What areas does Oodle cover?

Oodle has three websites: the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Just enter your city and state or zip/postal code and you'll find local listings. If you are interested in the specific cities we cover, you can see metropolitan area lists for the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.

What is Oodle and why should I use it?

Oodle simplifies the classifieds shopping experience. With Oodle, you can not only see over thirty million listings from over 80,000 sources, but you can be the first to see new listings, have access to powerful tools that help you spot great deals, and relax while Oodle does the work for you. If you are selling something, you can post once on Oodle and distribute your ad across hundreds of partner sites.

My ad is showing on Oodle and other Oodle Network sites. How did it get there?

Oodle gathers online classified ads from thousands of sites around the web. Our database is made up of listing information stemming from two sources: advertisers who send us a listing feed and websites we crawl for classifieds content.

My ad is posted on another website and your search results display incorrect information. What should I do?

If your ad is showing up incorrectly on our search results pages, please do the following:

Click the link from our site through to your ad. Does the original ad have the correct information? If so, please do the following:

1. Copy the URL of the ad at its original website
2. Contact Us and paste that URL into the contact form. Let us know what information is incorrect when you fill in the form and we will investigate the problem.

What browsers or operating systems do you support?

We support every operating system. For optimal viewing, we suggest Internet Explorer 6 or 7, Firefox 2 or higher, or the latest version of Safari.

How do I register with Oodle?

1. Click "Register/Sign In" on the top right of any Oodle page.
2. Enter your email address. If you have set up an alert or posted an ad on our site previously, use the same email address.
3. Click the button by the statement "No I don't have an account yet", then click Continue.
4. Choose an ID.
5. Type a password twice, once into each box.
6. Enter your zip or postal code.
7. Choose your contact preferences.
8. Click Join.
9. To complete your registration, log into your email account, and click the activate link in the email that is sent automatically.

How do I know what my username and password are?

If you have set up an email alert by simply giving us your email address, you probably do not have a user name or password yet. Please sign up for an account by clicking the "Register/Sign In" link in the top right of the page.

How do I change my email address or password?

1. Visit our homepage and click "Register/Sign In."
2. Sign into your account using either your email address or user name or the password you chose when you registered your account.
3. Click on the "My Account" tab.
4. Click on the "Edit" link next to the field you wish to change.
5. Type your email address or password twice (once into each box) and click "Save" when you are done.

I forgot my password. What do I do?

If you have forgotten your password, but still have an active email address, you can click "Register/Sign In" from the homepage and then click the link that says "Forgot your Oodle password?"

Is it really free to post an ad?

Yes, placing an ad on Oodle is free. Your ad will be live for 30 days with unlimited text and up to 4 pictures. Even better, when you post your ad on Oodle, it will also automatically show up throughout the Oodle Network and on GoogleBase.

How do I post a classified ad on Oodle?

Placing an ad through Oodle is free and easy. To post your ad, just click the "Post a FREE Ad" button in the upper-right corner of the page, and then on the big "Post an Ad" button in the middle of the next page. The Post an Ad process takes you step by step through placing an ad through Oodle. When you place your ad through Oodle, it will show up on hundreds of other sites automatically, such as GoogleBase, Lycos Classifieds, Local.com Classifieds, and many more!

Do I have to register to Post a FREE Ad?

No. Anyone can post for free. We just need a valid email address.

Do I have to include a region when I post my ad?

Because classifieds are an inherently local experience, you must include a region when posting a listing to Oodle in order to receive the highest quality leads. However, when a user is searching, it is possible for that user to do a nation-wide search. In this circumstance, your item will be searchable nationally.

How do I include pictures in my ad?

If you're posting a new ad, you can include up to 4 pictures. If you're submitting the URL (web address) of an ad that's elsewhere on the web, you can provide us one picture that will be a thumbnail image in classifieds search results.

You can upload pictures of up to 6MB in GIF, JPG, BMP, or PNG format. We'll resize your picture for web viewing.

To add pictures, click one of the "Browse..." buttons that show up under the "Add Images" heading on the "Describe Your Ad" page. Find the picture file on your computer and click "OK". The picture will then be uploaded and attached to your ad.

If your picture does not show up, you probably used a non-supported format (such as a PowerPoint document or a Word document). Please save your images as a GIF, PNG, JPG, or BMP.

How do I edit or deactivate my ad?

There are two ways to edit or deactivate your ad:

1. Refer to the email we sent you when you posted your ad. There is a link in that email that will take you to a page where you can edit or deactivate your ad.
2. If you have an account on Oodle, you can manage your ads through the "My Posted Ads" tab of your personalized home page. Sign in to the site, click on your user name in the top-right corner of the page to get to your account, and then click the "My Posted Ads" tab. You'll see a list of all of your ads and you can click to edit or deactivate any ad.

Please note that you cannot edit the category or location of your ad. If you need to change the category or location, please deactivate your ad and create a new one.

How will people contact me about my ad? Do I have to put contact information in my ad?

You provide us your email address at the beginning of the process. We use that email address to create a "Contact Seller" form that potential buyers can use to contact you. That way, you do not have to put your email address or phone number on the web for anyone to see.

Where else will my ad show up?

Ads posted on Oodle will automatically show up on hundreds of other sites in the Oodle classifieds network, such as GoogleBase, Backpage, and Walmart.com Classifieds. You don't have to do anything - we'll do all the work for you.

When will my ad expire?

Your ad will be live on the site for 30 days and will then expire automatically, unless you deactivate it beforehand.

How will my ad be removed from the other sites?

When you deactivate your ad on Oodle, it will automatically deactivate from other sites as well. It may take a day or so for the changes to propagate to GoogleBase and some other network partners.

How can I get more responses to my ad?

To increase the chance of getting a good response, follow these simple tips:

• Include one or more pictures in your ad.
• Make the title and description as detailed as possible. For example, "2004 Blue Honda Civic good condition 74K miles" is better than "Used car for sale".
• If you are flexible on price, state in your ad that you will accept "best offer." "$15K or best offer" is standard, or "$15K OBO."
• Make it easy for buyer to pick up the item; let them know where the item is located and when you will be available.

What does "Pending", "Processing", or "Waiting to be Indexed" mean?

Ads that are "Pending", "Processing" or "Waiting to be Indexed" are in our system but have not yet been added to our search index (so you won't be able to find your ad by searching on the site). Ads take approximately 30 minutes to be added to our search index.

If you have waited more than half an hour, but still see that your ad is "Processing", please try to search for your listing. For location, use the zip/postal code you entered and the category you chose when posting.

If you wait more than 3 hours and still cannot find your ad, please contact us with your Ad Id or other details of your ad (zip code/postal code, category, title).

What happens when my item has sold?

If your item has sold, please remove your ad from the site by deactivating it (see "How do I edit or deactivate my ad" above). This will help keep Oodle free of ads that are no longer available.

Can I re-post my ad after it expires?

If your ad has expired, you may reactivate it within 30 days of its expiration date. Ads can either be reactivated through the link in your seller email or through your ad management panel. Once reactivated, your ad will be live for an additional 30 days.

I can't find my ad. What should I do?

Classified ads take approximately 30 minutes to appear on the Oodle site from the time of publishing. To see your ad, go to the category and location where you posted it and search for keywords that are in the ad (such as the ad title). You can check on the status of your ad by following the link provided in your self-publishing email.

My thumbnail picture isn't showing up. What should I do?

If your thumbnail picture isn't showing up, you may have uploaded the picture in a non-supported format (such as PowerPoint (.ppt), Microsoft Word (.doc), or .tiff). Please try again with a supported image format (.bmp, .png, .gif, .jpg).

Also, sometimes it takes us up to 30 minutes to add your thumbnail image to the search results page. So, please check back.

If your image is in a supported format and you have waited at least 30 minutes for it to appear as a thumbnail, please and include your ad ID (if you know it).

I can't type into the description box when I am trying to submit a post. What should I do?

Check to make sure that you are using an updated version of your Internet browser. If you are using Safari on an older version of Macintosh OS X, we suggest you try Firefox instead. If you are using a version of Internet Explorer that is older than version 6 we suggest upgrading to Internet Explorer version 6 or 7.

What is a display name?

The display name is the name that will show on all your posted ads - it is associated with your email address. If you have posted ads, but have never entered a display name, then we will use your login ID name as your seller name. If you have not registered a login account, then your display name will appear as "anonymous user."

When you change your display name on a newly posted ad, you will change your display name for all of the ads posted from that email address.

If you have a registered log in, remember that you may set up a display name that is different from your username. You can't use the display name to log into your account. Since we allow users to post without creating a registered login account, you may not have login account.

How do I change my display name?

You can change your display name the next time you Post an Ad through the posting process. You can also change your display name by going into "My Account" link which you can access from the home page when you are signed in.

How do I add a picture to my seller profile?

You cannot currently add a picture your profile, but we are planning to add that option in the future.

What is an email alert?

An email alert is an automatic notification about a classifieds search that you have entered. We get 500,000 new listings a day, so if you don't find what you're looking for right away, email alerts can help you find it in the future. They're convenient and free.

How do I stop my alert emails or change how often they are sent?

There are two possible ways to stop or manage your alert emails.

1. Open the email and click on the "Stop this alert" or "Unsubscribe from this alert" link included with every Oodle alert we send out.
2. If you have registered an Oodle account, stopping or managing your alerts is simple on your personalized homepage. Just visit our homepage, click "Register/Sign In" and log into your account. Once signed in, click on the "My Alerts" tab. Below each alert you will see a link "Stop this alert" - this will delete the alert. On the right of each alert title you will see the message "send me emails" with a drop down arrow. Click the arrow to choose how frequently you wish to receive messages. If you choose "Never" this will suspend the alert messages, and save it in your list of alerts, so that you can turn it on again at a later time.

I did not get my validation or activation email. What should I do?

Try checking your bulk or spam folder to make sure the email was not delivered there. If the email is not there, then .

My alert email is not giving me the listings I am looking for. What should I do?

Alerts are based on your initial search of the site, and cannot be changed or edited. If your existing alert is not providing meaningful listings, deactivate the alert and create a new, more specific alert. If you want higher quality results, the more specific (zip code, more attributes selected, etc.) your alert is, the better.

What should I do if I suspect a listing of being fraudulent?

If you are suspicious about a listing that you see on Oodle, the best course of action is to report it to us. To do so, click on the "Report Listing" link at the bottom of the listing details view.

When you click on the "Report Listing" button, you will be provided with a pop-out box that you can fill out and send to us.

For more informaiton about using Oodle safely and avoiding scams, please visit our Safety Center.

What are the various options in the "Report Listing" field?

When you click on the "Report Listing" button, you will be presented with a few options to choose from to better categorize the type of listing.

Here is a basic explanation of each option:

• Miscategorized: Any listing that appears in the wrong category or subcategoy (e.g. a boat that appears in the motorcycles category). This option may also be used if the information presented in a listing on Oodle (address, price, contact information, etc.) is different from the information in the original listing source.
• Fraud: Any listing that appears suspicious, or if you believe that the listing's intent is to scam users. You can see example scams here).
• Illegal or Inappropriate Content: Any listing which contains content that violates our Terms of Service or is deemed to be prohibited content.
• Spam: Any listing that has been posted multiple times in the same region or does not contain classifieds content (e.g. a link to a website without anything specific for sale). This option may also be used for any listing that has been posted across multiple categories.
• Unavailable: Any listing that no longer exists.

link on every listing enables the Oodle community to moderate the content in Oodle. By using the "Report as Fraud" feature located within the "more info and tools" section of each listing, you call to our attention any post you feel breaks our terms of use, is miscategorized, is fraudulent, or for any reason does not belong. Once reported, the ad is brought to our attention for review and if applicable, deletion.

What is the Oodle Network?

Oodle powers classified sites for over 200 leading brands, and these sites comprise the Oodle Network. The Oodle Network is constantly growing and adding new media companies, community sites and portals.

Here are just a few members of the Oodle Network:

• Lycos Classifieds
• Local.com Classifieds
• Military.com Classifieds
• Newspapers such as the Washington Post Express and the San Diego Union-Tribune, and, in Great Britain, The Sun
• Local news sites such as WPXI Classifieds (Pittsburgh), KIRO-TV Classifieds (Seattle), and WSPA Classifieds (Spartanburg, SC).
• ListPic.com, a fun visual classifieds browser

How do I get my classifieds site covered on Oodle?

Adding listings to the Oodle Network search index is free and will provide additional traffic to your listings. The fastest way to be added to the Oodle Network search index is to provide Oodle with a feed. For more information, view the Oodle Network Feed Guidelines.