CL question about flagging

[Bob Rufener]

I have used CL a number of times for purchasing and a few times for selling. I put an ad in for selling a car and someone flagged it. I have no idea why. Who does the flagging and why? I don't know what the rules are for flagging. I would like to know, that if someone flagged an ad, why it was allowed to be flagged. I know they have a list of rules but sometimes it seems that the rules are broken and just about anyone can do the flagging. Can someone enlighten me about the flagging policy.

[Justin McCurdy]

Bob,

Unfortunately there really are no "rules" that are enforced by CL iteslf. They do not double check the flaggings to make sure a legitimate ad was not accidentally flagged. I have had ads that have been flagged too, and for no good reason. One thing that has kinda caught on is someone taking down your info (such as a phone #) and then flagging your ad so that the ad goes away and they have an easier time getting the item. People flag items from businesses that use CL as their advertising medium, people that repost the same item every day, people that place the same item in multiple cities, and spam offers such as "free $600 in tools, click here".

Hope that helps,
Justin