Probably the best thing to consider when preparing an advert is “what would attract me to an advert?” If you can produce an advert that would stand out for you then it will probably stand out for other people.

We have set out below the information each advert form asks for, the items that must be entered are marked with an asterisk * - the asterisk also appears on the form as a reminder for you as you complete it.

 Who Are You?

Personal Information

The advert form asks for personal information about you so that we know who you are and how to contact you. We do not share or pass this personal information on to anybody, and it will not be shown in your advert. We need your First Name, Last Name, Address, Postcode and Telephone number. It would be useful to have your email address, and there is room for you to add any comments or special instructions if you wish.

What Are You Selling?  

The form then asks for information about the item you are selling, this information will be shown on your advert so it is worth making it as clear and concise as you can.

Advert Heading *

You may want to put the name of the horse or pony in here, or the make of the item if it is saddlery or a horse box. Something that will catch people’s eye such as ‘Smart Little Jumper’ rather than ‘Pony For Sale’.

Main Category *

There is a separate form for each main category. If you have spent an hour or so composing a compelling advert and then realised you are using the wrong form don’t despair! Submit the form and then phone us and we will change it for you. We will phone you anyway on receipt of the form so we can correct things then.

Subcategory *

For most items you need to select a subcategory for your advert. There are several subcategories for horses and ponies, fewer for other main categories and none for items like trailers. Choose the subcategory you feel is most important for the item you are selling. When we phone you we will discuss with you what other subcategories you would like your advert included in.

 Driving Pony or HGV?

Advert Description *

Although you can put as much as you like in here it really needs to be clear and concise so that potential buyers don’t lose interest. Cover the key points and use paragraphs to break it up, people tire of reading long paragraphs with no breaks. You may want to prepare it in a word processor or text editor so you can spell check it then copy and paste it into the form.

Please do not put links to web sites in the description as they will be removed.

Bullet Points

You can enter up to 3 key or bullet points so you have the opportunity to emphasise the most important points about the item you are selling. Keep them short, concise and relevant, better 1 or 2 really good points than 3 things that potential buyer may not feel relevant.

Price To Show On Advert *

This doesn’t need to be just a figure, it can be something like ‘£3,500 or close offers’.

Location, location, location  

Location

We ask for the location of the item for sale so that potential purchasers know where it is - a town or county is probably best here.

Contact Details For Advert *

You will already have given us information on how to contact you at the top of the form but we won’t use this in the advert. You may be happy for us to have your main phone number, but you may prefer to put a mobile number or email address for potential customers to contact you.

Picture(s)

Finally perhaps the most important thing - a picture or pictures. Standard adverts include 1 picture, extended adverts allow for 2 pictures. With an advert a picture may be worth more than a thousand words, many potential buyers will scroll down the adverts and stop when a picture catches their eye.

 A nice picture catches the eye.

Pictures will be displayed on the website at a size of 300 x 300 pixels. Although we will resize them before displaying them, if you can resize them before uploading them you can be sure the picture displayed will be as close to your original as possible. To add a picture to your advert click on the ‘Browse...’ button which will open a dialog box and enable you to browse to the picture on your computer. It would help us if the pictures have a distinctive name, perhaps a mixture of your surname and/or the name of the item. Trying to connect hundreds of pictures named ‘my pony’ with the correct advert can be quite interesting!

You must own the copyright in any pictures you upload.

Generally the photographer owns the copyright, so if you didn’t take the picture yourself then you must obtain the photographer’s/copyright holder’s permission to use it. If you do use a picture with another person’s permission they might appreciate it if you mention that in your advert. By uploading a picture you confirm that you understand and accept this copyright condition.

If you don’t put anything in the areas with asterisks then after you press the “Submit My Advert” button you will be returned to the form, and you will see a red asterisk next to the item(s) that need to be entered. Please enter the appropriate information and press the “Submit My Advert” button again.

This will also happen if you try and put too much information in some areas of the form. Again you will be returned to the form, and you will see a large red asterisk displayed next to the part of the form with too many words. Just prune it a bit and submit the advert again.

If you do find yourself back at the form the link to your picture(s) may be lost so you will need to browse to it again.