If you ever have a legal dispute with Craigslist, you must sue them — or be sued — in San Francisco, California courts under California law, regardless of where you live.
If you have a dispute with Craigslist — over a refund, a moderation decision, or any other issue — you must litigate it in San Francisco, California, making it practically very difficult for most users to pursue claims.
Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Exclusive Jurisdiction — San Francisco Courts and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →Unlike many tech platforms that use mandatory arbitration, Craigslist requires all disputes to go through San Francisco courts, which can be prohibitively expensive and impractical for users living outside California.
(1) REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: Forum selection clauses are governed by state contract law and, for online consumer contracts, are subject to reasonableness review under California Civil Code § 1646 and federal due process standards (see Carnival Cruise Lines v. Shute, 499 U.S. 585, 1991). California Business & Professions Code § 17200 (UCL) may limit enforcement of forum selection clauses against California consumers in certain circumstances. No mandatory arbitration or class action waiver is present, which is notable and distinguishes this TOU from industry standard for major platforms. (2)
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Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.
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