Kijiji messages not working or missing

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Which symptom are you seeing?

Separate four situations: a message fails when sent, a conversation is absent, an email or push alert is missing, or the seller has not replied. These require different checks.

Open My Messages in the account you used to contact the seller. Search or inspect the relevant conversation before relying on a notification. If you have multiple accounts or sign-in methods, confirm you are viewing the intended one.

Do not delete the thread to try to refresh it. You may lose the record of the item, price or pickup arrangement.

What does Kijiji document about messaging?

Kijiji’s current messaging guide describes sending from an ad, receiving confirmation and accessing conversations through My Messages. It also notes that some professional listings may respond by email.

That means a business inquiry and an ordinary private-seller thread may not look identical. Check the actual reply method without assuming every external email is legitimate. Verify unusual requests through the listing and the genuine service.

How do you investigate a new sending failure?

1. Read the exact error. Note the time and whether a sending confirmation appeared.
2. Check the internet connection. Confirm ordinary pages load.
3. Reopen the app or website. Keep the existing conversation intact.
4. Compare app and website. Use the same account and listing.
5. Report the reproducible failure. Include the device, error and relevant listing reference.

Avoid sending repeated duplicate messages. They can confuse the seller if delayed submissions later appear, and they do not provide a controlled test.

If a browser display issue is possible, test briefly with optional extensions disabled and restore them afterwards. That can isolate a surface issue, but cannot remove an account restriction.

Why do old conversations disappear?

Kijiji states that message retention runs for 60 days from the first message, after which the conversation is removed and replies through that thread are no longer available. That is different from a new technical failure.

Keep essential transaction records while they are available, especially for a purchase with an unresolved issue. Retain only what you need and protect private seller information.

Do not assume the seller deliberately deleted your history. Their actions and the platform’s retention process are different explanations.

What if notifications are missing?

Check the conversation first. If the reply is present, focus on email or app notification settings rather than treating the sale as unreachable.

Open Kijiji independently rather than signing in through a suspicious notification link. Kijiji’s safety guidance warns against disclosing sensitive account information.

What if the seller simply does not respond?

A successfully sent message does not guarantee a quick answer. The seller may be busy, the item may have sold or the question may need information they do not have.

Send one useful follow-up if appropriate: “I am still interested in the shelf. Could you confirm the width before I arrange collection?” Then decide how long your own search can wait.

Do not send money to attract a response or secure an unconfirmed item. Keep another candidate in Favourites.

What if the listing is gone too?

Use the unavailable-ad guide. Preserve the current conversation and ask whether the item remains available. Reconfirm before travelling.

If payment has already been made and the seller disappears, preserve the payment and message evidence and use the relevant provider and reporting routes. Treat that as a transaction issue alongside the technical symptom. Sift cannot restore chat or account access; its role is helping you organise the next set of candidates once normal browsing is available.