How to Use Messages to Communicate with Other Users
Overview
Messages is the inbox where you communicate with other Cohart users about art. It exists so buyers and sellers can discuss inquiries, negotiate offers, and answer custom-website messages without leaving the platform and its purchase protections. It is for sellers answering artwork questions and offers, and for buyers following up on pieces they asked about. Everything here is tied to context: conversation rows carry INQUIRY or OFFER tags with the artwork, inquiry details, offer amounts against original prices, buyer details, and invoice actions. What you do here reaches the other person: replies land in their thread, unread replies raise the red number badge on the sidebar Messages entry, and the artwork a thread is about stays attached to it. By the end of this guide you will have signed in, opened Messages, found a conversation, read its artwork and offer context, and sent a reply.
Before you start
- A Cohart account. After sign-in you land on Inventory, then you open Messages in the sidebar; a red number badge shows unread conversations.
- An existing conversation to open. There is no compose or new-message button: chats appear when someone sends an inquiry, makes an offer, or writes through your custom website.
- Keep deals on Cohart. Threads warn that purchases made outside the platform are not covered by the Buyer and Seller Guarantee.
- Effects to know: anything you send reaches the other person’s thread right away, and the conversation stays attached to the artwork it is about, so reply in the thread where it belongs.
Steps
1. Sign in to Cohart
Sign in with your email address and password, or use Google or Apple.
2. Open Messages from the sidebar
After signing in, you land on Inventory. In the left sidebar, click Messages. A red number badge on Messages shows how many unread conversations you have.
3. Browse your conversation list
Read the Messages list in the middle column. Each row shows the person’s name, a preview of the latest message, and how long ago it arrived (for example 15d or 1mo). Rows marked INQUIRY are artwork questions. Rows marked OFFER are price offers. A preview starting with You: means you sent the last message. If you have not opened a chat yet, the right panel says Select a conversation to start chatting.
4. Open a conversation to read the thread
Click a conversation in the list. Read the messages on the right. Each message shows its time (for example 16:00), and your sent messages show a blue checkmark. Note the safety notice at the top: keep messaging and complete transactions on Cohart to stay protected, since purchases made outside the platform are not covered by the Buyer and Seller Guarantee. Click the person’s name at the top of the thread to open their profile.
5. Review artwork, offer, and buyer details
Open a conversation tagged OFFER or INQUIRY. Under the contact name, check the Artwork: line to see which piece the chat is about. Read the Inquiry for: section and click View artwork to open the artwork page. For offers, read the New offer received! card: it shows the Offer amount: next to the artwork’s Original price:. Click View buyer details to learn more about the buyer. To bill the buyer, click Create invoice.
6. Type a reply and send it
Click inside the Type message here… box at the bottom of the thread. Type your message. Click the blue round send button to the right of the box. Your message appears in the thread with its sending time.
Tips
- Conversations start themselves. There is no compose or “new message” button in Messages. New chats appear when someone sends an inquiry, makes an offer, or messages you through your custom website (these rows are labeled Message from custom website visitor).
- Keep deals on Cohart. The banner in every thread reminds you that off-platform purchases are not covered by the Buyer and Seller Guarantee.
- The send button has no text label. It is the blue circle with a paper-plane icon next to Type message here….
Troubleshooting
- Messages page looks empty at first → the list takes a few seconds to load after you click Messages → wait for rows to appear; if the right panel says Select a conversation to start chatting, click any row to load its thread.
- You land on Inventory after signing in → this is the normal landing page → open Messages in the sidebar whenever you need it.