FAQ
ALL POSTING FAILING
As of July 14, 2009 we have seen that Craigslist has changed the format of their posting platform. As this is out of our control, we will need to update the goCraigsy software to account for the new methods being used. This will take a few days, and hopefully will just require an update to the configuration file we send instead of a whole new binary. Sorry for the inconvenience for existing users, and we've taken the app off the store in the meantime. Just launch the application every once in a while, and the status messages at runtime should tell you the progress we've made on fixing the issue.
I tried to post, but it keeps failing!
In some circumstances, craigslist has implemented a system they call "Phone Verified Accounts" (aka: PVA) which requires a phone number to be associated with your craigslist account. This is used in some circumstances to prevent fraudulent posting, the thinking being that email addresses are cheap and easy to get while phone numbers have a cost and are somewhat difficult to obtain. By tying a phone number to an account, craigslist hopes to reduce the number of spam messages on their service. The goCraigsy application cannot control how and when craigslist determines they should require your account be Phone Verified, so we suggest that all accounts be verified after you create them. Your account may work fine without Phone Verification, but the opaque nature of the application methods by craigslist makes this potentially problematic without warning, so we suggest all craigslist account holders Phone Verify their accounts.
This is a one-time process. You will not need to do it again once you have verified your account.
To Phone Verify your account with craigslist, go here:
https://accounts.craigslist.org/login/phnact
My post still didn't work!
Sometimes we've seen that the craigslist posting interface is a bit sporadic. On some rare occasions, you may need to submit an advertisement a few times before it goes through and you are presented with the captcha screen. We're trying to track down where the problem is and create a patch around it, but in the meantime just try a few times to get it to work even if you receive a "failed" message on your first attempt.
Why should I use this instead of craigslist's web interface?
Craigslist does not work for direct uploads of photos via their web interface due to scripting problems that are specific to the iPhone. Also, the craigslist interface is not ideal for use on handheld devices due to repetitive menus and poor text handling. goCraigsy was custom-designed for use on mobile devices and has keystroke-saving features that reduce your posts to the minimal amount of typing necessary.
Are there plans for versions for phones other than the iPhone?
Maybe. We'll see how successful the iPhone version is, and then continue probably with Android as the next platform. If you are a developer looking for an Android, Symbian, or Treo Pre software projects, contact us and we may be able to work something out.
Craigslist is free. Why should I pay you to submit for-sale items?
Yes, Craigslist is free, but your time isn't. Posting things from the Craigslist interface is fairly frustrating (walk to object, take pictures, download pictures, post ad, pick pictures, verify, etc) and on handheld devices is even more frustrating. This app condenses many of the steps into single steps, saving you time and hassle. Figure that you'll make up the entire cost of the sale on your first item that you sell, and then some! If the minor hassle of posting something has kept you from selling it, then the price of this app is recouped the first time you make a sale. I'm certain we'll get gripes about the fact that this app isn't zero cost, but I suspect those complaints are coming from people who have not actually considered that this app is one of the few on the iTunes store that can actually DIRECTLY pay for itself with only one use.
I don't see my city listed. Why not?
Whoops! We try to update the city/metro area list quite often, but if we somehow missed yours, please let us know and we'll make sure it gets in the next update.
Will you have a version that stores previously posted sales?
Yes, soon. It will be available for free when updated, but we wanted to get the current version out the door.
It doesn't work! I try to post an ad and something goes wrong.
That means we've done something wrong, and it needs to be fixed! Can you please mail support@gocraigsy.com with the details of the problem, with the software version and current template version (found in Settings -> Advanced/Debugging> and we'll try to figure it out. We tested quite a bit, but often subtle bugs are difficult to find without hundreds or thousands of people trying things out. Bugs are an affront to my sense of well-being, so I will try to fix them as quickly as possible.
Do I need a craigslist account to use the app? Why?
Yes, you do. If you don't have an account, you would need to verify each sale via email, which is a real pain and probably would cause many people to have posting failures. You can sign up for a new account right in the app - just go to "Settings" and then click on "New Account".
Can I browse craigslist ads with this app?
No. It was designed to be a posting tool, and is not capable of browsing ads. There are other craigslist apps out there which do a good job browsing the advertisements, and this is meant as a tool to allow simple and powerful for-sale advertisement posting. Doing a good browser is just as complex as doing a good posting tool, and I'd prefer that others focus on the advertisment-reading portion of the equation at the moment.
Does goCraigsy allow for posting of jobs, gigs, or other areas in craigslist?
Not yet. The current version is for "for sale" items only, but we are considering if we should allow other areas. Mobile devices lend themselves well to posting items for sale because of the distributed nature of objects that get sold and the built-in camera in the phone, but it's less clear that posting jobs (for instance) is going to be something that people want to do from their phones rather than their desktops.
How does this app stay "up to date" with cities and categories and the like?
You may see the application say something like "Updating Templates" if it's been more than a day since you last launched it. We keep updating a file which contains all the new data, and we'll try to ensure that any changes on craigslist are promptly added to the update file. If your device doesn't see any new changes in the template file, it will not download it to save time and bandwidth.
I often get the "Offline - Unable to reach update server" message. Why?
If you launch the application after waking your iPhone up from a suspended mode, it may be the case that your iPhone does not have a WiFi DHCP address, or is not initialized with the mobile phone network. It often takes several seconds for this initialization to occur, and sometimes the application will try checking for updates before the network is ready, leading to a false error message. The solution for this is to browse some web pages or do some other network activity before launching the goCraigsy application, or to quit the app and re-launch. There will be a software update in the future which has a longer delay to avoid these problems.