Before you submit an ad for items for sale to be posted on the CP Listserv, use this checklist
Because the Cleveland Park Listserv is primarily a discussion list, advertising is restricted. Neighbors can use the CP List to sell their things without paying an advertising fee, but they can do so only to sell their own personal items, and the frequency of free ads is quite limited. Be sure to read the advertising section of the list's rules (Section 10) for all the ins and outs about advertising on the Cleveland Park Listserv.
If your ad doesn't meet all the requirements on the checklist below, you may be able to post it as a paid advertisement or by joining our Premium Membership Program.
Here's a useful checklist for posting a free ad to sell things on the CP Listserv:
__ Does your message include the approximate location of where the for-sale items are? Unless your advertisement indicates where in the neigbhorhood you are, your message won't be put through. (Sorry, but free ads are for Cleveland Park area residents only; otherwise we'd be overwhelmed with ads.)
__ Is your message signed with your name? Messages that simply display a name in the FROM: line are not considered signed. Your name must appear at the end of the message.
__ Is your advertisement a crosspost? If you have posted the same for-sale item anywhere else, it cannot be posted as a free ad on the Cleveland Park Listserv even after that listing has expired. (You can purchase an advertisement on the Cleveland Park Listserv or get our Premium Membership.)
__ Does your advertisement have "For Sale:" or "FS": in the subject line? Advertisements that simply say things like "Car" in the subject line will be deleted. (And the converse applies if you're looking for something: if you want to buy a stroller, for example, put "ISO" (for "in search of" or "Wanted" in the subject line.)
__ Have you double-checked that any links in your message work? Messages that contain broken links will be deleted. Very long links usually don't work: If your link is longer than a single line of text, use a link shortening site, such as https://app.bitly.com/ to shorten it.
__ If you want to show photos, are they in a compatible format? The Cleveland Park Listserv has a limit on how many photos can be attached -- but it's somewhat dependent on how many photos others are posting at around the same time. We recommend limiting the number of attached photos to no more than four, in .jpg format ONLY -- and the total size of all photos combined must be under 500 KB (that is, under .5 MB). However, we also recommend NOT posting any attachments with your message. Lots of listserv recipients simply loathe getting attachments in messages, due to security concerns over malware that can sneak into attachments, and that it takes more time to download a message with an attachment (especially when reading messages on a cellphone). So your best bet is to upload your photos to a file-sharing site -- DropBox, iCloud, GoogleDrive, OneNote, or others -- and put the link to the site, set to "public sharing," in your message to the group. You will get far more readers viewing your photos that way -- and you won't be limited in the number you can show.
Remember, advertising is not the listserv's main purpose, so the rules regarding advertising posts are restrictive. In addition to the checklist above, keep in mind that:
The Cleveland Park Listserv has a Premium Membership Program that does allow more generous use of the Listserv to sell stuff. You can read more about that here.
Back to the Cleveland Park Listserv home page
The short URL for this page is http://cpadcheck.notlong.com
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As you can see, the Cleveland Park Listserv is a very busy place in cyberspace, and takes a lot of time on the part of the volunteer moderators. You are welcome to show your support by making a donation. The moderators appreciate the good karma that comes from knowing that list members appreciate the hard work that goes into running the Cleveland Park Listserv.
At the moment, our Groups.io donations page is under construction. As a temporary measure, you can use our "For Sale Ads" PayPal page at http://www.cleveland-park.com/for-sale-ads.html for donations. Just ignore all the instructions about figuring the fee to post a for-sale based on the asking price of the item for sale and hit the "BUY NOW" button at the bottom of the page; that will take you to a blank amount box. Fill in the amount you want to donate -- it can be anything you like -- and follow the prompts to pay by credit card. We thank you ....and your fellow listserv readers will thank you too for helping to keep this online community publication going strong!