Advertising on Gumtree

[Florriedee]

Hi I don't know whether this is the right forum for this thread but here goes.

I put an ad on Gumtree this morning with my website and my business phone number etc... on it and about 2pm got a phone call on my work phone.

'Great' I thought '1st call, how exciting!' It was, however, a chap asking if I did massage.
'Yes' I answered 'where abouts do you live'.
'Well' he said, 'do you come to hotels?'
'No unfortunately I don't, I'll come to offices but I don't go to hotels cos there is too much room for misunderstanding.'
'Oh' he said and put the phone down.

Now I don't know that this was a response from Gumtree but chances are it was and my ad in no way sounded like a call-girl ad, in fact I put 'massage' at the end to specifically try and make it not sound like a 'personal massage' ad and it was in the health and beauty section, not the 'up for a quick roll in the hay' section so my question is, do you think that I am likely to only get horrid men wanting that sort of service with my gumtree ad or do you think there is a chance I will get some decent answers as well? Has anyone here ever had any joy from a gumtree ad (by that I mean a genuine customer!) or are they all pervy old blokes?
Any thoughts greatly appreciated! Lol Lx

Here is the number for the ad on the London gumtree if anyone wants to look and telkl me if I was asking for it! 25153337

 

[Angelaznailz]

HI,
No experience regarding beauty or massage treatments, however my friend got a squad (from a gumtree advert) to tend her overgrown garden.
....................unless the guys that came thought that it was code for a bit of 'the other'. LOL
I'm sure that a lot of regular folk log onto gumtree however, I wouldn't have thought that it's the best place to advertise your services.

 

[Florriedee]

No you are probably right but I thought it couldn't hurt, however that assessment may have been wrong! Lol:lol: Lx

Oh I am a ditz! I only just got the garden thing!

 

[hippy-chick]

I have advertised on the freeads and gumtree on 2 occassions.

the first was for massage and I got no genuine calls only sexual service calls.

I have placed an ad for the colon massage course that I am organising and so far have had a nice response from it, about 4 enquires, so potential clients.

I would never ever advertise massage services on there again, but for courses, it seems OK.

if you go onto gumtree and look at similar ads to yours, they will be intermingled with sexual services.

 

[Jen Smith]

I offer my waxing services on there... I used to offer all beauty including massage too and clearly stated that it was only a professional service - absolutly no happy ending included! But I still got weirdo's phoning.. starting asking about waxing and soon went onto 'do I do massage'.. naked (not sure if they meant me of them actually ) but as soon as I said all clients are gowned.. the phone would go down.

I have taken off any reference to beauty and massage now and I am finding I get genuine enquiries which are turning into appointments on the whole.

Its free so its just another avenue to get you 'out there'.

 

[tonilee]

I advertise on the gumtree, and yeah I have had a few weird requests from blokes thinking I offer other services, I dont do massage I only advertise nails, facials and tanning!! So where they get that from I have no idea!!! lol

As a matter of fact on Friday night I got a text at 12:20am from an unknown number saying hiya sexy, and a picture of blokes erm "member"!!

I think sadly its just as part of advertising on something as wide as the gumtree as its not a select audience, you just have to have your wits about you.

 

[Jennykins]

I've advertised on gumtree before and not had any weird calls....maybe i was one of the lucky ones!!!!

 

[Marlise]

Hey there sexy... just saw your ad on Gumtree and was wondering if you do massages with happy endings ? :lol: :lol: :lol:

Oh dear... there are some very strange people out there. Read your ad and everything sounds fine.

Might be worth while emphasising that you don't do massages with happy endings (I love that !) and see if it helps.

But as mentioned before, you will probably still get some dodgy guys calling.

Having said that, are you entirly comfortable going to "unknown males" houses and doing massage ? I'm just asking because it's not something I would do...

I know it's not fair on the majority of the male population who are honest and not pervy, but as a mobile therapist myself, I don't want to put myself into a position that might get difficult ....


Marlise

 

[marie111]

I advertise on gumtree and do very well out of it but don't list massage as one of the treatments I do, I do have a link though to my website which includes massage.
I've had a couple of weirdo phone calls but in the 15 years i have been doing massage thats not bad.
Just to add I have visited people in their hotels to do massage but make it clear that I willl be taking a colleague with me and the genuine ones are fine with that and I also let the reception know what room I am going to and why.

 

[luci106]

Wow maybe im naieve but i advertise on gumtree including my massage - but SO FAR (she says lol) have had no mucky requests hadnt even thought about it!!! ahhhh blonde girl!! This is quite scary actually how many girls out there could be putting themselves at risk by a chancer? Thanks for the warning will be changing the ad!!!

 

[blossom]

Here is the number for the ad on the London gumtree if anyone wants to look and telkl me if I was asking for it! 25153337

OK, well I looked up your ad and to be honest, it was fine.

But to tweak it a little more so it is even less likely to be misconstrued, I personally would take out all the exclamation marks, you are a serious business woman, you don't need them. They have a "fun" element about them somehow. Why would you need to announce that you are a beauty/massage therapist in North London and follow that with an exclamation mark?

I would definitely include the words "Beauty Professional" somewhere in the ad. Maybe "let me come and pamper you" could be re-worded? I'm trying to think of some suggestions but it's difficult. Let's not forget, if a guy has one thing on his mind he can read anything into anything.

I agree with Marlise that going to an unknown male is not something I would be prepared to do (guys on here please don't take offence-it's for the same reason I don't sleep with my front door open or leave my car unlocked. Most people are fine but you can't tell which ones are not.)

If you are not getting any serious calls from Gumtree I would come out of it.

 

[Florriedee]

Hi Guys

Thanks for your answers. You are right about the exclamation points!!!!:lol: I don't need them and I am cutting down on them, but I can't go completely cold turkey as my addition is of a long standing nature. Lol. Again you are all right about the pampering part of the ad and perhaps I will remove massage completely and just have it on my website like marie does. I prefer waxing anyway, lol. It just wouldn't occur to me that it looked like 'one of those' ads! Especially as I am sure there is a section for that anyway. And no I definately am not going to any strange man's house all on my own, I'm single at the moment so my mother would have to be my bodyguard but as soon as the next Mr Wrong is in view I will press-gang him into service.:lol:

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll get cracking on my changes.

Lx

 

[hippy-chick]

I had a one line ad in yellow pages for baby massage.
in the year that it was in, I probably got about 10 mucky phone calls from that!
one man asked me to go to his hotel room and could he be the baby.

 

[Annie1984]

No you are probably right but I thought it couldn't hurt, however that assessment may have been wrong! Lol:lol: Lx

Oh I am a ditz! I only just got the garden thing!

Dont be daft ur so not a ditz! and as for advertising on gumtree I think its good as its free. I used gumtree for beauty services in the past, its a great way to get to local independent professionals with out paying the odds.

 

[marie111]

I had a one line ad in yellow pages for baby massage.
in the year that it was in, I probably got about 10 mucky phone calls from that!
one man asked me to go to his hotel room and could he be the baby.

Thats hilarious, I think i would have had to put the phone down as he would have heard me laughing.

 

[hippy-chick]

Thats hilarious, I think i would have had to put the phone down as he would have heard me laughing.

yes its funny but at the time I was totally flummoxed about it all!

 

[soriminah]

I have a few online listings with different sites and it's all the same. I always put in my ad - 'This is a genuine remedial massage service - not an adult service'. I have from day one but still get dodgy calls from time to time.

 

[Bombalurina]

I use Gumtree all the time, and I've been very successful with it. I update my ad every other day and I'm going really well out of it. At the end of the day, it's free advertising!! There's also a link to my webpage on there, and anyone who follows that will see i'm a professional therapist.

I have learned my lesson though!!! Had a couple of dodgy men calling/texting me. I'm a bit mean to them actually, and tell them in no uncertain terms, I am a professional therapist, who does not provide beauty treatments for men...they're soon more embarassed than me!!

One guy started calling me on Easter Sunday, right around lunch time, leaving very insistent messages that I call him back immediately to arrange a massage!!!! I sent him a text telling him I was sorry for my delayed reply, but as it was Easter Sunday I'd been in church!!! Soon got the message!!!

But I've learned if I'm going to list massage that I only list Aromatherapy massage or pregnancy massage, and I always put somewhere in the ad that I' only treat ladies. Since I started doing that, I've had no problems at all.