How to reply to a post on Craigslist in several different ways

• You can reply to any post on Craigslist — just click the "reply" button at the top left of a post, and complete the Captcha puzzle if you're asked to.
• Some Craigslist listings will offer a phone contact to call or text, though most listings will only offer an email contact.
• You can click an email link to open your email app automatically or copy and paste the link into an email program later.

Craigslist is a modern-day bulletin board, filled with countless classified ads that you can post and reply to for free.

While using Craigslist to respond to a post isn't difficult, the site's unrefined interface can sometimes feel imposing. Here is how to reply to any post on Craigslist.

How to reply to a post on Craigslist

1. Open the Craigslist website in your browser and find a post you want to reply to.

2. Click "reply" in the upper left corner of the page.

3. Craigslist might require you to complete a Captcha test to make sure you are human. If so, answer the question, such as finding all the squares that contain a certain kind of object.

4. In the pop-up menu, choose how you want to reply. There may be an option to show a phone number or email address; if you see "show phone number," you can click it to call or text the poster directly.

5. Most postings, though, will only display "show email." Click it to see your email options:

• If you use an email client on your desktop, like Microsoft Outlook, you can click the link under "reply by email." That should open your email app with the email address automatically inserted.
• If you use webmail like Gmail or Yahoo Mail, click the appropriate link in the "webmail links" section. This should open your webmail in a browser, with the address inserted.
• If you want to reply another way, you can click the email address at the bottom of the window and copy it by pressing Ctrl+C on your PC keyboard or Command+C on a Mac. Then you can paste the address into any email program or webmail service you prefer.
• Once you've done that, you can write and send your email as usual. If you're concerned about your privacy, you may want to use a "disposable" email account such as a webmail service you use infrequently and not for any important personal mail.

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