Messaging

Yclas Neo includes a built-in messaging system so buyers and sellers can communicate directly on your marketplace — no need to share phone numbers or email addresses.

How messaging works

Messaging is tied to listings. When a user is interested in a listing, they can send a message to the seller from the listing detail page.

Starting a conversation

1. A user visits a listing they're interested in
2. They type a message in the message box on the listing page
3. They click Send
4. A conversation is created between the buyer and seller

The message form is only visible to logged-in users and only appears on active (non-expired) listings.

Who can message who

• Any logged-in user can message a listing's seller
• A user cannot message their own listings
• Each listing can have multiple conversations — one per interested buyer

The inbox

Logged-in users can access their message inbox by clicking Messages in the navigation bar. The inbox shows:

• Conversation list — All conversations the user is part of
• Other participant — The name and avatar of the person they're talking to
• Listing reference — Which listing the conversation is about
• Unread badge — A count of unread messages in each conversation
• Last message time — When the most recent message was sent

The inbox automatically refreshes every 30 seconds to show new messages.

Unread count

The Messages link in the navigation bar displays a badge with the total number of unread messages across all conversations. This makes it easy for users to know when someone has responded.

Conversation view

Clicking on a conversation opens the full thread, showing all messages in chronological order.

Features

• Message timeline — Messages are displayed in order, oldest to newest
• Sender labels — Each message shows who sent it
• Auto-refresh — The conversation updates every 10 seconds to show new messages
• Read receipts — Messages are automatically marked as read when the user opens the conversation
• Reply form — A text box at the bottom for sending new messages

Email notifications

When a user receives a new message, they get an email notification at the address they registered with. The email includes:

• The sender's name
• The listing title
• A preview of the message

This ensures users don't miss messages even when they're not actively browsing your marketplace.

Privacy

• Users never see each other's email addresses
• All communication happens within your marketplace
• Email notifications are sent from a generic address, not the sender's personal email
• Conversations are tied to listings — if a listing is deleted, its conversations are also deleted