.  Also, pets don’t belong under clothes.  These kinds of ads can ruin a site.  On the off-chance you don’t understand the category, don’t post.

If someone is engaging in the aforementioned posting behavior, we consider them a low-life spammer and they will be banned from the site.  And please don’t bother sending us silly emails complaining about being banned, especially if you are one of these spamming jackasses.

But all is not lost for these egregious posters.  If they truly want to post to the wrong categories, please find another classified ad website that doesn’t give a crap about their ads or categories. There are plenty of them out there that don’t care about the quality of their site – BUT WE DO so piss off!

And by the way, we appreciate all the legitimate posters.  Thanks for posting your classified ads.

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FreeAdLists.com Announces Revamp of Website Design and Service Offering

If you missed it, here is a press release that we released a few weeks ago.

FreeAdLists.com has just announced a major makeover of its website design and service offering in order to accommodate the growing needs of the advertising public.

(PRWEB) November 4, 2009 — With the proliferation of free classified websites inviting users to take advantage of their service offering, existing classified ad websites have taken measures to consolidate their market share and provide the advertising public with more features and improved service.

For FreeAdLists.com, a free classified ads website that has been in operation since early 2007, this revamped service offering involves a redesign of existing website which it has just announced and the provision of additional options such as the “Featured Ads” service.

The Featured Ads service allows people to have their adverts seen throughout the website regardless of the country or city category which potential visitors to the site are interested in viewing. It can be used by advertisers that want their classified ads to enjoy a wider reach in terms of audience.

Featured Ads are not free however but advertisers are only required to pay a $2.99 fee per ad. Some other benefits of this advert type include the fact that ads are highlighted when displayed and Google Adsense ads and banners do not appear in such adverts. These benefits make this advert type a lot more effective than a free ad listing.

Another change to the FreeAdLists.com design is the inclusion of a number of additional countries and states on the website homepage in order to allow for a better global reach. All the states of the United States are listed on the website and so are over 50 countries of the world.

Greater interaction with site members is provided through third-party updates from Twitter. This helps users with information on site updates and improvements as soon as they are implemented.

Improved ad monitoring services, fraud enlightenment sections and links on the FreeAdLists.com website also means that scams and spam ads are easily spotted and users can better protect themselves from suspicious ad offers which are a constant problem with sites of this kind, both established and otherwise.

According to Cynthia Wilkes, a ardent user of FreeAdLists.com who uses the site for everything from searching for bargains to meeting people “The new design is much more different from what was available before, the important thing for me is that these changes are subtle and helpful, not overwhelming and confusing as with other website services who try to improve things for users and end up scaring them away in the process”.

For better understanding of what the improved website design and service offering entails, please visit FreeAdLists.com.

About FreeAdLists.com
FreeAdLists.com is a free classifieds service that caters to a global audience of users in different countries and cities around the world.

Standard advertising services are provided for free, however users of the site can also benefit from paid advertising options for a better reach in terms of advertising coverage.

Contact:
Roy Wood
press_contact(at)freeadlists(dot)com

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Suggest to Add Your City to FreeAdLists.com

Lately, we have been receiving a number of requests to add cities for certain countries. Frankly speaking, we don’t mind doing that but we are looking to add cities that are over 1 million in population. Lately, we have received a few requests for cities under 10K. In these cases, please use the “other cities in state/country” option so we can keep the city database manageable.

Also, if you don’t mind, please help spread the word for your particular city.

At any rate, here are a few Indian cities that have been added in the past 2-3 days per request.

Delhi
Mumbai
Bangalore
Chennai
Kolkata
Indore
Hyderabad
Ahmedabad
Pune
Delhi
Mumbai
Bangalore
Chennai
Kolkata
Indore
Hyderabad
Ahmedabad
Pune
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FreeAdLists.com Adds a Latest Classified Ads Feature

In case you have not noticed, we added a “Latest Ads” feature. The new feature shows the 20-25 most recently posted classified ads and gives you a quick preview of what is being posted on the site. Check out the latest classified ads today!

As always, if you see any questionable classified ads (e.g. pharmacy, ad posting scams, BS pet ads, loan ads, chain letter/Ponzi type ads, etc), please let us know by flagging or using the “contact us” form. We love bringing down the hammer on scammers and spammers.

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Why are you attracting certain visitors to your site or blog?

I find FeedJit’s Live Traffic Feed widget useful – gives me a rough idea of who is visiting the site and WHERE they are coming from. But frankly speaking, every time I observe links coming from some of those African-based countries, I cringe.  Why? Not all, but many of the pet scammers on the Internet are coming from those areas.  Now these bums/scammers or their representatives are hanging out at airports. Here is one interesting story on the topic.

Pet scammers monkeying around with world’s busiest airport – what to watch out for

Another useful article below (6 steps and tips & warnings)

How to spot a pet scam?

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FreeAdLists.com Adds FAQ by Popular Demand

I have had a number of requests from posters for a FAQ page. But first, I had to make some space on the homepage. So on the homepage, I decided to replace the Forums (aka spammer magnet) link with the FAQ link. I do hope you find these FAQs helpful.

Here is a preview of what will comprise of the FAQs. By the way, this list is not yet finalized and I will probably add a couple more in the next few days.

Q: Why is my ad not being posted although I followed the steps on the Post Ad form?
A: You must enable JavaScript and cookies in your browser. No cookie information is stored after closing the browser. The website has been tested on Internet Explorer 6/7/8, Firefox 2/3, Chrome and Opera.
Q: Why is my ad not being posted although I followed the steps on the Post Ad form?
A: You must enable JavaScript and cookies in your browser. No cookie information is stored after closing the browser. The website has been tested on Internet Explorer 6/7/8, Firefox 2/3, Chrome and Opera.

Q: Why did I not receive a confirmation email after creating my account?
A: You should check your spam filters. We get this complaint frequently and most of the time it is filter related or ISP blocking FreeAdLists.com. Suggestion: Use a web-based email account for confirmations.

Q: Why did I not receive a confirmation email after posting a classified ad (this only applies to non-registered members)?
A: You should check your spam filters. We get this complaint frequently and most of the time it is filter related or ISP blocking FreeAdLists.com. Suggestion: Use a web-based email account for confirmations.

Q: What if I use too many keywords (keyword spamming) in my classified ads?
A: Your account will be disabled and your IP/email address banned.

Q: Can I paste HTML code into the ad content box?
A: No, because of security reasons we do not accept HTML code, yet you can use the editor or you can paste rich-text from MS Word.

Q: How many days are my ads active?
A: They are active for one month or until you delete them – whichever comes first.

Q: How many ads can I post?
A: You can post as many DIFFERENT ads as you want. However, duplicate ads will get you promptly banned from the site.

Q: How do I delete my classified ad?
A: Refer to the confirmation email and select the DELETE link, or if you are a registered member, login and enter the Manage Ads page.

Q: How do I update my classified ad?
A: Refer to the confirmation email and select the UPDATE link, or if you are a registered member, login and enter the Manage Ads page.

Q: How do I activate my classified ad?
A: Refer to the confirmation email and select the CONFIRM link.

Q: Why am I having problems posting a classified ad?
A: Your IP or email address might be banned or there are banned keywords in your advertisement.

Q: How many languages does FreeAdLists.com support?
A: For navigational purposes, We support four different languages – English, Spanish, German and French.

Q: Should I deal locally?
A: Always deal in person and it is a good idea to bring someone along. After all, you do not know this person.

Q: My city or category is missing from the FreeAdList.com database?
A: Submit a suggestion. But if it is a small city or town, please use “other cities in STATE”.

Q: Are puppy classified ads scams?
A: Not always BUT ALWAYS DEAL in person when it comes to pet classifieds – Again, deal locally. Use extreme caution when dealing with distant sellers, especially pet ads by overseas posters – these are the #1 scammers. To put it bluntly, no one is going to give you a free Yorkie, Terrier, or Bulldog. Bottom line, these pets are highly desireable but very expensive so scammers are hoping you will fall for the reduced price or free adoption ploy (just pay for shipping–IT IS A SCAM). If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Q: My graphic ads are not showing?
A: That was on purpose. Do not post that junk here.

Q: I am being asked to wire money or cash a check?
A: STOP! You are about to be scammed. Only a scam artist will ask you to do such a thing. ALWAYS DEAL IN PERSON – especially from overseas contacts!

Q: Is FreeAdLists.com affiliated with any other websites?
A: FreeAdLists.com has a blog and a blog top site, TopBlogLists.com. That’s it.

Q: How long are featured ads active?
A: 1 month

Q: Is it necessary to post ads in html format?
A: No

Q: Who do I contact if I suspect someone is using my PayPal account illegally?
A: Contact PayPal.

Q: I bought a paid ad but did not complete the payment. What can I do?
A: Contact us and we can help you activate after you manually pay for the ad.

Q: I paid for the ad but it is not showing!
A: If you don’t return from Paypal, we won’t receive a confirmation that you completed the payment. But you don’t have to worry because we manually activate paid ads, which weren’t confirmed but do show up in our reports.

Q: How long does it take for an eCheck payment to post?
A: It takes about a week or so.

Q: What items are banned from FreeAdLists.com?
A: Junk classifieds – predominantly “Ad posting scams”, “data entry scams”, “chain letters”, “Ponzi scams”, “loan offers”, “typing scams”, etc.

Q: Who do I contact if I find something illegally posted?
A: Flag it and contact site admin. The ad owner could be banned or/and reported to the proper authorities.

Q: How old do I need to be to post on FreeAdLists.com?
A: 18 or older. This site is for adults.

Q: What if I use too many keywords (keyword spamming) in my classified ads?
A: Your account will be disabled and your IP/email address permanently banned.

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Be careful when you respond to that “Remove Me” or “Unsubscribe” Link

We all receive unwanted email everyday and wish it would stop at our command. To get the point across, we sometimes take matters into our own hands . However, you should consider this question first. Did you subscribe to the mailing list in the first place? No? So before you decide to respond to that “Remove Me” or “Unsubscribe” link, you might want to visit Spamhaus.org and read why that might not be such a great idea. Spammers send out millions of emails each day, but they don’t know which ones are valid or invalid. All you are doing by replying to the link is confirming the email address – now it is valuable to a spammer.

For more Internet spam information, visit Spamhaus.org

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