Craigslist Scraper — Listings, Prices & Contacts

Scrape Craigslist classified ads across all major US cities and categories. Returns listing titles, prices, locations, post dates, full descriptions, and image URLs. Search by keyword across multiple categories in a single run. Built-in residential proxy support — no manual proxy setup required.

Export scraped data, run the scraper via API, schedule and monitor runs, or integrate with other tools.

Features

• 25+ US cities — any Craigslist city subdomain (sfbay, losangeles, newyork, chicago, etc.)
• Multi-category search — scrape cars, housing, jobs, for-sale, services, and more in one run
• Keyword filtering — narrow results with search terms (e.g., "toyota camry", "leather couch")
• Full listing descriptions — fetches each detail page for complete text
• Image URLs — primary image URL included for each listing
• Automatic pagination — follows "next page" links until maxResults is reached
• Post dates — listing publication dates for freshness filtering
• Residential proxy built-in — reliable scraping without manual proxy configuration
• Structured JSON output — clean data ready for analysis, databases, or AI pipelines

Use Cases

Use Case	Description
Deal hunting	Find underpriced cars, furniture, electronics at scale across cities
Market research	Track pricing trends, supply, and demand for specific items
Competitor intelligence	Monitor competitor listings and pricing strategies
Lead generation	Collect seller contact info from classified ads for outreach
Real estate analysis	Scrape rental and housing listings for market insights
Price monitoring	Track price changes over time for specific product categories
AI data pipelines	Feed structured classified data to LLMs for analysis

Input

Field	Type	Default	Description
city	string	"sfbay"	Craigslist city subdomain (e.g., losangeles, newyork, chicago)
categories	string[]	["cta"]	Category codes (cta=cars, apa=apartments, jjj=jobs, sss=for-sale)
keyword	string	""	Optional keyword filter (e.g., "toyota", "2BR apartment")
maxResults	integer	50	Max listings to return (1–500)

Common Category Codes

Code	Category
cta	Cars & Trucks
apa	Apartments
jjj	Jobs
sss	For Sale (General)
fua	Furniture
ele	Electronics
fsd	Free Stuff

Output

Each record represents one Craigslist listing:

{
  "title": "2019 Toyota Camry XSE V6 — Excellent Condition",
  "price": "$18,500",
  "location": "San Jose",
  "postedDate": "2025-07-30",
  "description": "One owner, garage kept. 42k miles. New tires, recent oil change...",
  "imageUrl": "https://images.craigslist.org/...",
  "listingUrl": "https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/d/...",
  "category": "cta",
  "city": "sfbay",
  "searchKeyword": "toyota camry",
  "scrapedAt": "2025-08-01T12:00:00.000Z"
}

API Usage

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_API_TOKEN' });

const run = await client.actor('USERNAME/craigslist-scraper').call({
  city: 'losangeles',
  categories: ['cta', 'sss'],
  keyword: 'vintage furniture',
  maxResults: 100,
});

const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(`Found ${items.length} listings`);

Pricing

This actor charges per listing returned.

Volume	Estimated Cost
100 listings	~$0.10
1,000 listings	~$1.00
5,000 listings	~$5.00

FAQ

Q: Which cities are supported? All Craigslist city subdomains are supported (sfbay, losangeles, newyork, chicago, seattle, etc.). Use the subdomain from the Craigslist URL.

Q: Why are some descriptions empty? Craigslist sometimes blocks detail page requests. The scraper retries automatically, but occasionally detail pages may not load.

Q: Can I scrape multiple cities at once? Currently one city per run. To scrape multiple cities, run the actor multiple times (or use Apify tasks with different inputs).

What is Craigslist Scraper?

Craigslist Scraper turns the target data into structured, reusable results on Apify. Use it when you need repeatable collection for analysts, developers, agencies, researchers, and AI-agent workflows without maintaining a custom scraper or one-off integration. Run it manually, schedule recurring jobs, call it through the Apify API, or connect it to an AI agent through the Apify MCP server.

The Actor stores results in an Apify dataset, where they can be previewed and exported as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or RSS. Availability and completeness depend on the source, supplied inputs, public visibility, authentication requirements, and upstream rate limits.

Use cases for Craigslist Scraper

• Build structured datasets for research, reporting, enrichment, or monitoring.
• Automate repetitive collection with schedules, webhooks, and API calls.
• Feed clean records into spreadsheets, databases, CRMs, BI tools, AI agents, or RAG pipelines.
• Track changes over time by running the same validated input on a schedule.
• Replace fragile manual copy-and-paste work with a reproducible Apify workflow.

How to use Craigslist Scraper

1. Open the Actor input page and choose a focused, valid target.
2. Set a conservative result limit for the first run.
3. Start the Actor and inspect the dataset for coverage and field availability.
4. Export the results or connect the dataset to your downstream system.
5. Scale gradually and use scheduling, pagination, or proxies when supported.

Important input options

• city — Craigslist city subdomain to scrape. Each city has its own Craigslist site with different listings.
• categories — One or more Craigslist categories to scrape. You can select multiple categories to scrape in a single actor run.
• searchKeywords — Optional keywords to filter listings within each category (e.g., 'toyota', 'leather couch', 'software engineer'). Leave empty to scrape all listings in the selected categories.
• maxResults — Maximum total number of listings to scrape across all categories and keywords. Craigslist returns up to 20 listings per search page. The actor stops once this total is reached.
• proxyConfig — Proxy settings for the scraper. Residential proxy is highly recommended — Craigslist blocks datacenter IPs.
• maxRequestRetries — Maximum number of retry attempts if a page fails to load.

API and automation example

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('muhammadafzal/craigslist-scraper').call({
  // Add the same input fields you use in the Apify Console.
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

Related Apify Actors

Use these dedicated tools when a neighboring data source or workflow is a better match:

• Arizona ROC Contractor License Scraper
• Idealista Scraper — Extract Listings, Prices & Agency Contacts
• Realtor & Real Estate Agent Lead Scraper — Verified Emails
• Domain.com.au Property Scraper — Sale, Rent & Sold Listings
• Google Maps MCP Scraper — Places, Reviews, Hours & Photos
• Google Maps Restaurant Scraper
• Instagram Followers & Following Scraper — With Cookies
• Facebook Ads Library Scraper — Meta Ad Intelligence Tool
• Leads Finder Pro - B2B Leads with Emails [Apollo Alternative]
• Yellow Pages US Scraper — Business Leads & Reviews

Frequently asked questions

How many results can I scrape with Craigslist Scraper?

The practical total depends on the source, input limits, pagination, available records, run timeout, and upstream restrictions. Start with a small run, verify the output, and increase the limit gradually.

Can I integrate Craigslist Scraper with other apps?

Yes. Use Apify integrations, webhooks, schedules, dataset exports, Make, Zapier, Google Sheets, cloud storage, or your own application.

Can I use Craigslist Scraper with the Apify API?

Yes. Start runs with the Apify REST API or an official Apify client, then retrieve records from the run's default dataset. Keep your API token in a secret or environment variable.

Can I use Craigslist Scraper through an MCP Server?

Yes. The Apify MCP server can expose the Actor to compatible AI clients and agents. Review the input and expected cost before allowing an autonomous workflow to run it at scale.

Do I need proxies?

It depends on the source and volume. Use the default configuration first. For larger or geographically sensitive jobs, select an appropriate proxy configuration only when the Actor supports it.

Is it legal to scrape this data?

Scraping rules vary by source, jurisdiction, data type, and intended use. Collect only data you are authorized to access, respect applicable terms and privacy laws, and avoid restricted or personal data misuse. This documentation is not legal advice.

Your feedback

If a field is missing, a source layout has changed, or you need a supported use case documented, open an issue on the Actor page with a reproducible input and run ID.