Craigslist allows users to post multiple items to the site together. Craigslist has an application programming interface (API) that allows users to bulk post items on the platform. Users do not have to go through the tedious and time-consuming process of posting each item manually. The Craigslist API is typically more useful to employers and real estate people who need to post multiple listings at once. In this article, we shall discuss how to post to Craigslist API. Before delving into the details of the same, here’s a little about Craigslist.

What is Craigslist?

All of us are aware of the Classifieds section of newspapers. Well, Craigslist is mostly like the Classifieds section. It allows you to add a listing for almost anything – from jobs and apartments to used cars and personal ads. The most attractive feature is that Craigslist is free to use unless you wish to opt for paid ads. Moreover, several items may be even listed for free.

Craigslist Bulk Posting API

On Craigslist, new postings are submitted to the bulk interface in the RSS format along with additional Craigslist-specific elements via an HTTPS post. Subsequently, Craigslist will return another RSS document that describes which posts are valid or which have been posted. Let us learn a little more about the bulk posting API process on Craigslist.

Authorization

The bulk posting feature on Craigslist is available to high-volume posters who post more than a hundred listings per month. The authorization is awarded on a case-by-case basis and is limited to the paid posters.

Request to Post

To submit a request for posting, users have to establish an HTTPS connection to Craigslist through their URLs made specifically for posting or validating. Your request must include a post category, a description, the city in which the post will be submitted, and a reply email address. The request should have a content type of ” text/XML”, should be encoded as UTF-8, and must be in the correct format. Once you submit the request with the correct syntax, the next step is to await a Response.

Response

There are numerous forms of responses that you might receive after submitting the request. Some common responses are:

• “Failed to parse RSS”: It means that your RSS request document was not properly formulated.
• Username, password, or Account ID required: This happens when the username, password, or account ID is not submitted in the <cl: auth> element of the request
• OK: RSS document in posting response format.

Needless to say, the process of bulk posting via API on Craigslist is not entirely easy, and a non-technical person may not be able to follow the process correctly. As a business owner or a real estate agent, it is only natural that you are not accustomed to such technical jargon.

Nevertheless, the necessity for bulk posting persists. In such cases, it is wisest to outsource the process of bulk posting to organizations that provide hiring assistance to companies.

Redwood Technology Solutions specialize in a wide range of recruitment process outsourcing services. These include manual job postings, OFCCP Compliance Job Posting, for Federal Compliance, High Volume Craigslist Job Posting, Recruitment Media Buying, and general Business Process Outsourcing. Our team has over 16 years of experience in the staffing, talent acquisition, and recruitment industry. Get in touch today – our team is ready to help customize a solution specific to your company’s needs.