How to contact a seller

Sending a quick message to a seller is often a convenient way to get all your questions answered before visiting — condition details, service history, and price negotiations are easier to handle in writing, and both sides keep a record of what was agreed.

One button, every contact method

Every listing has a single contact button in the sidebar (in the bottom bar on mobile). The button opens the Contact seller window, which holds every contact method the listing offers:

• Platform message — the Send message through our platform action at the top of the window, which lets you write to the seller directly on Kaarakauppa. On a company listing this action reads Message {company}.
• Phone, email, and WhatsApp — under the Or contact directly heading. Each of these appears only if the seller enabled it on this listing: Reveal phone number, Reveal email address, and Message on WhatsApp.

The seller chooses which contact methods their listing offers. A published listing always offers at least one contact method, so you can always reach the seller somehow.

The button's label tells you whether the listing offers a platform message. When it is available, the button reads Message. When the seller has turned platform messaging off for this listing, the same button reads Contact seller — and the window has no Send message through our platform action, but phone, email, and WhatsApp are still shown.

Sending a platform message

You must be logged in to send a platform message. If you do not have an account yet, read How to create an account first.

1. Log in to Kaarakauppa.
2. Open a listing from search results or a direct link.
3. Click the Message button in the listing's sidebar. The Contact seller window opens.
4. In the window, click Send message through our platform (on a company listing, Message {company}).
5. Type your message and click Send.

Your first message starts a new conversation. Each listing can have only one conversation per buyer — if you have already written to the same listing, the action reopens the existing thread instead.

⚠️ Heads up: If the window has no Send message through our platform action, the seller has not turned on platform messaging for this listing — the listing is not broken. Reach out through another method shown in the window, such as phone, email, or WhatsApp.

💡 Tip: Include all your key questions in the first message: when the vehicle is available to view, whether you can see the service record, and whether there is room to negotiate on price. The seller can answer everything at once and you both save time.

Following your messages

You will receive an in-app notification (the bell icon in the top bar) when the seller replies. All your conversations are in your Messages inbox:

1. Click the Messages link in the top navigation.
2. The page lists all your conversations from newest to oldest — unread conversations show a count of unread messages.
3. Click any conversation to open it. Messages are marked as read automatically as you read them.

Each conversation shows the listing title at the top — click it to go back to the listing page.

Archiving a conversation

When a conversation is finished, use Archive — either on the conversation row or in the thread itself. The listing's conversations move to the Archived tab, and you can bring them back at any time with Unarchive. Individual messages cannot be deleted.

⚠️ Heads up: You cannot send a message to your own listing. To prevent spam, messages are rate-limited to 10 per minute, and each message can be up to 5 000 characters.

Contacting a company seller

Company listings can have multiple people on the seller side. You do not need to do anything differently — start the conversation the same way as for a private listing. A note under the Message {company} action tells you the message goes to the whole team, not one person, and replies from the team appear under the company's name.

Some companies handle enquiries through their own system and do not turn on platform messaging for their new listings. When that is the case, the Send message through our platform action is not shown in the window, and you reach the seller by phone, email, or WhatsApp — whichever methods the listing displays.

Once you have sent your message, watch the Messages page and the notification bell for replies. If you are still comparing vehicles, you can save interesting listings for later: How to save listings.