Frequently Asked Questions
Click on a question to jump directly to its answer:
- Why place an ad in IOL Classifieds?
- Will my ad also go into the newspapers?
- Why should I register?
- Does it cost me anything to register?
- I am already registered with IOL do I need to register again?
- How do I register?
- I registered but now am unable to login. Why?
- I registered but did not receive a confirmation of registration email. Why?
- How do I change my personal details?
- What do I do if I have forgotten my password?
- How do I find what I am looking for?
- How do I save my search results?
- What are ad alerts and how do they help me?
- How do I buy the item that I have selected?
- How do I place an ad?
- What about adult ads?
- How do I upload pictures?
- When does my ad go live?
- How do I pay for my ad?
- I have put through a credit card payment but have received an error message. What does it mean?
- What if my product is sold, how do I take my ad offline?
- Where will my ad appear?
- I am not getting any feedback from my advert. Why?
- What about advertising in the offline newspapers?
- What is RSS?
- I get an error message when I go to the site. Why?
- I cannot find my PRINT ad online. Where is it?
- How do I contact IOL for more help?
Why place an ad in IOL Classifieds?
- IOL Classifieds is the premium online classifieds site in South Africa
- Highest penetration of the English speaking market online
- The IOL network has over 2.2 million unique users monthly
- A secure online payment gateway
- Five photos with every online advert
- More than 2000 characters available for the ad text
- Free Registration and Ad Alerts.
Remember, to place an ad in IOL Classifieds you need to register first.
Will my ad also go into the newspapers?
NO. If you place an ad in IOL Classifieds your ad will only appear online. It will NOT go into the newspapers. To place an ad in the newspapers you have to contact them directly.
Why should I register?
Once you register you can place ads and request ad alerts for pre-specified ads. Also while you are logged in you will be able to see your recently viewed ads during that session.
Does it cost me anything to register?
Registration is free.
I am already registered with IOL do I need to register again?
Yes, you need to register again.
However we are busy updating the entire registration process and in the future you will be able to use this new registration for all your interactions across all IOL properties.
How do I register?
To register click on the "Register" button on the top right hand side of the horizontal navigation bar. Complete the registration details. You will then receive an email asking you to confirm your email address. Once you click on the security link of this email your registration will be confirmed.
Remember that if you do not confirm your email address by clicking on the security link in the confirmation of registration email sent to you, you will be unable to login again once you log out.
If you click on the place an ad button you will automatically be asked to register.
I registered but now am unable to login. Why?
You most likely did not confirm your email address by clicking on the security link on the confirmation of registration email sent to you.
I registered but did not receive a confirmation of registration email. Why?
Your email server is most likely picking up the email as SPAM and blocking it.
How do I change my personal details?
Login to your account.
Click on the "My Profile" option in the top horizontal navigation bar. You will be able to change all your personal details from here.
What do I do if I have forgotten my password?
Click on the "Forgot my Password" link on the horizontal navigation bar on the home page. You will be asked to fill in your email address. An email will then be sent to that mailbox with a link. To access your password you will be required to click on this secure unique link which is valid for 24 Hours only.
Once you click on the link you will be asked to answer one of the three secret questions you completed upon registration. The system will then identify your account and you will be asked to enter a new password and confirm it. After confirmation you will be able to log in.
How do I find what I am looking for?
You have the option of searching or browsing.
In search, you submit a keyword and narrow the field down by specifying a category and a region if you so wish. A list of matching results shall be displayed for you.
If no results are displayed:
- Make sure all words are spelled correctly
- Try different keywords
- Try more general keywords
To browse, you can use the easy access "Spotlight box". Select the vertical you wish to browse whether its property, jobs, motors or general classifieds. Then complete the variables to narrow your browse and scroll through the results.
How do I save my search results?
If you register you will be able to automatically access the ads that you viewed during that session. Once you logout that session data is lost.
When viewing an ad you may select "Circle ad" which is displayed under the detailed ad text. This will circle/save you ad. You will be able to view your circled ads by going to "My Profile" and selecting "Circled Ads". Your ad will remain saved for as long as the ad is live. Once the ad is expired it will be removed from this list. If the item advertised is sold/rented or cancelled, it will still appear in your list of saved ads but will have a marker over it informing you that it is no longer available. You can remove ads from your circled ad list by discarding them.
What are ad alerts and how do they help me?
Ad alerts will automatically notify you when somebody advertises items matching your provided keywords/ requirements. This can help you be the first to view the ad and act on it. You can also select a category and a region to monitor.
How do I buy the item that I have selected?
Click on an ad that you are interested in. The preferred contact method and contact details of the seller will be there for you to use.
How do I place an ad?
Click on the "Place an ad" button. You will automatically be asked to register. Once you have registered, you will be asked to follow a sequence of steps to create your ad.
- Step 1: Categorise your Ad
- You will be asked to select the category and region that you want your ad to appear in.
- Step 2: Build your Ad
- You will be required to insert a title for your ad and a brief description that will show up in the browse and search results. You will also be asked for your preferred contact method.
- Step 3: Enhance your Ad
- You will be asked to write a more detailed description for interested parties that click through to view your ad details. You have over 2000 characters that can be used to write your long description. You will also be able to add photo's here. You have 5 photos that you can upload with every ad.
- Step 4: Confirm
- Confirm your advert and complete the starting date and any other
details such as VAT numbers and purchase orders if relevant.
- Step 5: Checkout
- If your chosen category is charged, you will taken to check out to process your credit card details.
What about adult ads?
When your ad is in an adult category your ad will be moderated prior to publication and will not appear immediately.
How do I upload pictures?
You will be able to upload up to 5 pictures. For detailed instructions click here.
When does my ad go live?
When creating your ad you will be asked to specify the starting date for your ad to appear online. This date cannot be more than 45 days from today's date. If you do not specify a date, your ad will go live at the first available opportunity.
When your ad is in an adult category your ad will be moderated prior to publication and will not appear immediately.
How do I pay for my ad?
If your chosen category is charged you will need to pay via credit card. We only accept VISA and MASTERCARD. We do NOT accept Diners card or American Express at this stage.
I have put through a credit card payment but have received an error message. What does it mean?
There could be numerous reasons for your credit card payment being rejected.
Below are a few of the error codes that you may have received and a more detailed description of each one:
- Code: 990022
- The Bank was not available.
- Code: 990028
- The transaction was cancelled by the user.
- Code: 900001
- This usually indicates that the bank requires further information to authorise the transaction; this could be because the cardholder is nearing the credit limit or because of 'more than normal' usage on the card. We urge the card holder to query with their bank why the transaction was rejected.
- Code: 900003
- Insufficient funds.
- Code: 900002
- Card Expired.
- Code: 900007
- Declined by the bank. Possible reasons the transaction was rejected could be because the cardholder is nearing the credit limit or because of "more than normal" usage on the card. We urge the card holder to query with their bank why the transaction was rejected.
- Code: 900012
- Card reported stolen.
- Code: 900013
- Restricted Card - This can occur if the card holder's banks do not allow purchases to be made over the internet. We urge the card holder to query with their bank why the transaction was rejected. This also occurs when you are trying to submit American Express or Diners Clubs cards.
- Code: 990020
- This is a code for general errors that are received by the bank. We urge the card holder to query with their bank why the transaction was rejected.
- Code: 991002
- Invalid amount - This is an invalid amount for the Budget Period select, i.e. a lower/no budget period should be selected for this amount. Please select an alternative period.
What if my product is sold, how do I take my ad offline?
Login and go to "My Profile" in the horizontal navigation bar.
Under the "My placed ads" section please select "Currently placed ads".
Here you will find your current list of placed ads.
If your item has been sold already, you may mark the ad as "Sold". This will help reduce receiving calls and emails for items you've already sold. However you cannot remove your ad. The ad will continue to appear on the site until its expiry date, but will be clearly marked as sold.
Where will my ad appear?
Your ad will appear under the category and region that you selected in creating the ad. Your ad will NOT appear in the newspapers.
I am not getting any feedback from my advert. Why?
If you have not received a lot of feedback to your ad, you may want to consider the following points:
- Is your price competitive?
- Is your advert categorised correctly?
- Do you have pictures?
- Does your ad consist of a short and a long description as well as a title?
- Is your long description detailed and explanatory?
What about advertising in the offline newspapers?
Currently if you place an ad in the newspapers you will automatically have a listing for free online. If you place an ad online you will still have to pay to place an ad in the newspapers.
What is RSS?
RSS is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as news headlines. An RSS document, which is called a "feed," "web feed," or "channel," contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with their favourite web sites in an automated manner that's easier than checking them manually.
You can now sign up to IOL's specific content feeds based on your interest.
I get an error message when I go to the site. Why?
You could have browser compatibility issues. IOL Classifieds only supports Firefox (version 1.5 and above) and Internet Explorer (version 6 and above).
I cannot find my PRINT ad online. Where is it?
Even though we import all ads from the newspapers into the IOL Classifieds site every day, your advert is not guaranteed to be on the site and may have been rejected for numerous reasons. The only way to guarantee that your ad will appear online is to place you ad online on the IOL Classifieds website.
How do I contact IOL for more help?
You may do so via the feedback form
