If you pay to post a listing on Craigslist, you will not get your money back — even if Craigslist removes, delays, or otherwise prevents your post from appearing.
This analysis describes what Craigslist's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
The explicit non-refund policy applies even when Craigslist exercises its own moderation discretion to remove or suppress a paid post, meaning you pay for a service that Craigslist retains sole discretion to withhold without financial remedy.
Users who pay for listings that are subsequently removed, re-categorized, or otherwise moderated by Craigslist will not receive refunds under these terms, creating a financial risk for anyone using paid posting sections where Craigslist's moderation decisions are final and unreviewable.
How other platforms handle this
If Customer pays by credit card, debit card, or other non-invoiced form of payment, Customer will pay all Fees immediately at the end of the Fee Accrual Period or when otherwise charged by Google.
If you do not timely cancel your subscription, your subscription will be renewed at the full price as indicated when the purchase was made, without any additional action by you, and you authorize us to charge your payment method for these amounts.
You also authorize us to retry any failed authorizations. We may use data provided to us by our partners to determine when to schedule such retries.
"When you make a paid posting (cl.com/about/help/faqs/fees), you authorize us to charge your account. Any tax is additional. Fees are non-refundable, even for posts we remove, delay, omit, re-categorize, re-rank, or otherwise moderate. We may refuse any posting.Excerpt from Craigslist's Terms of Use
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages state consumer protection statutes and FTC guidelines on unfair or deceptive practices, particularly in jurisdictions that require clear and conspicuous disclosure of no-refund policies before purchase.
Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.
Search "[your state] attorney general consumer complaint" to find your state's direct complaint form
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The explicit non-refund policy applies even when Craigslist exercises its own moderation discretion to remove or suppress a paid post, meaning you pay for a service that Craigslist retains sole discretion to withhold without financial remedy.
Users who pay for listings that are subsequently removed, re-categorized, or otherwise moderated by Craigslist will not receive refunds under these terms, creating a financial risk for anyone using paid posting sections where Craigslist's moderation decisions are final and unreviewable.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 231 platforms. See the full comparison.
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