Milanuncios drops phone number, forces chat and shipping on its site

Milanuncios removes phone number, forces chat and shipping on its site

Users report the same result: with the phone number clearly visible in the ad text and easy hand-pickup options, nobody calls. One seller with about 200 published items says he hardly gets contacted. Milanuncios has removed phone contacts from ads, made shipping a process within its own gateway, and now requires registration to message a seller. Those still using it describe a crash in contacts and a trickle of messages that rarely lead to purchases.

The diagnosis is repeated: previously, the platform only managed the ad, deals were closed by phone, and no one else interfered. Now, the portal wants to charge for sales and shipping. Those who previously sold without effort must now monitor messages, emails, and the app.

What exactly has changed on Milanuncios?

Changes have accumulated, according to those noticing them. The button to view the phone number is gone, so operations can no longer be closed by talking. Editing an ad reveals an integrated shipping system, structured like competitors', requiring package weight declaration or marking no shipping. Some ads and categories have also changed locations.

The most uncomfortable new layer is registration: to contact a seller, you must register on the portal or log in with a Google or Apple account. Those previously posting semi-anonymously now face a barrier before the first message.

There is another minor detail that particularly angers users: saving an ad as a favorite no longer works silently. The system forces buyer-seller communication, so simply marking something generates email alerts and unsolicited conversations.

Why Milanuncios no longer looks like Milanuncios

The portal's history explains some confusion. According to a participant, it started as a project with a very small team, four or five people, and was sold to the owners of segundamano.com when Wallapop did not yet exist. Those same owners renamed Segundamano as Vibbo and eventually closed the site. The feeling that Milanuncios is heading in the same direction is hard to shake.

This fuels the most repeated suspicion: that the portal has ended up in the hands of Wallapop's owners. There is no confirmation. The only verifiable fact is that the shipping system, messaging, and listing structure are virtually identical. Some participants attribute this directly to that purchase; others find no proof but note the identical result.

eBay, Wallapop, and each platform's toll

The alternative many cite is eBay, especially for collectibles and international sales. According to users, it has lowered commissions and allows 150 monthly ads for free, still taking about 10% per transaction. The problem, according to those leaving, is the ID requirement, which has led some users to abandon the platform.

Wallapop is the most active option and also the most contested. There are reports of payments via transfer that go nowhere and accounts disappearing after charging, with the platform responding that it only protects operations closed within its system. Regarding commissions, some detail that they vary by product category: not the same as a car, around 12%, as a painting or movie, around 15%.

• eBay: around 10% commission per sale
• Category commissions, according to a participant: around 12% for vehicles and 15% for leisure and culture

Despite this, some still sell stably. The recipe is always the same: hand deals, in the city, payment via transfer or cash, and zero shipping. Those stepping out of this assume the risk.

Selling less and worse: the case of ads receiving no messages

The symptom summarizing the moment is the lack of response. A seller with around 200 published items, at low prices and with a visible phone number, says he hardly gets contacted. Another, with about 50 operations under his belt, counts four contacts just to waste time.

Many of the messages that arrive, when they do, are bargaining attempts on five-euro items or scam attempts with links to enter bank details. That is why some have decided not to respond to chat and demand phone calls in the ad text itself. And yet, the phone number has disappeared from the form.

There is a segment that, according to a participant who trinc it, holds up better: the used car market, where volume would continue to move through these portals despite everything. The rest, collectibles and very specific objects, depends on a whim buyer who is scarce. When the phone number drops and shipping becomes expensive, that buyer goes elsewhere.

All paths lead to the same thing: a percentage for the platform at each step. 10% here, 12% or 15% there. The bulletin board that was free for years has ceased to be so on several of the most used platforms.