📌 What Craigslist for-sale listing and post details can you collect?
This template uses the selected US state, nearby Craigslist site, and categories to traverse for-sale listings and collect post URLs, titles, prices, addresses, timestamps, descriptions, IDs, condition, images, and other configured post fields. It is useful for local-market researchers, resellers, housing analysts, and classified-ad researchers.
Data is collected from Craigslist. Craigslist is a network of local classified-ad sites for goods, housing, jobs, services, and community posts.
💰 Pricing
This template is currently free of charge and has no per-line usage fee. Octoparse plan or resource limits may still apply.
📦 Output
The current published implementation can return the following fields:
errorAreaSubareaSectionCategoryPost_URLTitleSupertitlePriceAddressPost_timeDescriptionNoticesPost_IDPostedUpdatedConditionUser_ads_linkMain_IMG
{
"error": null,
"Area": "SF bay area",
"Subarea": "san francisco",
"Section": "for sale by owner",
"Category": "appliances",
"Post_URL": "https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/app/d/san-francisco-magic-chef-17-cubic-foot/7735000648.html",
"Title": "Magic Chef 1.7 Cubic Foot Mini-Fridge Refrigerator",
"Supertitle": null,
"Price": "$149",
"Address": null,
"Post_time": "2024-04-07 10:39",
"Description": "price firm and still for sale in good working order will test demo it when you come 17.7 x 18.6 x 19.4 inches $209.99 new on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Mini-Refrigerator-Chiller-Compartment-White/dp/B07C37P7HZ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1ZYYMR19PU2CH&keywords=amazon%2Bmagic%2Bchef%2Bmini%2Bfridge&qid=1648944081&sprefix=am%2Caps%2C3308&sr=8-3&th=1 Terms of the deal: you're ready to buy it TODAY; please don't ask me to hold it for another day $149 cash only $149 no bargaining no deliveries of shipping If you're ready to buy it TODAY, please clearly confirm the above terms, especially the $149 cash only price.",
"Notices": null,
"Post_ID": "7735000648",
"Posted": "16 days ago",
"Updated": "about an hour ago",
"Condition": null,
"User_ads_link": null,
"Main_IMG": "https://images.craigslist.org/00A0A_9EjuK6wtglo_07s07g_600x450.jpg"
}
🎯 Use Cases
- Use Price to monitor and compare prices or promotions.
- Use Address to segment records by geography.
- Use Title, Supertitle to build and compare product, content, or menu catalogs.
- Use Post_time, Posted, Updated to study timelines and changes over time.
🐙 Why Octoparse
- Ready-to-use workflow: The extraction steps for Craigslist are already configured, so you do not need to build the scraper from scratch.
- Flexible execution: Choose the supported local or cloud run mode to fit one-off checks or repeatable collection work.
- Structured, repeatable output: Results are returned as consistent rows that are easier to compare, filter, deduplicate, and process than manually copied pages.
- Verified input guardrails: The form exposes the current inputs, selectable values, and meaningful limits configured for this template.
- Practical data handoff: Review results in Octoparse and export or process them using the options supported by your Octoparse environment.
📝 Input
Complete the following fields:
- US state (Required) — Select a US state where you want to collect Craigslist “for sale” listings. Available options: alabama, alaska, arizona, arkansas, california, colorado, connecticut, dc, delaware, florida, georgia, guam, hawaii, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, louisiana, maine, maryland, mass, michigan, minnesota, mississippi, missouri, montana, n carolina, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, new york, n hampshire, north dakota, ohio, oklahoma, oregon, pennsylvania, puerto rico, rhode island, s carolina, south dakota, tennessee, texas, utah, vermont, virginia, washington, west virginia, wisconsin, wyoming.
- The site nearest (Required) — Choose a site near the state.
- Category (Required) — Choose one or more categories that you want to extract data from.
🚀 How to Use
- Open the template and select Try it or Start.
- Complete the input fields listed above.
- Start the task using the supported local or cloud run mode.
- Review the output rows and export or process the structured data.
⚠️ Limitations
Results depend on what the source site exposes at run time. A listed output field can be empty when the source page does not provide that value. Input limits shown above are enforced by the template.
💡 Tips
Use specific, valid inputs and review a representative result before starting a large batch. Remove duplicate inputs when repeated records are not needed.
❓ FAQ
How does this scraper work?
The template applies the selected state, nearby site, and categories, opens the corresponding Craigslist search/listing page, loops through listing items, opens each post, and extracts the configured post-detail fields.
What do I need to enter?
Use the fields and accepted values shown in the Input section. Only user-relevant limits and selectable options are listed.
What data does this template return?
The current output fields and a representative JSON Data Preview are listed in the Output section. Field availability can vary when the source page does not display a value.
Is this template free to use?
It is currently free of charge and has no per-line usage fee. Octoparse plan or resource limits may still apply.
Why can some output fields be empty?
Source pages do not always expose every value for every record, and layouts can vary by item, market, or current site response. The template returns a field when the current page provides it.
Can I export the collected data?
You can review the structured rows in Octoparse and export or process them using the options supported by your Octoparse environment.
🔗 Related Templates
- Craigslist Job Listing Scraper — Use Craigslist Job Listing Scraper for the dedicated Craigslist jobs listing workflow.
- Craigslist Job Details Scraper — Use Craigslist Job Details Scraper when structured job-post detail fields are required.