What is Craigslist and Craigslist Wichita

There are many sites on the Web that service people from around the world and that are known by even those who aren’t on the Internet much. Places such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and eBay come to mind.  Another site that is hugely well-known is Craigslist.  It is a site that has become more and more popular as the years go on.

Craigslist is arguably the most popular world-wide classified ads website.  Its home page is presented in a simple, user-friendly appearance. Visitors who come to its main homepage will find a world map on top and then beneath it are the categories for the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia/Pacific/Middle East, Oceania, Latin America, and Africa. There are no banner ads or anything to distract from the original vision of the site. Even though Craigslist now services more than just the United States, it began with a focus on the US. Each state appears with clickable categories for its cities. Under Kansas, you’ll find Craigslist Wichita.

Under each section, such as for Craigslist Wichita, the site is divided by categories that include community, housing, jobs, temp jobs, services, for sale, discussion forums, and resumes.  Under each heading are subcategories.

Craigslist is a private company founded and invented by Craig Newmark in 1995 and headquartered in San Francisco.  A small-sized staff runs it. Craig founded the site, mostly free for users, with a goal to provide technology for the masses to use and to use in a positive way.  He wanted to get away from the kind of site that is run and dictated by huge corporate companies. Craig is a resident of San Francisco, and at first, the site focused on the San Francisco Bay area.

He wanted to provide a place for San Francisco Bay Area residents to communicate with each other for local events, mainly focused on software and internet developers.  However, word of the site began to grow, and it eventually moved to service every state and service at least 70 countries. Today, the site is one of the most visited with approximately 50 billion page views every month. The CEO of Craigslist, since 2000, is Jim Buckmaster.  Jim is known as an anti-establishment type person, shunning the corporate vibe and matching well with the original vision of the site’s founder.

It could be argued that no site can reach “giant” status, such as a Facebook, without being primarily free to its users. Craigslist is free except for some categories.  Job postings in certain areas cost anywhere from $10 to $75.  If you post brokered apartment rentals in the New York City area, it cost $10. There are some “by-dealer” categories in the United States that cost anywhere from $3 to $5. In the United States and in Vancouver BC, ads for cars and trucks sold by the dealer cost $5.

If you post an ad for furniture by-dealer in the United States or Vancouver BC, the ad will cost $3.  “Gigs” posted for the United States and in certain areas in Canada costs anywhere from $3 to $10.  Finally, services in the United States and Canada costs $5. So if you were to post a non-temporary education job on Craigslist Wichita, for example, you would pay approximately $20 per posting.

Craigslist Wichita is a favorite source to get connected with the Wichita public to sell things, offer services, seek housing, or to just communicate in the discussion forum, for examples. With that said, even though the site is made to be user-friendly, it’s a major site that has a wide variety of listings and a clear set of rules and warnings.  How do you get started with Craigslist Wichita?

What is Craigslist Wichita

How do you use Craigslist Wichita?

One of the things that makes Craigslist popular is that except for the areas already mentioned in this article, the site is free to use.  That means that people from across the globe can come to one location to post information to inform the public.  Here’s how to post a free Craigslist post without having to open an account.

  1. Go to the homepage for Wichita.

Go to Craigslist’s main page and look for Wichita under Kansas.  Click on Wichita. There you will find all of the categories that you can use under Wichita.

  1. Choose a category and a subcategory under Wichita.

Your next step is to choose a category under Wichita.  For this example, we’ll use the category “For Sale” and the subcategory “Books.”  Click on “Books.”

  1. Post your book for sale.

On the top right corner, click on “Post.”  You are asked to limit each posting you have to a single area and category, and you are asked not to post more than every 48 hours.   In the list provided, choose “For Sale By Owner.”  Be sure to read Craigslist’s prohibited items list before you post. For example, if you stole a book from a company, you are not allowed to post it for sale on Craigslist.  Click “For Sale By Owner.” Also, be sure to read the recalled items list.  Choose a category. For this example, it would be “Books & Magazines by owner.”

  1. Fill in your content.

Now it’s time to fill in your content.  Fill in the following information. (Not all fields are necessary.):

  1. Posting title ” This is an important part of your listing. Make your title attention-grabbing. You have a book for sale, but how can you write your title so that people will want to learn more?
  2. Price
  3. Specific location
  4. Postal code
  5. Body (Description) This is the second most important part of your listing when it comes to selling to the public. You’ll need to make your book description interesting and catchy for people to want to pay attention to it.   Be sure to be truthful with your description.  Never lie about what you’re selling.  For example, if your book is missing a piece of the back cover, let the buyer know.  Otherwise, you risk getting a reputation as an unreliable seller.
  6. Size/dimensions
  7. Language
  8. Condition
  9. Check off if Cryptocurrency is ok
  10. If you have more ads and you want them included with this ad, check that off
  11. Type in your email address
  12. Click your privacy option indicating whether you want replies to your email address or not. Craigslist can provide you an anonymous address if you don’t wish to have people respond to your real email address. Because you’re selling to the public, this is highly recommended to avoid spam and to protect your identity.
  13. If the user can contact you by phone or by text, include the information. Again, your privacy is important when you’re dealing with the public. So keep that in mind.
  14. Include your address if you’d like. Again, privacy is important. We’ll discuss this later in the article.
  15. Check off if others can contact you with services, products or commercial interests

Then click “Continue.”

  1. A map will appear.

A pic of a map will appear similar to the map that will appear on your post

  1. Upload your image.

Upload the image of your book.  This is the third most important part of your post. You are allowed to upload more than one image.  Be sure to upload pictures that give a clear indication of what you’re selling.  You have a much better chance of selling your book when the public knows what your book looks like.  So be sure not to skip this step.

  1. Publish your draft.

You will then see a draft of your post.  Make sure that everything is correct.  If something needs to be corrected, Craigslist lets you go back and fix any errors or include any additional information.  Then click “Publish.”  Your post will expire from the site in 45 days.

  1. Confirm your post.

Confirm your post via email.  If further action is required by Craigslist (such as confirming your telephone number) take steps to complete the action and confirm.  If you’ve completed everything that Craigslist wants, your post will appear live soon after.

What’s the forum all about?

Online forums have become very popular in the 21st-century.  What is an online forum? It’s a place where the public can hold online conversations about various topics.  Some forums are private while others are public.  Craigslist has a large public “discussion forum” that you can access.  A large variety of topics are covered including things like auto, beauty, celebs, diets, gardening, music, parenting, pets, religion, politics, travel, writing, and much more.

To post on the forum, you have to register for a Craigslist account which includes your email and forum handle.  Once you enter this information, a link to activate your account is sent to your email address.  After you have activated your account, you will need to agree to the Craigslist rules for their forum.

As with most public forums, some people are there to communicate, and some people are not.  Take it upon yourself to find the categories that you’re interested in and the threads that seem to be of use  Although you agree to a set of rules that Craigslist has for its forum, they don’t dictate each person’s every post.  Some people only come to forums to argue and to be negative.

Others are there to provide useful information and to communicate respectively with fellow forum members.  Because Craigslist maintains a small staff and because it is a site that does not attempt to rule your every move, but provides you with independence as long as you follow a set of basic rules, it’s really up to you to make the most of the forum.  Unless a person is blatantly disobeying rules and/or is a danger to the members of the forum, it’s up to you to find the parts of the forum that will be useful to you.

How to protect yourself and avoid scams.

Providing information to the public, such as selling a book, is easy and user-friendly with Craigslist Wichita.  That was one of the primary goals of the founder.  He wanted to make a site that was easy for the public to use, without all of the corporate ads and other distractions that interfere with a site.  With that being said, providing information to the public via Craigslist comes with risks.  Two of the most important considerations are your personal safety and avoiding scam artists.

How do you protect your personal safety on Craigslist Wichita?

Craigslist is quick to point out that most of its users are not only have the best intentions but that they are also trustworthy.  In fact, according to Craigslist, the number of violent crimes committed from interactions on their website is extremely low.

What is an example of a famous violent crime arranged through the Craigslist site? The true story of the “Craigslist Killer” is the most famous.  Here a pre-med student by the name of Philip Markoff who committed suicide in jail murdered and who murdered Julissa Brisman. She was a woman who advertised on Craigslist.  Markoff was also charged for assaulting two victims who also advertised on Craigslist.

Although these kinds of incidents resulting from Craigslist postings are rare, you must always ensure that you’re practicing safe steps.

  1. Never meet someone at your house, condo, apartment or hotel room.

You’re meeting someone from the public who you don’t know.  Therefore, you should never meet the person at your house, condo, apartment or hotel room or the person’s house, condo, apartment or hotel room.  Always meet in a public place, such as a café.  And when you finish the transaction, make sure that you’re not being followed when you leave.  You need to ensure that the transaction is done under safe circumstances.

  1. Never meet in a place that is secluded.

Although a park, for example, is a public place, what if you’re meeting someone in a secluded section of the park?  This is not a good idea.  Always meet in a place where there are many other people nearby.

  1. Be careful with high-value items.

In the example we used above, you are selling a book on Craigslist Wichita.  But what if that book is a rare, first edition, $1000 item?  You need to be careful with the transaction.  Ensure that the person has the cash to pay you, and be sure you are not being followed when you leave the transaction.

  1. Tell a friend or family member, or better yet, bring them along.

You want a safe transaction where they hand over the cash and you hand over the merchandise.  However, this has to be done safely.  To help ensure safety, tell a friend or family member where you’re going.  Or, better yet, bring them along.

  1. Bring your cell phone.

When you make the transaction, have your cell phone with you.  If something goes wrong, and the situation is criminal, you’ll have your cell phone with you to call the police.

  1. Trust your instincts.

Always trust your instincts with a transaction.  For example, if you are expected to make the transaction to one person, but when you arrive six people are waiting for you, does that situation feel safe?  Is it a situation where you think you’re about to be ambushed?  Removing yourself from the situation and remember that you have your cell phone with you to call the police if need be.

How do you protect yourself from scams on Craigslist Wichita?

What is a scam?  It’s a dishonest scheme that is done by a person, a group, a company, etc.  The goal is to fraud you out of something, such as money or a product.  According to the United States’ Better Business Bureau or BBB, 11 percent of adults in America, or at 25 million people, are victims of various frauds every year.  Craigslist is no stranger to scam artists even though, as mentioned, most of the people on Craigslist are trustworthy.  So how do you prevent yourself from becoming a victim of a scam artist on Craigslist?

  1. Deal locally and face to face.

If someone you are selling or buying something in Wichita, Kansas, for example, be sure to only deal with a person who lives in Wichita, like you.  So be sure to deal locally.  Second, be sure to deal with the person face to face.

  1. Don’t give payment to someone or accept payment from someone you haven’t met face to face.

No matter if you’re paying for something or accepting payment, either way, you can get scammed.  So make these kinds of transactions in person only.  That means that when you sell that book in Wichita, you do not offer to ship.  That is a red flag that Craigslist warns buyers.  You meet the buyer face to face to sell the book.

  1. Don’t wire the funds.

Funds should never be wired in any situation.  So if you’re selling that book and someone says they will wire you the funds, the chances are good that the person is a scammer.  Again, the transaction should be done face to face.

  1. Cash only.

Remember, you’re dealing with the public.  If you meet someone in Wichita with that book you want to sell, and you accept a check, especially a cashier or certified check as well as a money order, you could easily be scammed.  Accept cash only.

  1. The transaction is between you and the other person only.

There should be no third parties involved in the transaction.  It is between you and the buyer or you and the seller.

  1. Do not provide your financial information.

Again, accept cash only when you make that transaction.  Do not give out your PayPal account information or your bank account information.  Never give out your social security number.

  1. Never buy something without knowing what it looks like first.

When you sell that book, you need to provide photos of the book.  That makes you a responsible seller who is providing necessary information for what you’re selling.  Similarly, if you are a buyer on Craigslist, never agree to buy something without seeing it first in a photo.

  1. There is no such thing as a Craigslist Voicemail.

Anyone who mentions Craigslist voicemail is a scammer because no such service exists on Craigslist.

Look out for the warning signs for scammers which include things like emails or texts from people who are not local to Wichita, in this instance; not willing to meet face to face; abysmal spelling and grammar from someone answering your ad indicating that person may not be from the United States.

Always contact Craigslist if you think you are dealing with a scammer.

If you are a resident of Wichita, Craigslist Wichita is a way for you to communicate with the public for actions you wish to take, such as offering an item for sale.  Some of the postings will be free, but other postings, such as providing a job position to potential candidates, will cost a small fee. The Craigslist interface is easy to use, and that was one of the primary goals of the founder of Craigslist.  Currently, and since its inceptions, you won’t find banner ads or other information from outside corporations vying for your attention.  The site is just laid out on a white background with lettering in a lowercase uniform style.

Follow the directions for posting on Craigslist, and if Craigslist has a problem with one of your postings, the site will let you know.   You risk having your post removed or deleted by the site if a user has flagged you, if the automated system of the site removes the post, or if a member of the staff removes the post.  All posts eventually expire, and you have the right to remove your post if you choose.

If your post gets the attention of a member of the public, always follow safety precautions even though the site is considered to be safe overall.  Your goal should always be to keep yourself safe from scammers and safe from bodily harm.

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