Romb is a UK classified ads site. People use it to sell things they no longer need, find work, let and rent property, buy and sell cars, and hire a local tradesperson. Posting a standard advert is free and there is no commission on anything you sell.
We publish the adverts. The deal itself is between you and the other person, so this page also covers what to check before you hand over money or goods.
Browsing without an account
You do not need to register to look. Search by keyword, then narrow the results by:
- location, with a distance filter from 1 to 100 miles
- category and subcategory
- price range
- condition, including new, used, refurbished and parts
- newest or oldest first, or price order
Every town and city has its own page, so you can browse everything listed near you rather than searching for it.
Creating an account
Registration takes a minute and costs nothing. You give a username, your name, an email address and a password. We send a confirmation email to the address you enter, and you click the link in it to activate the account.
We may ask you to verify your phone number before your first advert goes live. This cuts down on fake listings, so it is worth doing straight away.
Your username is what other users see. Your surname, email address and password are not shown on your adverts.
Posting an advert
From your profile, choose Post an ad, then:
1. Pick the category that fits. Getting this right matters more than anything else you do, because most people find adverts by browsing a category rather than searching.
2. Write a title that says what the item is, including make and model.
3. Write the description. Say what it is, what condition it is in, why you are selling, and what is included. Adverts with real detail get fewer time-wasting enquiries.
4. Add photos of the actual item, taken in daylight, showing any damage.
5. Set the price and the location.
Your advert goes to moderation. Approval normally takes 24 to 48 hours. If we reject it, we tell you why, and you can fix the problem and resubmit.
Managing your adverts
Everything you have posted sits in the My Ads section of your profile. You can edit an advert at any time, though an edited advert goes back through moderation before the changes appear. You can also mark it as sold or delete it.
Adverts run for a set period and then expire. Nothing is deleted when it expires, so you can repost it from My Ads when you want it live again.
If you cannot get an advert to delete, email cs@romb.co.uk and we will remove it.
What it costs
Posting, browsing and replying are free.
A premium advert costs £4.95 for 30 days. It sits above standard adverts in its category and appears in the featured slots on the homepage and on search results pages. You buy it by topping up the Wallet in My Romb, using PayPal, and then upgrading the advert you want to promote.
A premium advert buys position, not results. It puts your advert in front of more people. Whether it sells depends on the price you have set and the quality of your photos and description.
Replying to an advert
Use the contact details or the enquiry form on the advert itself. Ask your questions before you arrange anything, and keep the conversation on record.
We are not part of the transaction. We do not hold payments, arrange delivery, inspect goods or check that the other party is who they say they are.
Business listings
If you run a business, you can also create a listing in the Businesses directory. It carries your trading name, what you do, your contact details and your service area, and it stays up whether or not you have live adverts running.
Listings are reviewed by our team before they appear. Anything you claim in a listing has to be true, including accreditations, certifications and licence numbers. If you are Gas Safe registered or hold a waste carrier licence, put the number in.
Before you hand over money
Most people on Romb are straightforward. The precautions below deal with the minority who are not.
See the item before you pay for it. If you cannot, use a payment method with buyer protection rather than a bank transfer, because a bank transfer is effectively cash and cannot be recalled once it has cleared.
Meet in a public place in daylight, and take someone with you if the item is expensive.
For a car, check the MOT history and mileage on the DVLA and MOT history services, run an outstanding finance check, and see the V5C in the seller's name at their address before any money moves.
For a property, view it before you pay anything. No genuine landlord or agent asks for a holding deposit, key fee or viewing fee for a property you have not seen. In England, letting fees to tenants are banned by the Tenant Fees Act 2019, so a request for a referencing or admin fee is a warning sign in itself.
For a job, no genuine employer or agency charges you to apply, to be trained, to be DBS checked, or to be put on their books. Charging a jobseeker a work-finding fee is illegal.
For a trade, ask for the registration number behind any certification claimed, then check it on the scheme's own register rather than a link the trader sends you.
If something sounds too good for the price, that is usually the whole explanation.
Our fuller guidance is at romb.co.uk/beware-of-scams.
What you cannot post
The full rules are in our Terms and Conditions, and the annexes there cover jobs, property, vehicles, trade services, pets and dating adverts one by one. The short version:
- do not advertise anything you do not own or cannot legally sell
- if you are trading rather than selling privately, say so on the advert
- prices must include any charge the buyer has to pay
- photos must be of the actual item
- weapons, drugs, counterfeits, stolen goods, prescription medicines, personal data and sexual services are banned outright
Reporting a problem
To report an advert, email cs@romb.co.uk with the link and what is wrong with it. For anything you believe is criminal, put "Illegal content report" in the subject line and we will treat it as urgent.
If we have removed one of your adverts and you think we were wrong, you have 30 days to appeal to the same address. Tell us why and we will look at the decision again.
We cannot recover money you have already sent to another user. If you have been defrauded, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 and to your bank the same day, because banks can sometimes stop a payment that has not yet settled.
On your phone
The Romb app is on Google Play. It carries the same listings as the site and lets you post from your camera roll.
Start posting
Register at romb.co.uk/register, then post your first advert at romb.co.uk/profile/create-ad. If you get stuck, cs@romb.co.uk or +44 7361 586265.