I know you are all patiently awaiting for the release of v2.9 so I wanted to give you a quick update. First of all, this release is going to be the best ever for ClassiPress and will really take this theme to the next level. Many of the features you have been asking for will be included which I will talk about more later.

The main focus of this release has been to address a couple of things. Primarily to build in the most requested customer features submitted in our Feature Request forum and to better organize the underlying ClassiPress framework and code. When existing customers get the latest upgrade, you will notice how some files have been moved around and additional directories have been created. This is not an attempt to confuse you or make things difficult when upgrading but rather to organize ClassiPress more logically so additional growth and features will be easier to add.

This release is also taking more time than I originally anticipated but it’s important not to rush it out. There are lots of new advanced features packed into this release so it’s important to thoroughly test everything before launching it.

The great news is there’s been a lot of buzz around this upcoming release and the excitement continues to build. I’ve had people emailing and asking me in the forums as to when it will be released so let me officially answer that now. The launch date will be May 24th of course pending any last minute bug fixes or issues.

Ok, now it’s the part you’ve been waiting for. Here is a high-level list of features expected to be included in v2.9:

• Customer dashboard listing all their ads current status, edit & pause ad features
• Customer profile page where they can update their own info & include a picture
• Category-level pricing. Supports free categories as well
• Percentage-based pricing. Ad cost will depend on what item listing cost is
• Featured ad option so you can charge extra to be highlighted and listed at the top
• Themed login, register, and forgot password pages.
• New multi-step ad form with better validation and easier to add additional fields
• Column ascending and descending sorting for all listings
• Redesigned header with page nav, login, and a 468×60 banner spot
• Google maps  so ads will show map of item location
• Revamped categories to support multiple dropdown sub-categories
• Created 2 levels of dropdown navigation for the header pages
• Countdown timer to show remaining time left for each ad
• Added a new ad form field called URL
• Replaced prototype and scriptaculous with jquery
• Replaced lightbox with fancybox for image viewing
• and much more!

Here are a couple of screen shots to see what it will look like.

Ok, now that I’ve gotten you all excited you’ll have to hang on for just a little bit longer until it’s released. In the meantime I recommend joining our high paying affiliate program and write a blog post of your own. Doing a review of ClassiPress and then linking to us within your post is the best way to generate some bucks.

Prices will also be going up 20% starting July 1st so if you plan on buying ClassiPress, it’s a good idea to purchase it sooner rather than later. Keep in mind that all updates are free so you don’t need to worry about paying upgrade fees later.

For those of you who are ready to buy but not until v2.9 is released, I recommend you sign-up on the home page to receive updates. I will send out an email once it’s available so you’ll be one of the first to download it!

UPDATE: ClassiPress v2.9 is now available! Just released on 5/24 and is the best release yet. Check out the new live demo now! Existing customers – You will receive an email later this week with instructions on how to obtain this free update.

~David
Founder, ClassiPress