Click on a question below to jump to the answer:
- How do I register an account?
- How do I reset my password?
- How do I post an ad?
- How do I edit, delete, or mark my ad as sold?
- How do I make my ads featured?
- What goods and services are prohibited?
- How do I know if a listing or buyer/seller is a scam?
- Who should I notify about fraud or scam attempts?
- Are all listings free?
- Do I have to upload a picture?
- How do I edit the size of my images to comply with the size requirement? What types of photos are accepted?
- Why did you remove my ad?
1. How do I register an account? Click on “Register” at the top of any page. You will be taken to a separate page to enter a username and email address associated with your account. A password will be automatically generated for you, but feel free to change it accordingly. Once you have entered all appropriate fields, click “create account.” Once you submit the information, you will be automatically logged in and sent to our home page.
2. How do I reset my password? Click on “Login” at the top of any page. On the login page, below the username and password fields, you will see a “Lost your password” link. Click on the link and enter your email address on the following page. You will be sent an email with a link to reset your password.
3. How do I post an Ad? In order to post an ad you must first create and register an account in our classifieds. If you have not yet registered an account, please see #1 above for instructions on how to do so.
To post an ad, click on “Post Ad” at the top of any page. On the next screen, select the category for your advertisement. Note, commercial advertisements may not be posted for free. For more information on featured ads, please see #4 below.
Once you select your category and subcategory, click on “Go” to be taken to the entry form. Enter all appropriate fields and click on “Continue” when you have completed the form. On the final page, review your ad details to ensure accuracy and read over our rules and guidelines. Click continue and your ad will be submitted for review!
4. How do I edit, delete, or mark my ad as sold? You may edit or delete your ad at any time from your dashboard. At the top of any page, click on “Dashboard.” On your dashboard, you will see all of the ads that you currently have listed and/or pending in our classifieds. You may edit any listing by clicking on the pencil icon to the right of the listing. You may delete your listing by clicking on the trash can icon to the right of the listing. You may pause your advertisement by clicking on the pause icon to the right of the listing. Finally, you may mark your item as sold by clicking on the “sold” icon to the right of the listing.
5. How do I make my ads featured? For more information on featured ads, please click here to visit our Contact Us page and send us a message with the subject “Advertising.”
6. What goods and services are prohibited? The following is a general list of prohibited items. Villages-News.com reserves the right to amend or alter this list at any time:
- weapons; firearms/guns, BB/pellet, stun, and spear guns
- ammunition, clips, cartridges, reloading materials, gunpowder, fireworks, explosives
- hazardous materials; body parts/fluids
- prescription drugs, medical devices; controlled substances and related items
- alcohol or tobacco; unpackaged or adulterated food or cosmetics
- child pornography; bestiality; offers or solicitation of illegal prostitution
- pet sales (re-homing with small adoption fee ok), animal parts, stud service
- endangered, imperiled and/or protected species and any parts thereof
- false, misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent content; bait and switch; keyword spam
- offensive, obscene, defamatory, threatening, or malicious postings or email
- anyone’s personal, identifying, confidential or proprietary information
- food stamps, WIC vouchers, SNAP or WIC goods, governmental assistance
- stolen property, property with serial number removed/altered, burglary tools, etc
- ID cards, licenses, police insignia, government documents, birth certificates, etc
- US military items not demilitarized in accord with Defense Department policy
- counterfeit, replica, or pirated items; tickets or gift cards that restrict transfer
- lottery or raffle tickets, sweepstakes entries, slot machines, gambling items
- spam; miscategorized, overposted, cross-posted, or nonlocal content
- postings or email the primary purpose of which is to drive traffic to a website
- postings or email offering, promoting, or linking to unsolicited products or services
- affiliate marketing; network, or multi-level marketing; pyramid schemes
- any good, service, or content that violates the law or legal rights of others
7. How do I know if a listing or buyer/seller is a scam? If you come across a listing or you are contacted by a fraudulent user, you should be able to determine if the user is a scam by following these tips:
- Deal with users locally and face-to-face
- Do not pay anyone you have not met in person and NEVER wire funds – anyone asking you to do this is a scammer.
- Beware of offers involving shipping – deal with locals you can meet in person.
- Don’t accept cashiers’ checks or money orders – banks hold you responsible for any fraudulent checks.
- Transactions are between users only, no third party provides a “guarantee”.
- Never give out financial info (bank account, social security, paypal account, etc).
- Do not rent or purchase sight-unseen—if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
- Refuse background/credit checks until you have met party in person (i.e., employment, etc.)
For more information on scams and how to properly vet and avoid them, please click here.
8. Who should I notify about fraud or scam attempts? At the bottom of every ad, beneath the tags and “listing ID,” click on “Report Problem” to flag an ad for our staff. In addition to reporting the issue to our staff for removal, you may choose to report the individuals behind the scam to the following federal agencies:
- Internet Fraud Complaint Center
- FTC Video: How to report scams to the FTC
- FTC complaint form and hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)
- Consumer Sentinel/Military (for armed service members and families)
- SIIA Software and Content Piracy reporting
9. Are all listings free? Although the majority of listings are free, any listings that are commercial in nature (whether for nonprofits, for-profit businesses, small businesses, private or in-home businesses, etc.) do require a featured membership. For more information on featured ads, visit our contact us page here and send us an inquiry with “Advertising” as your subject.
10 .Do I have to upload a picture? Photos are required with all listings. If you have issues uploading your photo, please contact us for tips on uploading photos.
11. How do I edit the size of my images? How do I make them smaller or fit the size requirement? What types of photos are accepted?
Depending on the kind of computer you have, there are a few ways you can edit the sizes of images. See below for some links to solutions for common operating systems:
Images may be submitted as jpg, jpeg, png, and gif.
12. Why did you remove my ad? Your ad may have been removed for one of the following reasons:
- Your ad was reported as spam or scam by one of our users
- Your ad is commercial in nature and requires a featured membership
- Your ad contained offensive or inappropriate content