Browse below for answers to questions about using Veggie Trader. If you can’t find an answer to your question, please contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
All of the system options are available from the navigation bars that appear at the top of each page. The "Search Listings" link takes you back to the front page, so that you can search for listings by category and subcategory. The "Post Listings" link allows you to post new listings to the system. The "Edit Listings" link allows you to modify your listings, renew your listings, delete your listings, or add or modify multimedia files to your listings. The "My Account" link allows you to register for an account or to update your registration information at any time. The "My Checklist" link will display all listings that you have added to your checklist (listings that you have marked for future recall and viewing by the system). The "My Searches" link will display all of the searches that you have saved on this system, listed by the descriptive names that you assigned to those searches. The "Help" link will cause a pop-up help window to appear. In many areas of the system, this will contain context-sensitive help information related to the topic or page that you are on (such as help on posting listings when you are on the listing posting form).
Beneath or within the navigation bar is a search box that allows you to search for listings by entering your zip code and keywords within any or all sections. Sections are broken down by the type of produce (veggies, fruits, herbs, etc.) to make searching easier.
You can find all the produce listings in your area by entering your zip code in the search bar and hitting the Search! button. Narrow your search by entering keywords (i.e. tomatoes, apples, etc.) and/or choosing a produce type from the sections drop down menu (i.e. search only for herbs in the herbs section). If you belong to an organization and are looking for listings from other members of your group, you can enter your organization's name in the keyword search as well.
You can also enter the number of miles around your zip code you'd like to search. Leaving this blank will search only for listings in your zip.
To post a listing, please click on the Post Listings link from the navigation bar. You will be asked to choose the category in which you want to post your listing (Veggies, Fruits, Herbs, etc.). Click the most appropriate category for the produce you have available. Choose the Wanted option if you are looking for local produce. You will then see the listing posting form. Complete all the required information and descriptions for your listing and click on the preview button, where you can review your listing. If you are satisfied with the appearance of your listing, click the Submit button and you’re done!
For more information on creating great postings on Veggie Trader, visit our Posting Tips section.
To modify details of any listing you post, please click the My Account link from the navigation bar and select My Listings under the “Manage Your Account” area. Click for the Details of the listing you want to modify, and choose Modify Your Listing from the options provided on the left of the screen. Change whatever information you wish on the next screen and then click on the "Submit Modifications" button. Your listing will be updated.
You can also click on the Edit Listings link from the navigation bar to modify your listings. You will be asked to choose the section you originally posted the listing to (Veggies, Fruits, Nuts, Wanted, etc.). You will then be asked whether you want to modify/renew your listing, delete your listing, or add/edit multimedia files to your listing. To modify your listing, choose the Modify/Renew Listing button. Enter your Listing Number in the form provided and click the Submit button. (Your listing number was e-mailed to you when you first posted your listing.) Once you’ve entered your listing number, the system will display your listing, along with a form that contains all of your current information already filled in. You can simply modify whatever information you wish to change and then click on the "Submit Modifications" button. Once your listing has been modified, the system will display a successful modification notice.
You can delete listings you post by clicking the My Account link from the navigation bar and selecting My Listings under the “Manage Your Account” area. Click for the Details of the listing you want to modify, and choose Delete Your Listing from the options provided on the left of the screen. The next screen will ask you to submit your deletion. Hit the button and your listing will be deleted.
You can also click on the Edit Listings link from the navigation bar to delete your listings. You will be asked to choose the section you originally posted the listing to (Veggies, Fruits, Nuts, Wanted, etc.). You will then be asked whether you want to modify/renew your listing, delete your listing, or add/edit multimedia files to your listing. To delete your listing, choose the Delete Listing button. Enter your Listing Number in the form and click the Submit button. (Your listing number was e-mailed to you when you first posted your listing.) Once you’ve entered your listing number, the system will display your listing, along with a button to submit the listing for deletion. Hit this button and your listing will be removed.
If you would like to renew your listings before they expire, click the My Account link from the navigation bar and select My Listings under the “Manage Your Account” area. Click for the Details of the listing you want to renew and choose Modify Your Listing from the options provided on the left of the screen. A checkbox will be included among the information you can modify, allowing you to renew your listing for a period of seven more days. Check this box and click on the "Submit Modifications" button and your listing will be renewed.
Please note each listing is limited to a maximum number of three renewals, so you should only renew your listing when it is about to expire.
You can also click on the Edit Listings link from the navigation bar to renew your listings. You will be asked to choose the section you originally posted the listing to (Veggies, Fruits, Nuts, Wanted, etc.). You will then be asked whether you want to modify/renew your listing, delete your listing, or add/edit multimedia files to your listing. To renew your listing, choose the Modify/Renew Listing button. Enter your Listing Number in the form provided and click the Submit button. (Your listing number was e-mailed to you when you first posted your listing.) Once you’ve entered your listing number, the system will display your listing. Among the information you can modify here will be a checkbox allowing you to renew your listing for a period of seven more days. Check this box and click on the "Submit Modifications" button and your listing will be renewed.
To add multimedia files (such as photos) to any listing you post, or to delete an existing multimedia file associated with any listing you’ve posted, please click the My Account link from the navigation bar and select My Listings under the “Manage Your Account” area. Click for the Details of the listing you want to add multimedia files to or delete multimedia files from, and choose Manage Multimedia from the options provided on the left of the screen. Follow the instructions provided to add or delete multimedia.
You can also click on the Edit Listings link from the navigation bar to manage multimedia for your listings. You will be asked to choose the section you originally posted the listing to (Veggies, Fruits, Nuts, Wanted, etc.). You will then be asked whether you want to modify/renew your listing, delete your listing, or add/edit multimedia files to your listing. Choose the add/edit multimedia button and then select the option you’d like (add multimedia or delete multimedia). Enter your Listing Number in the form provided, follow the instructions, and your listing will be updated appropriately.
To view your account information, click the My Account link in the navigation bar and your account information will be displayed. You can manage your account and any listings you’ve posted by clicking on the various links in the “Manage Your Account” area of this screen.
You can update your user profile at any time by clicking on the My Account link in the navigation bar. Go to the "Manage Your Account" section and click on the "Update Your Account Information" link. You will then see a form that contains the various registration fields. Your current information will be automatically filled in. You cannot change your username at this point, but you can change your password and other registration information. Make your desired changes, and then click on the Update My Account Profile button. Once the system has successfully updated your profile, you will see a "success" page informing you of this.
Please make a note of the password that you selected, as you will need it anytime you come back in the future to access certain features of this system. If you ever forget your username or password, you can click on the appropriate link on the logon form. The system will allow you to attempt to retrieve your information by entering either your username (if you forgot your password) or your e-mail address (if you forgot your username).
You can view and reply to any current inbox messages you may have received from other members by clicking on the My Account link in the navigation bar and then clicking on the My Inbox link found in the “Manage Your Account” area.
You can view all the listings you currently have posted by clicking on the My Account link in the navigation bar and then clicking on the My Listings link found in the “Manage Your Account” area. Click “Details” to see detailed information on any of your listings. You can also manage your listings (modify, delete, or renew them) from the “Details” page.
You can create signs and flyers for your listings by clicking the My Account link in the navigation bar and then clicking on the Create Signs and Flyers for your Listings link found in the “Manage Your Account” area.
You can logoff by clicking on the "My Account" link in the navigation bar and then clicking on the "Logoff" link found in the “Manage Your Account” area.
You can use the Checklist feature to "mark" certain listings for future retrieval. To do so, click on the "Checklist Status" checkbox found in the details of the listing you want to add to your Checklist.
To retrieve your checklisted listings, click on the "My Checklist" link in the navigation bar.
You can delete listings from your checklist by unchecking the "Checklist Status" checkbox found in the details of listings you’ve checklisted.
Note that listings are automatically removed from your checklist when they expire or are deleted.
You can use the Saved Searches feature to save a specific type of search that you would like to run again in the future. To do so, click on the "Save This Search" link that is located at the bottom of the results after running any type of search. You will then see a popup window asking you to provide a name for this particular search. Enter a descriptive name such as "Apples” in the popup window, and then click the "OK" button to save your search.
To retrieve your saved searches, click on the "My Searches" link in the navigation bar. This page will show you all of your saved searches, listed by the descriptive names that you gave them. You can click on the descriptive name for any given search to run that search again.
You can delete a saved search by clicking on the "Delete" button next to the descriptive name for that particular saved search. Please note that since your saved searches are saved in a cookie within your web browser, they will not be available if you access the Veggie Trader Listings from a different web browser or computer. Also, these cookies are set to expire after a certain period of time, and your web browser may automatically remove them after a certain time period or when it needs to clean out old cookies because it has exceeded the number of cookies that it can store at a given time.
You can reply to a particular listing by clicking on the “Reply to Listing” link contained within that listing. You will then see a short form that asks you for your e-mail address and the message that you want to send to the person who posted this listing. Once you have entered your e-mail address and your message, click on the Send Reply button. Your message will be sent to this person, but your e-mail address will not be revealed to them. They will receive an e-mail message from the system informing them of your message, and providing the URL where they can retrieve it. When they do so, they will also be given the option of replying to your message. Neither party's e-mail address will be revealed during this process, until or unless someone wants to reveal it by entering it in the message box.
If you feel that a particular listing is offensive or in violation of the system policies of this site, you can notify us by clicking on the "Alert Admin" link contained within that listing. The following page will contain the listing again, followed by a form where you can enter your name, e-mail address, and a brief message. Please explain why you feel that this listing should be reviewed. It is not necessary to reference the listing number as that information will automatically be forwarded to us when you click on the "Alert Admin About This Listing" button.
You can print a particular listing by clicking on the "Print Listing" link contained along the left hand side of the full size display for that listing. In most cases, your web browser's print dialog box will pop up, at which point you can click on a button such as "OK" to print the listing.
You can rate a particular listing by clicking on the "Rate It" link contained beneath the display of the current rating for that listing along the left hand side of the full size display for that listing. On the Rating form, select the radio button next the rating (indicated by the number of stars, from 1 to 5). Enter any desired comments in the Comments box and then click the "Post Comment" button to submit your rating and comments. If you have already rated this listing, the system will not let you rate it again.
You can view other listings posted by a particular member within the section that you are in or throughout the listings. To view other listings posted by this member within the same section, click on the "Category Listings by this user" link contained within the listing. To view all listings posted by this user throughout the system, click on the "All Listings by this user" link contained within the listing.