Message a seller

Open the listing and use Message seller, which is Message host on a stay; you sign in with a free account first, and the conversation then lives in your Jinu inbox at /inbox.

You need an account to send, not to look

Browsing Jinu needs no account at all. Messaging and posting do. Signing in takes one of three forms: a magic link emailed to you, which also carries a six-digit code you can type instead, Continue with Google, or Continue with Apple.

What happens when you send

• The message goes to the seller through Jinu. Their email address is never shown to you and yours is never shown to them.
• They get a notification by email, and a push notification if they have turned those on.
• Their reply lands in your inbox, and you get notified the same way.
• Each listing gets its own conversation, so two questions about two items stay separate.

The composer sometimes opens with a greeting already written in it. That is the seller's own pre-filled message, and you are meant to edit it before sending.

Write something a seller can answer

A first message has to be at least 10 characters, which rules out sending only a question mark. Beyond that, the difference between a reply and silence is usually specifics:

• Name the item, especially if the seller has several listings.
• Say when you can collect. "Is this available" gets a slower answer than "Could I collect this on Saturday morning".
• Ask for the exact thing you want to see: the model number, the back of the unit, whether it powers on.
• If you want to offer less, use Make an offer on the listing, or say a number and a time in the message. Sellers who marked the price firm have said so on the listing.

Before you meet

Keep it on Jinu, meet in public, inspect before paying, and read Meet in a busy public place once. Jinu never handles the money for a local sale, so nobody can hold it for you or refund it.