is there a way to retrieve Craigslist ad that was deleted by the author? (screens, server)

[lenniel]

Long story short:
I bought something on CL that the seller claimed was in working order and it was not. I want to see the original ad to prove that they claimed it worked, but the seller has deleted the ad.

Anyone know how I can recover that ad to prove what they were claiming was untrue?

Thanks.

[elnina]

Try this:
Find Old Craigslist ads or eBay auction pages within browser | Harmari by LTAS Technologies
and in the future always make a screen shot of an ad when you are buying something... it helps

[lenniel]

Originally Posted by elnina

Try this:
Find Old Craigslist ads or eBay auction pages within browser | Harmari by LTAS Technologies
and in the future always make a screen shot of an ad when you are buying something... it helps

I had tried that previously and it didn't work.
I agree with the screenshot, should have done that. Lesson learned.

[thecoalman]

If you want to save a page IE has a "Web Archive *.mht" file format that will save the entire page as a single file. This works best from everything I've tried. That said it's not going to prove anything nor will a screenshot becsue those files can easily be manipulated.

About the only thing that may prove anything is obtaining the original ad from Craigslist, I'd imagine they aren't going to do that without a court order. Those ads are deleted from their server, it's only marked as "deleted" so it doesn't display. Beyond that it's a used item and even proving what the ad said probably isn't going to help since the item was in your possession.

[braindead0]

try the wayback machine web.archive.org

[NARFALICIOUS]

Not sure if a third party can find it, but the history stays on craigslist even after it's "deleted". I go on Craigslist and can see listings I posted from 09 or earlier...

[south009]

i looked at a add last week on crags l how can i go back and see it again

[Cathy Jasper]

I think if you buy something off craigslist, they should send you a copy of the listing for your record, if you request it. They should stand by their company!

[Cida]

Does it really matter? I mean, ad or not, we expect anything we buy to work. Does the seller maintain that he never said it worked?

In the end, a screenshot won't save you. It's really dependent on whether the seller is acting in good faith.

[Pruzhany]

Items purchased on CL are AS-IS. Did the OP test it before purchasing it? Probably not. Did the seller give a written letter giving a guarantee or a warrantee? Probably not. Thus it is AS-IS and the buyer would lose in court.