Getting started

Ahiuwa is a marketplace and a community in one. Anyone can post a listing (an ad) for something they sell — a phone, a car, a flat to rent, a job or a service — and people nearby can find it, message the seller and meet.

Around the listings sits a social layer, so you can get to know who you are dealing with:

• Profiles with photos, feedback from other members and verification badges.
• Following, so you see new listings from sellers you like first.
• Stories that disappear after 24 hours, and wishes, where you post what you are looking for.
• Chats with photos, videos, documents and shared posts.

For people who want more than a classified ad, Ahiuwa also has:

• Shops: verified sellers who sell products with stock, take payment online and ship to you, with your money held until the order arrives.
• Auctions, run by shops, where the highest bidder wins.
• Invoices in chat, so two people who agreed a deal can pay through Ahiuwa and have the money held until delivery.
• Premium packages and the blue check for sellers who want more reach and more trust.

Ahiuwa works in the mobile app (Android and iPhone) and on the website. You use the same account on both, and your listings, chats, orders and settings are the same everywhere.

Almost everything works in both places. A few things are only in the app:

• Posting stories and wishes, and browsing the wish feed.
• Searching for people, wishes and hashtags.
• Uploading a video for a listing. (The website plays videos, but cannot upload them.)

You can browse listings without an account. To post, message, buy or follow anyone, you need one. It is free.

1. Choose Sign up, or continue with Google (and on iPhone, Apple).
2. Enter your name, a username, your email and a password.
3. Pass the quick check that you are a person, not a robot.
4. Enter the 6-digit code we email you. Accounts made with Google or Apple skip this step: that email is already confirmed.

Once you are in, it is worth adding a profile photo and verifying your phone and identity. Buyers trust verified sellers more, and some features — opening a shop, bidding, getting paid — need them.

The app has six tabs along the bottom:

Home

Your feeds: For you (recommended listings) and Following (people you follow). Stories run along the top, and the wish button opens the wish feed.

Search

Search listings, people, wishes and hashtags, with filters.

Create

Post a listing, a wish or a story.

Notifications

Likes, comments, new followers, order updates, payments and messages from our team.

Chats

Your conversations.

Account

Your profile. The profile menu holds performance, history, favourites, profile views, verification and settings.

On Home, tap your photo at the top left (or swipe in from the left edge) to open the side menu: My listings, Premium, Blue check, Favourites, My orders, My bids, Invoices, My shop, Listing performance and History.

On the website, the header has search, Post a listing, messages, notifications, your cart and your account menu. On a phone-sized screen these move to a tab bar at the bottom.

Ahiuwa runs in many countries. By default you see listings from your own country; you can switch to another country or to All countries at any time. Sellers set their prices in their own currency.

Things Ahiuwa itself charges for — premium packages, the blue check, the shop application fee — are priced in US dollars. You pay the equivalent in your own currency at that day's exchange rate, rounded up to a whole unit. The amount is shown before you pay.

Some features depend on the country. Buying online from shops and auctions can be switched off in a country, and in a few countries Ahiuwa is not available at all. If you see a message saying Ahiuwa is not available where you are, that is why.

Browsing, posting listings, chatting, following, stories and wishes are free. Some categories may limit how many live listings a free account can have; premium packages raise that limit.

Paid extras are optional: premium packages and TOP ads, the blue check, and the shop application fee. When you sell through checkout or an invoice, you receive the full price; the person paying adds a small buyer protection or transfer fee. Every fee is listed on Fees and limits.