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Posting an Ad
Adding Pictures to an Ad
Changing, Canceling, and Renewing Ads
Searching the Ads
Replying to Ads
Paids Ads & Free Ads
Online & Print Ads
Word Counts
When/How Long Ads Appear
Refunds
Licensed Massage Ads
Adult Services Ads
Please note, if you placed a Free Ad without any paid options, you must respond to the email message in order to complete the posting process.
If you placed a Paid Ad or a Free Ad with paid options, your ad is live on the web and set for publication in the upcoming issue of the Washington City Paper. The e-mail confirmation contains a link to the page where you can manage your ad.
If you placed an Adult Services ad, the ad will be posted the next business day. Please see below for special Adult Services rules and procedures.
If you placed a Paid ad, the e-mail confirmation contains a link to the page where you can manage your ad.
If you placed an Adult Services ad, you will be sent an e-mail that allows you to manage your ad. Please see below for special Adult Services rules and procedures.
You can include up to six pictures in the online version of your ad. The first three pictures are free, and the rest cost $5 each. The pictures do not appear in print.
To add the first picture, click the "Browse" button on line 1. A window will open showing the directory of your hard drive. Navigate through the directory to find the picture and click on it; the file name will appear in the field to the left of the button. If you have more pictures to add, proceed to line 2 and repeat.
The link we send you for e-mail confirmation (see above) will take you to a "Manage Ad" page where you can make changes to your ad or cancel it. You should keep the message for that reason, but if you lose it you can contact us and we'll resend it.
Changing or canceling an ad will affect the Web version immediately, but print ads are subject to our print deadlines. Generally an ad scheduled for Friday's paper cannot be changed or cancelled after 5PM Monday; in weeks that include major holidays, this deadline usually moves back one business day. Once your ad has been posted online you are responsible for the first week's charges, even if you cancel the ad before the print deadline.
When your ad is up for renewal, we will send you an e-mail reminder; the message will contain a link you can use to renew the ad if you like.
To search all ads in all categories, use the keyword search on the left side of our home page or usually you can search in a specific section or category. To do so, choose the section from the list; the page you see next will show all the ads in that section or category, and on the left side will offer more fields with which you can narrow your search. When you've made your choices and clicked "Search," you will see a results page with ad summaries. To view the complete ad and find out how to reply to it, you must click on "View Full Ad."
Most ads will include a button you can click to "Email Advertiser." If you view an ad that doesn't, or wish to reply by some other means, look in the ad text for a phone number, mailing address, Web site, etc. If you reply by e-mail, your reply will not be anonymous: the advertiser will know your e-mail address. For this reason some people like to set up a separate e-mail account (with Yahoo, Hotmail, or G-mail, for example) to keep their primary address private.
Ads are either Paid or Free. The base price for most Paid ads is $20. All Paid ads are published online and in print. Basic Free ads cost nothing and are not guaranteed publication in the City Paper. However, Free advertisers may opt to pay for a print guarantee or for various premium items.
All City Paper classifieds appear online. Paid ads also appear in print at no extra cost. Free ads appear in print on a space-available basis; if you like, you can guarantee that your Free ad will appear in print for a $10 fee. Free advertisers can choose Web-only placement, but for best response we strongly recommend Web and print in combination.
You can't cut corners by removing spaces and adding hyphens. Words will be counted as if they followed the conventional punctuation rules.
Here are some examples:
Count as 1 word
Count as 2 words
Count as 3 words
Print ads appear in the next available issue according to our deadlines. To appear in Friday's paper, the posting process must be completed by 5 PM Monday; in weeks with major holidays that deadline usually moves back one business day.
Online ads appear immediately after you complete the posting process (see above). The length of time the ad remains online depends on when the ad was submitted. In general, online ads are posted on the web for 2 weekends and come down the Monday after the 2nd weekend. Print ads can be cancelled until 5pm Monday. Online ads can be deleted by the advertiser at any time.
Advertisers can purchase "long runs" of more than 3 weeks, but need to contact us for assistance from City Paper Staff.
If your ad requires payment, we will charge your credit card just prior to the e-mail confirmation step (see above). You are immediately responsible for the first week's payment. We will not refund your payment even if you fail to complete the posting process, delete your online ad before 7 days, or cancel your print ad before the print deadline. If you purchase multiple weeks and later wish to cancel them, we will refund for unused weeks starting with the next cancelable print issue according to our deadlines.
Licensed Massage Advertisers must provide proof of certification/license in order for an ad to run in this section. Proof of certification/license may be faxed to 202-332-8500, mailed or dropped off at the City Paper office located at 2390 Champlain St., NW Washington, DC 20009. If you have questions regarding this requirement for Massage Therapy, contact us for assistance.
We have special terms and procedures for Adult Services ads:
Adult Services ads are for all businesses, individuals, or groups offering adult-oriented services, entertainment, or products. We cannot accept ads with graphic photos, explicit wording, or language that explicitly describes sexual acts.
All contact information in Adult ads is verified prior to publication. Verification may delay publication.
Adult Services ads can be faxed to 202-332-8500, mailed or dropped off at our office at 2390 Champlain Street NW Washington, DC 20009. Faxed ads must include legible photocopies of a valid Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express card and a driver’s license or state ID, and a City Paper authorization form. Please call the Classifieds Department at 202-332-2100 before submitting your ad, and we will fax you an authorization form. We cannot renew or accept Adult Services classifieds over the phone; all ads must be submitted in writing. Deadline for receipt of Adult Services print classifieds is 5pm Monday, four days prior to publication date.