Messages troubleshooting

Messages not behaving? Find your problem below. Error messages are quoted as they appear on screen, in a red box above the message box.

My message won't send

Your message is still in the box when sending fails, so you won't lose it. Look at the red box above the message box and match it below:

• "Please sign in to send a message." You're signed out, or your session ran out. Sign in and try again.
• "You're sending messages very quickly. Take a short break and try again." Each account can send up to 25 messages in any 10 minutes, across all conversations. Wait a few minutes.
• "That listing isn't available." You're starting a conversation about an ad that's no longer live. You can't start a new conversation about it.
• "This poster has messages turned off." The seller isn't taking messages on that ad. Use their phone number or email if the ad shows one.
• "That member isn't available." That account has been deleted.
• "That didn't send. Check your connection and try again." Your internet connection dropped. Check it and tap Send again.
• "That didn't send. Try again." Something went wrong on our side. Try again in a moment.

If you see a different message, or the same error keeps coming back, email support@undergroundaquarium.com with the exact wording.

The Send button is greyed out

The button stays disabled until you've typed something. Messages made of only spaces or blank lines can't be sent. It's also disabled while a message is sending (the button says Sending…).

My message sent before I finished typing

Pressing Enter sends your message. For a new line, press Shift + Enter. On a phone, the return key on your keyboard may also send, so it's easiest to write your message as one paragraph, or type longer messages somewhere else and paste them in.

Sent messages can't be edited or deleted. Send a follow-up to finish your thought.

I can't type any more

Each message can be up to 4,000 characters, and the box stops accepting text at that point. Split what you want to say into two messages.

I tapped Message and ended up somewhere else

• On the Classifieds page: the listing isn't live anymore, or messages are turned off for that ad.
• Back on the listing: it's your own ad.
• In your inbox: you tried to message yourself, or the member couldn't be found.
• In an existing conversation: you've already got a conversation with that person (for direct messages) or about that ad (for listings). That's expected. Reply there.
• On the sign-in page: you need to be signed in. After signing in, go back and tap Message again if you're not returned automatically.

See Starting a conversation.

I can't message a particular person

• One of you has blocked the other. Check Blocked accounts in Account & data. If they're listed, tap Unblock. If they blocked you, there's nothing to change on your side.
• Their account was deleted. You'll see "That member isn't available."
• They don't appear in New message search. Members without a username don't show up. Open their profile and use the Message button there instead.

New replies aren't showing in the conversation

An open conversation doesn't add new incoming messages by itself. Refresh the page, or tap All messages and open the conversation again. Your chat bubble badge does update on its own, so it may show a new message before the conversation does.

A conversation is missing from my inbox

• Your inbox is sorted by most recent activity and shows your 100 most recently active conversations. Scroll down and check both Unread and Read.
• Make sure you're signed in to the right account. Conversations belong to the account that sent or received them.
• Conversations can't be deleted by either person, and blocking doesn't remove them, so it's usually a matter of finding it.

If you still can't find it, email support@undergroundaquarium.com with the other person's username.

Recent messages are missing from a very long conversation

A conversation page shows the first 500 messages in it. In a conversation longer than that, the newest messages may not appear on the page. Direct messages with the same person always share one conversation, so you can't start a fresh one. Email support@undergroundaquarium.com if this affects you.

The unread badge won't clear

The badge counts conversations with a message you haven't opened since it arrived.

1. Go to Messages and open every conversation under Unread.
2. Switch to another tab and back, or wait up to a minute. The badge rechecks when you return to the site and at least once a minute.

If it still shows a number, refresh the page.

The badge shows a number but my inbox shows nothing unread

The badge and inbox can disagree for a moment right after you read or send a message. Refresh the page. If you use the site on two devices, the other device catches up when you switch back to it or within about a minute.

I'm not getting emails about new messages

• Check spam, junk and promotions folders.
• Make sure the email on your account is the one you're checking. See Your dashboard and settings.
• If you ever used an unsubscribe link in one of our emails, or emails to your address bounced before, we stop emailing that address, including message emails. Email support@undergroundaquarium.com to turn them back on.

Your inbox and chat bubble always show new messages, even when an email doesn't arrive. See Message notifications.

The listing in my conversation says "Listing removed" or "no longer listed"

• "no longer listed" next to the price means the ad sold, expired or went off the market. The conversation still works.
• "Listing removed" means the seller deleted the ad. The conversation and its messages stay, and you can keep replying.

Someone says they messaged me but I don't see it

• Check both Unread and Read in Messages.
• Make sure they messaged the right account. Ask for your username, not your display name.
• If you've blocked them, they can't message you. Check Blocked accounts in Account & data.
• If you're a seller, check the ad is still active in My listings. Buyers can't start a conversation about a sold or expired ad.

The page says "page not found" when I open a conversation

You can only open conversations you're part of. If you followed a link someone shared, or you're signed in to a different account than the one in the conversation, you'll see "page not found". Sign in to the right account and try again.

Still stuck?

Email support@undergroundaquarium.com with the other person's username, what you tapped, the exact message you saw, and whether you're on a phone or computer. See Contact support.