about > help > replying to posts

To reply to a post via email:

Most postings have a highlighted email address in the upper left corner that will be formatted in one of two ways:

  1. A regular email address (example: janesmith@yahoo.com)--replies go directly to the poster.
  2. A craigslist email address (example: sale-abcde-xxxxxxxxxx@craigslist.org)--replies are forwarded to the poster's real email address.

You can do one of:

  1. Click on the highlighted email address, which should open your email application.
  2. Copy the address (usually by right-clicking and selecting "Copy Email Address") and paste it into your email application.

For posts in the personals you will see a "Reply to This Post" button. To see the addresses to reply to the post, click on this and  fill out the captcha.

Please note: When you reply to a post, your email address will be visible to the recipient. If you want to remain anonymous, it might help to use an email address that does not contain your name or other identifying information. (Many users set up web-based email accounts such as Yahoo or Gmail for this purpose.)


Alternative contact methods:

If the poster has chosen not to be contacted via email, you will see "Reply to: see below" in place of the customary address.

  • Look for a phone number, fax number, website address, or street address in the body of the posting.
  • If the post does not contain any contact info, you can notify the poster by clicking the "send note" button at the bottom of the post.


Troubleshooting Tips:

If you get an error message when you click on the highlighted email address, or you do not recognize the email program that pops up, simply cut-and-paste the email address into a new message in your usual email application.

If your reply comes back to you with an "undeliverable" message, please check the following:

  • Is the ad still posted on the site? (The craigslist email address is only valid as long as the ad is active. Once an ad expires or is removed by the poster, replies will bounce back.)
  • Did you spell the email address correctly? (Common typos include omitting the hyphens, jobxxxxxxxxxx instead of job-xxxxx-xxxxxxxxxx, or forgetting the 's' after craig and entering craiglist.org instead of craigslist.org.) Copy and pasting email addresses helps prevent this kind of error.
  • Did you include a large file or image in your reply? (Attachments sent to a craigslist email address cannot exceed 150 kilobytes.)

Still have questions? try our help desk discussion forum or send us a note.