Where do the adverts come from? How do I use your classified section? Can I have a step-by-step guide to searching your classifieds? If you want an item in a specific region » If you want a particular item in any region » I am having problems searching your classified database. Who do I contact? I don't understand what some of the categories mean. Can I see old advertisements online?> Can I see display ads online (ie large job ads for example)? Can I use IOL to place a classified advertisement online? How does placing an ad online work, and how does payment work? What steps do I follow to place an ad online? What if the newpaper does not contact me? My ad has appeared online but there is something wrong with it. Who do I contact? How do I access job, property and motoring ads?

Where do the adverts come from? IOL's classified ads are taken from all the publications of the Independent group in South Africa. A feed of about 13 000 adverts is transmitted to IOL daily. Remember that what you see on IOL on any given day are the adverts that appear in newspapers on that day. There is no archive. Also, IOL carries only the "smalls"; we do not carry the larger "display ads" - for example the larger job recruitment adverts. How do I use your classified section? You can search by region, and then by category - or you can go straight to the categories, in which case your seach will bring up a national list of items. Once you have selected a region and a category, you will be able to refine your search further. Once you have a list of items, you can add items to a Shortlist. These then show up in your "trolley" for easy printing. Can I have a step-by-step guide to searching your classifieds? If you want an item in a specific region: Use the drop-down menu in Step 1 to select your region (Gauteng, Western Cape or KwaZulu-Natal). Click on one of the green links in Step 2 to select your category. Use the drop-down menu (in Step 2, next to Classification) to select a further category. If there are no further categories, proceed to the next step. Use the drop-down menu to select a specific publication (or leave the menu on "all" to get all publications in that region). Enter an optional keyword - this will find any advert that contains that word. Click the Search button. When your results are loaded, you can: a.  Use the "Next" and "Previous" buttons at the bottom of the list to view the full list. b.  Click the "add" button next to any item in the shortlist column to the right. This will store the item in your trolley. c.  To see what you've stored, click on Show Trolley. You can print the contents of your trolley by clicking on the Easy Print item If you want to empty your trolley, click Empty Trolley The contents of your trolley will stay there even if you do a new search, so you can do several searches, storing items as you go before you make your printout. If you want a particular item in any region: Leave the drop-down menu in Step 1 set on "all". Click on one of the green links in Step 2 to select your category. Use the drop-down menu (in Step 2, next to Classification) to select a further category. If there are no further categories, proceed to the next step. Use the drop-down menu to select a specific publication (or leave the menu on "all" to get all publications in that region). Enter an optional keyword - this will find any advert that contains that word. Click the Search button. When your results are loaded, you can: a.  Use the "Next" and "Previous" buttons at the bottom of the list to view the full list. b.  Click the "add" button next to any item in the shortlist column to the right. This will store the item in your trolley. c.  To see what you've stored, click on Show Trolley. You can print the contents of your trolley by clicking on the Easy Print item If you want to empty your trolley, click Empty Trolley The contents of your trolley will stay there even if you do a new search, so you can do several searches, storing items as you go before you make your printout. I am having problems searching your classified database. Who do I contact? Please email us here, or phone us during South African office hours on (27) 21 481 6200. I don't understand what some of the categories mean. There are so many different categories that is hard to give a breakdown. You can contact the newspaper concerned to ask them for help. Click here for a full list of phone numbers and email addresses. Can I see old advertisements online? No you can't. A feed of about 13 000 adverts is transmitted to IOL daily from all the newpapers of the group. Our servers simply do not have the capacity to store old adverts. What you see on IOL on any given day are the adverts that are appearing in newspapers on that day. There is no archive. Can I see display ads online (ie large job ads for example)? No you can't. IOL carries only the "smalls". Can I use IOL to place a classified advertisement online? Yes you can. Click here or click to go to our Classified section (located in the menu on the left of the site) and use the link in the menu or in the text at the top of the page. How does placing an ad online work, and how does payment work? The classifieds are a partnership between Independent Online and the publications of the Independent media group. You pay for the ad to be inserted into the newspaper (at rates determined by that publication), and it is carried FREE on IOL as an extra service. At the moment, you cannot place an ad on IOL only. If you want to know in advance how much an ad will cost, you must contact the classified department of that newspaper, who will be able to give you a quote. Click here for a full list of phone numbers and email addresses. On IOL you can select a publication and a category, and input the text of the advert. You are given a reference number and contact details. These details are automatically sent your email address but you can also print them out. The ad is then transmitted to the newspaper concerned, and you will be contacted by a sales representative from that publication to confirm all your details and when the ad will be inserted in the relevant newspaper. The cost of the ad will also be discussed with you by the newspaper's customer representative. If you feel you do not want to place the ad, it can be cancelled with the newspaper's customer representative. The ad will not be placed until your confirmation has been obtained. What steps do I follow to place an ad online? Click here or click to go to our Classified section (located in the menu on the left of the site) and use the link in the menu or in the text at the top of the page. Use the drop down menu to select the publication in which you want the ad to appear. Click go. In the drop-down menu, choose the category in which you want the advert to appear. Click go. You may then get a drop-down menu with a second set of categories. Choose the appropriate one and click go. Use the form to fill in your details and the text of the ad as you would like it to appear. Click go. You will see something that looks like this: Thank you Your classified advertisment has been submitted. One of our sales representatives will contact you shortly. They will confirm the advertisement and the details of payment. Your tracking number is: IOL_10802 If you have any queries, please contact us on: Phone: +27 31 308 2000/1/2/3/4 Fax: +27 31 308 4444 / 308 2888 Email: classified@nn.independent.co.za You will be sent an email notification of these details, or Print this Page for your records. What if the newpaper does not contact me? When you placed your ad on IOL, you will have been emailed a reference number, contact numbers for the newspaper and an email address. You did keep that email, didn't you? Use these details to contact the newspaper concerned. IOL has no control over the placement of the ad in the paper, or over payment. If you didn't record those details, click here for a full list of phone numbers and email addresses. My ad has appeared online but there is something wrong with it. Who do I contact? Email IOL by clicking here, and we will try to rectify the error. (As background, this sometimes happens when the newspaper ad contains odd characters which might cause the ad to "break" when it is translated into the IOL system. It is not an easy thing to fix, but between the publication concerned and IOL, we will do our best to solve the problem). How do I access job, property and motoring ads? For your convenience, these three popular categories are separately listed in the menu on the left hand side of the site, underneath the general Classifieds link. The links are Search Wheels, Search Jobs and Search Property. Phone numbers and email addresses: WESTERN CAPE Cape Times: Phone: (021) 488 4888 Email: capeclass@ctn.independent.co.za. Cape Argus and Weekend Argus: Phone: (021) 488 4888 Email: capeclass@ctn.independent.co.za. Community Newspapers (Cape): Phone: (021) 488 9897 Email: capeclass@ctn.independent.co.za. GAUTENG Pretoria News and Pretoria News Weekend: Phone: (012) 300 2244 / 0860 115 115 Email: Elize.Jordaan@inl.co.za. The Star and Saturday Star: Phone: 0860 115 115 Email: star@inl.co.za. Sunday Independent: Phone: 0860 115 115 Email: star@inl.co.za. KWAZULU-NATAL Daily News: Phone: (031) 308 2000 Email: sanjay@nn.independent.co.za. Sunday Tribune: Phone: (031) 308 2000 Email: sanjay@nn.independent.co.za. Independent on Saturday: Phone: (031) 308 2000 Email: sanjay@nn.independent.co.za. The Mercury: Phone: (031) 308 2000 Email: sanjay@nn.independent.co.za. Isolezwe: Phone: (031)308 2000 Email: wendy@isolezwe.co.za.